I’d start early with a walk through Cernobbio before the shops open, when it’s just locals and the smell of coffee. Then breakfast at Villa d’Este — a cappuccino, a cornetto and that view. In the late morning, I’d hire a small boat. You have to be on the water to understand the place properly — the scale, the light, the villages folded into the hills. For lunch, I’d stop in Laglio at Da Luciano, a tiny butcher-bottega that does wine, cheese and meats. Simple and mouthwatering. The afternoon would be for wandering through one of the old villas, probably Villa del Balbianello. Then I’d end the day with a swim or an aperitivo by the shore. The rhythm of Como is slow and deliberate.
