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Like something out of an Italian romance novel, Lake Como makes you swoon with its stately villas, sprawling gardens and sparkling sapphire waters.
With the Italian and Swiss Alps as a backdrop and myriad olive groves and lemon orchards providing pleasant shade, it's no wonder the massive body of water (the third largest in Italy) has starred more than once on the silver screen. You can glimpse the Y-shaped lake's famous shores in everything from silent films (The Pleasure Garden) to action blockbusters (2006 James Bond flick Casino Royale) to modern comedies (Netflix's Murder Mystery).
Aside from Hollywood, Lake Como has served as inspiration for everyone from Medieval poets to American authors — Mark Twain and Ernest Hemingway both praised the lake in some of their most famous works.
A playground for glitterati since Roman rule, the destination's picturesque towns, like Como, Bellagio and Tremezzo, look straight out of a storybook, while an ever-booming, high-end hotel industry gives this historic enclave a new chapter.
