Luxury dog-friendly hotels in Lake Como, Italy

Pink and yellow houses dotted high up verdant hills, tanned legs stretched out on terraces, olive groves’ glistening silver in the breeze: there’s a distinctly Mediterranean feel to this corner of Lombardy, blessed with a balmy micro-climate, yet surprisingly close to the Swiss border. There’s much to explore here: hop on a ferry or follow the sinuous road hugging the shoreline to find ancient cliffside villas, cobblestoned markets, and wisteria-clad trattorias. The lake offers gliding, sailing, and windsurfing for the restless, but there is little point in resisting: Lake Como’s perfected the sort of charmed, idle summer living that’s attracted the famous and wealthy for centuries, and it’s bound to lure you in too.