Lake Como · Food

Como's covered market, a few minutes' walk inland from the old town: cheese, salumi, bread and fruit under one roof in the mornings. It is the cheapest way to assemble a boat picnic, and far better value than anything sold on the Bellagio waterfront.

The dishes worth ordering are the lake ones: risotto with perch fillets (risotto con filetti di pesce persico), and missoltini — shad salted, sun-dried and pressed, served with polenta and vinegar. Menus that lead with sea bass and prawns are cooking for tourists.

A small, wood-panelled osteria on Via Vitani in Como's old centre, doing Lombard plates at lunch — the sort of room that fills with locals and has a short handwritten list. Go early or expect to wait; it is not a large place.

In Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio the price roughly halves the moment you leave the waterfront and climb a lane. Aperitivo is the local habit — a drink between about six and eight comes with enough salumi and crisps to blunt dinner.