Lake Como and the northern lakes, privately
Waterfront villas, boats, and Milan an hour away. Strong for celebrations and for shorter stays.
Why the lakes
Lake Como lies in Lombardy, a lake of glacial origin shaped like an inverted Y. Its two southern arms end at Como and Lecco, the northern arm runs up toward Colico, and Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio face each other across the water where the three branches meet. It is the third largest lake in Italy, after Garda and Maggiore. Public boats and car ferries link the villages, and the crossings in the center of the lake take minutes rather than hours.
For a private stay, the lakes offer waterfront villas and boats, with Milan an hour away. The region is strong for celebrations and for shorter luxury stays, and Milan's real community and suppliers make the kosher supply chain workable. Italy as a whole is unusually workable for kosher travel, and the lakes add the water.
What the lakes suit
Because Milan is close, a family can land in the morning and be at the house the same day, which is why the lakes work well for a long weekend, a milestone birthday or an anniversary as well as a longer summer stay. A lakefront villa with its own mooring lets the days move between the garden and the water: a boat to lunch, an afternoon on the lake, dinner back at the house.
The lakes also suit a gathering of several households. A house large enough for the whole family, a dining room or terrace that can seat everyone at one table, and a kitchen that can take a culinary team are the three things we look for first. Our guide to choosing a private villa in Italy sets out the questions to ask.
How a stay is produced
- Lakefront villas with boathouses and private moorings
- Kosher meat, wine and specialty goods consolidated and shipped ahead, usually through Milan
- Produce, fish, bread and dairy sourced locally within the agreed standard
- Minyan arrangements in Milan
- Gateways: Milan Malpensa and Linate
- Drivers and vehicles on site throughout the stay
- A KCT producer on location from arrival to departure
The kitchen and Shabbat
The kitchen is surveyed, kashered and equipped before the family arrives, and run by the culinary team with a mashgiach, at the level of kashrut agreed with the family in advance. Every wine served is certified kosher. Shabbat and Yom Tov requirements are built into the plan from the first conversation, so that Friday is about the table rather than the logistics. The full standard is set out in our kosher standards.
When to go
May and June are green, warm and uncrowded across northern Italy. July and August are lake season, with long days on the water and warm evenings at the house. September and October bring softer light and the harvest. See when to go for every destination.
Planning a celebration or a short stay
Because the lakes suit celebrations, read the journal guide to planning a kosher family celebration in Italy and destination events and celebrations. For the wider country, see Italy, and for other regions, Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast. When you are ready, begin a conversation with Avicam.
Begin a conversation
Tell Avicam where you would like to go and who is traveling. We discuss honestly whether KCT is the right team, and how an engagement would be structured. We reply as soon as we can.