We started our dinner with a selection of cold cuts and cheeses from the farm and I'm not exaggerati

Benjamin Franklin once said 'Eat to live, don't live to eat'. While he might be right in most cases, there are certain exceptions from this rule... Like when you find yourself in a little trattoria on top of the mountain, overlooking Lake Como.
Trattoria Baita Belvedere is a family run restaurant in Bellagio. And it is special from quite a few points of view. First of all, all ingredients are either produced airline ticket special by departure city right there on the family farm next to the restaurant, or locally produced (like fish from the lake). Second, from the terrace, airline ticket special by departure city guests can enjoy some of the most breathtaking and unique views over Lake Como.
As Trattoria Baita Belvedere is situated on top of the mountain, airline ticket special by departure city you certainly need a car to get there. There are no sidewalks and the road is steep, with horseshoe curves through the forest and to be honest, it looked pretty dangerous to me. On the other hand there aren't many cars. But this should not impend you from having lunch or dinner here. The owners of the restaurant run a daily shuttle service from downtown Bellagio airline ticket special by departure city to the restaurant. They even drive everyone airline ticket special by departure city back to their hotels after finishing the meal!
Trattoria Baita Belvedere has a friendly and informal atmosphere, with old photos and tools once used for farming decorating the walls. From the very first moment we stepped inside we were treated airline ticket special by departure city like family, we were given an amazing table on the glass covered terrace (they also have an open air terrace, but in May when we were there it was still too cold for eating outside), from were we could admire the sunset and the views. To be honest, the lake was so beautiful from up there, I almost couldn't take my eyes away from it.
The dishes served in the restaurant follow old, traditional recipes from Northern Italy. And since pizza was invented in Napoli, in Southern airline ticket special by departure city Italy, quite a long way from Bellagio, airline ticket special by departure city there is no pizza to be found on the menu. Instead, all main dishes are accompanied by polenta (boiled finely ground yellow cornmeal).
airline ticket special by departure city We started our dinner with a selection of cold cuts and cheeses from the farm and I'm not exaggerating when I say they were some of the best we've ever had. Definitely a must try and a great way to stir the appetite, especially if served with local wine.
As a first course, I insisted on going for lasagna, as it is my favorite Italian dish after pizza. Over the years I became a bit of a lasagna snob, so I was happy to dig in this homemade lasagna goodness. My husband on the other hand went for the crepes, as he is a big crepes fan and he didn't regret his decision at all.
By now, we already realized airline ticket special by departure city we ordered too much food. The rations at Baita Belvedere are pretty generous and we certainly didn't take into consideration that all the cheese and pasta was going to fill us up before we knew it. But we were determined to go on and try the main course as well, simply because the temptations was too big. Unfortunately I was never a big fan of polenta airline ticket special by departure city and this didn't turn me into one either, especially as I was already feeling stuffed, but the rabbit airline ticket special by departure city was nicely flavored, juicy and delicious and it reminded me of the rabbit my mother used to cook when I was a child.
Trattoria airline ticket special by departure city Baita Belvedere might not win any awards for creativity, but it surely compensates with fresh ingredients and a lot of soul. The dishes served are unpretentious, but fully flavored and at the end of the day I believe this is what matters most. There were many families with kids and though at one point it got pretty noisy, is was also nice to have all that child laughter around. Many of the guests were local too, and the owners of the restaurant seemed to know quite a few of them, and that projected even further the family atmosphere.
airline ticket special by departure city Trattoria Baita Belvedere is a relaxed place, but nothing fancy. It can be very romantic given the absolutely wonderful views of the lake and Bellagio itself. It also serves delicious fresh food and for that it is definitely worth a visit. Before we left we even bought cheese and marmalade produced on the farm, and as we approached our hotel , we had the feeling that we were coming back from visiting grandma! For families with kids, I believe this restaurant can be a god-sent. It really has the fervent atmosphere of a home where the whole family gathers for the Christmas dinner. And everybody behaves! To be honest, I've never seen anything like it.
Well you had me at the first picture and with each picture I ve started packing my bags! This is exactly my favorite type of restaurant. Wow, good food and amazing views, can t beat that. Reply Delete Replies Laura Orange June 19, 2013 at 8:25 PM
That s exactly what my husband and I were debating while having dinner at Baita Belvedere, which is best, the views or the food. But we couldn t make up our minds... Delete Reply Derek4Real June 19, 2013 at 11:26 AM