Wedding photographers in Italy
Bellagio
A village of stepped lanes on the point where Lake Como splits in two.
Bellagio stands at the tip of the promontory that separates Lake Como’s two southern arms, the one towards Como and the one towards Lecco. From Punta Spartivento, the point itself, you see all three branches of the lake with the mountains behind. The old village climbs from the ferry pier in steep stone lanes, with the park of Villa Serbelloni above it and the gardens of Villa Melzi along the shore.
Couples marry here for the water and the boats. The comune holds civil weddings in its council chamber and in two places by the lake; guests cross by ferry from Varenna, Menaggio or Cadenabbia and walk up the lanes to the ceremony, and the morning after, the lake is calm — and yours — before the first boats.
Photographers
Wedding photographers in Bellagio
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Ceremonies
Where couples marry in Bellagio
The council chamber and its garden
Next to Bellagio’s town hall: the ceremony takes place inside the council chamber or in the small garden at its entrance, set with chairs and a table for the occasion. Civil weddings run Monday to Saturday — never on Sundays or public holidays.
Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni
Built as a private villa and a hotel since 1873, just round the corner from the square by the pier. The comune lists it as a civil-wedding place, with the ceremony in its garden by the lake or indoors, as the hotel allows; book with both the hotel and the comune.
Lido di Bellagio
The comune’s third civil-wedding place: a ceremony on the beach by the lake, or indoors if the weather turns, again booked with both the venue and the comune.
Villas, terraces and boats
Elsewhere around the point, villa gardens and hotel terraces host receptions and symbolic ceremonies, and many couples hire a boat to bring the guests over or for portraits on the water. A villa ceremony is legal only if its own comune lists the villa.
Portraits
Where to take your portraits
Punta Spartivento
The tip of the promontory, a short detour from the old village: the three branches of the lake and the mountains behind, a view poets and writers have long celebrated. Early morning, before the first ferries, is the quiet hour.
The Salita Serbelloni
Steep stone steps between the houses, once part of the village’s defences — in the Middle Ages it was called ‘il Fossato’, the ditch — with the old walls still visible. Narrow and shaded: soft light even at midday.
Piazza Mazzini and the lakefront
The square by the pier, once the market place, with its arcades and a column marking the floods of 1829 and 1868; then the promenade along the water. The classic Bellagio frame, at its best at sunrise.
The gardens of Villa Melzi
A garden along the shore, open every day from 22 March to the end of October, 10:00–19:00: azaleas and rhododendrons in April and May, a Japanese pond with water lilies and maples, a small chapel by the water. Ask the garden before planning a photo session.
Through the year
When to marry in Bellagio
Lake Como is wet by Italian standards: Como’s own station records about 1,320 mm a year. May is the wettest month (161 mm on about 12 days), June and August are close behind (134 and 136 mm), and July has the fewest rain days of the warm season (7) and the highest average maximum, 29.5 °C. September is milder, 23.6 °C, with rain on about 7 days. The gardens peak in April and May; in 2026 the ferries moved to their autumn timetable on 5 October, and Villa Melzi’s gardens close at the end of October.
Lake Como & the Italian Lakes, month by month
- January: Quieter
- February: Quieter
- March: Quieter
- April: Good with planning
- May: Best
- June: Best
- July: Good with planning
- August: Good with planning
- September: Best
- October: Good with planning
- November: Quieter
- December: Quieter
Practical
Good to know before the day
Getting there
The railway on the eastern shore stops at Varenna–Esino–Perledo, on the Lecco–Sondrio–Tirano line, and from Varenna the ferries cross to Bellagio; by road, it is the end of the lakeside road from Como. The old village is all steps: plan the walk from the pier with older guests, and long dresses, in mind.
Ferries on the day
Navigazione Laghi’s car ferries link Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio and Cadenabbia; its ships and fast services run down to Como and across to Lecco. Timetables change with the season — in 2026, summer from 1 July to 4 October, autumn from 5 October to 1 November — and boats can be suspended in bad weather or high waves. Check the last departure before you fix the end of the party.
Drones
The EU rules apply: registration on d-flight, insurance, the zones published there, and no flying over crowds — on a busy waterfront or a ferry pier, that usually means no. In a private garden, the owner decides.
The legal route
Each of you needs a nulla osta, and you sign a declaration at the comune a few days before. Bellagio’s registry office answers on dates and the documents it wants; for the hotel or the lido, contact both the venue and the comune. Our legal guide has every step.
Questions
Questions about marrying in Bellagio
Can we have a legal wedding in Bellagio?
Yes. The comune celebrates civil weddings in its council chamber (or the small garden at its entrance), at the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni and at the Lido di Bellagio. Book the two lakeside places with both the venue and the comune.
Can we get married on a Sunday in Bellagio?
Not legally: the comune’s civil weddings run Monday to Saturday, never on Sundays or public holidays. A symbolic ceremony at a hotel or villa can be on any day the venue agrees, with the legal part on another day or at home.
Can we take photos in the park of Villa Serbelloni?
The park above the village, about 21 hectares, belongs to the Rockefeller Foundation and opens only for guided tours run by the comune — up to 30 people, about two hours, booked online. It is a visit, not a place to book for portraits; Villa Melzi’s gardens and the village lanes are easier.
What if it rains on our wedding day in Bellagio?
Plan for it: May is Como’s wettest month, and rain falls on 7 to 12 days a month through the warm season. The council chamber is indoors, and the hotel and the lido can hold the ceremony inside; for portraits, the arcades on Piazza Mazzini and the narrow lanes give shelter.
Lake Como & the Italian Lakes
Other places on Lake Como & the Italian Lakes
Plan
Read before you plan
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