Fiona Fleck Special to The Wall Street Journal  CERNOBBIO, Italy -- On his honeymoon at Lake Como in 1833, the English scientist William Henry Fox Talbot reflected on the area's "immutable beauty." He was equipped with a camera obscura and camera lucida -- the high-tech drawing gear of his day -- but he wanted something to capture more permanently the sublime views of the northern Italian lake rimmed by the Alps. "The idea occurred to me," he wrote, "how charming it would be if it were possible to cause these natural images to imprint themselves durably and remain fixed upon the paper."  He soon found a way; he returned to England spurred toward his invention of photography, for which he is credited along with the Frenchman Louis Daguerre.  Lake Como has retained its power to inspire, enchanting people from the time of the Roman legionnaires, who planted vineyards here 2,000 years ago, to the mid-20th century, when the lake was a top destination for Europeans on holiday. But then, with the advent of jet travel, vacationers started bypassing the lake for the Mediterranean. For decades, many of the belle epoque hotels and Renaissance villas that once hosted European aristocracy fell to ruin.  Now, travelers weary of Europe's more popular destinations have rediscovered Lake Como as a place of unspoiled and breathtaking beauty. In fact, it's advisable to book at least a month in advance, particularly during peak season from early May to mid-October. During the high season and especially on weekends, the lake's roads and villages are crowded, particularly on the western side.  Part of the allure is the warm climate around the lake even in winter -- it is so deep it never freezes, meaning banana trees, palms and other tropical plants grow here in view of snow-capped Alps.  Weekenders from the plains of Lombardy and Veneto -- where they face fog, drizzle and overcast skies in the autumn -- come here for blue skies and warm weather from April to November. There are dramatic rainstorms at night, full of thunder and lightning, and hovering morning mists that clear by midday, swept away by the Tivano wind from the north or the Breva wind from the south.  The tourists returning to Lake Como are following in venerable footsteps. Latin poets Virgil and Catullus came here. Pliny the Younger built two villas on the lake, one named Comedy, the other Tragedy. From the Renaissance to the 19th century, Italian nobles and clergy built elegant villas on the lakeside, skirted by steep hills, rugged peaks and rivers that plunge like waterfalls.  The Victorians stopped here on their grand tour of the Continent, and the powerful, wealthy and glamorous -- from Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner (here on their honeymoon) to Winston Churchill -- were photographed here. The latest celebrity arrival is Hollywood star George Clooney, who recently bought a villa in Lagio, on the lake's glitzy western side.  The lake didn't escape the dark side of history. In 1943, Villa D'Este -- the lake's most famous hotel -- was converted into a hospital by the Nazis and, according to local rumor, was a place Nazi officials came to for plastic surgery before escaping with new identities to South America. The lake also briefly became notorious after Mussolini and his mistress stopped here on their attempt to escape to Switzerland in 1945. They were caught and executed nearby, in Dongo.  But it was the Romantics who made Lake Como famous through their lyrical poetry and gushing prose. Lake Como, the poet Shelley wrote, "exceeds anything I ever beheld in beauty." Longfellow and Stendhal extolled its praises. Even Mark Twain -- a man not given to emoting -- was touched enough to write: "Nowhere else than on the Lake of Como can there be found such a paradise of tranquil repose."  Many of the holiday villas built by nobles and clergy of past centuries are now fine hotels, and others have become museums. It is possible to plan an itinerary around the lake that gives a taste of both its awe-inspiring beauty and high-style glamour.  The most famous of the destinations is the 16th-century Villa D'Este, at Cernobbio, the quintessential Grand Hotel.  The villa, which became a hotel in 1873, was built by Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio in 1568 and passed through a series of eccentric and powerful owners. (One, a ballerina, added a fake fortress on the cliff overlooking the hotel to give her husband, a general under Napoleon, a place to stage mock battles -- and a reason to stay close to home.)  The most influential resident was Caroline of Brunswick, the princess of Wales, who sought refuge here from 1815 to 1820 after being abandoned by her husband, who later became King George IV.  After renovating the property and filling it with artworks, she dubbed it Villa D'Este, inviting royals and aristocrats to stay in what had become one of Europe's grandest retreats. In the 20th century, the first photograph of Edward, prince of Wales, and Wallis Simpson together was taken here. Elizabeth Taylor and hotel tycoon Nicky Hilton spent their honeymoon here. Pop stars from Josephine Baker to Madonna have visited.  Guests find themselves hooked by the hotel's lakefront terrace and Renaissance garden, Venetian glass chandeliers and priceless antiques. Some of the rooms are quite small by today's standards, especially at a price of more than &euro;400 ($455.55) a night, but the elegance and splendid views are compensation.  And with a staff-to-guest ratio of one-to-one, it is the ultimate place on Lake Como to be pampered. Everything is taken care of, from luggage to sightseeing on the lake with the hotel's inhouse boatman.  At mealtimes, uniformed waiters dash about with large domed silver trays. The Verandah restaurant, a glass conservatory, offers unbeatable views of the sunset over the lake and mountains. The hotel's original dining hall, the Empire Room, has a 200-year-old interior. The food is of a high standard, but you dine here for the atmosphere.  You could happily stay within Villa D'Este's gates for your entire holiday -- relaxing by the pool, walking along the cliffs or strolling around the gardens.  If you do venture out, know that Lake Como's beauty isn't always easy to enjoy. Driving, on roads that are poorly marked and narrow, with hairpin bends and badly lit tunnels, can be nerve-racking. But there are alternatives. You can reach the heart of Como by train in slightly more than an hour from Milan. The Milan-Colico line from Milan Centrale takes you along Como's eastern, quieter shore.  Get off at the medieval fishing village of Varenna, where wooden destination signs and an old-fashioned train-signal bell makes you feel time has stood still. This lovely village is one of the lake's main ferry hubs and is a useful base for travelers.  First, take a stroll along the Passarella, the lakeside promenade of narrow, wooden walkways and ancient flagstones. Local fishermen sell their catch near here early in the morning. Farther down the path, between cottages (of fishermen) and mansions (of wealthy Milanese) is Villa Cipressi, a somewhat spartan, state-run hotel that is worth a stay just for the gardens, which are often overlooked but among the most beautiful on the lake.  Villa Cipressi, built in stages between 1500 and 1800, became a hotel in the early 19th century and found its way onto the grand tour of Europe. In the 18th and 19th centuries, well-heeled artists, aristocrats and other young people believed they weren't fully educated until they had toured the great sites of classical art and civilization -- Rome, Athens, Florence, to name a few. Visiting places of exceptional beauty, such as Lake Como, was necessary training, they felt. The thoughts and visions spurred by these travels were recorded in journals, watercolors and sketches.  Indeed, the quest for the perfect "view" continues today; one of the loveliest can be had on the ferry pulling away from the shore of Varenna: pastel cottages and villas, lush gardens of oleander, palms and cypresses, and the Alps rising up in the distance.  It is a 15-minute boat journey to Bellagio, another must on the Lake Como itinerary. This small, chic 19th-century town buzzes with an elegant terrace of lakeside hotels, restaurants and glitzy shops.  Bellagio drew Victorians on another quest: for fresh, dry Alpine air to ease their suffering from tuberculosis. Hordes of ailing English stayed at the Hotel Grande Bretagne, strolling in magnificent parklands and drinking German beer in the bar, but it is now a crumbling hulk after decades of decay. A new buyer plans to restore it to a luxury hotel.  At the far end of the lakefront promenade is the neoclassical Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni. When it opened as a hotel in 1873, a Russian prince filled the rooms with his entourage and held court there all summer, entertaining guests with vodka and dancing in the sumptuous ballroom.  Many of the rooms have hardly changed from that time, although the owners, a Swiss family, have added swimming pools, tennis courts and a health spa.  Even if you aren't staying, stop by for evening drinks and watch the sun set over Mount Crocione and Mount Bregagno, or dine on the terrace of the Terrazza restaurant, where the food is some of the best near the shores of the lake. The menu includes dishes from across Italy and a sprinkling of local cuisine, which can be heavy peasant fare. Gourmet restaurants like this offer a lighter, modern version of the traditional dishes.  The Serbelloni offered two starters on the night I visited: a cuttlefish ink soup and tagliatelle with rabbit and porcini mushrooms. These were followed by duck with honey and rosemary and a potato gratin, both of which were delicious. The Lake Como perch, however, offered in many of the region's restaurants, tends to be bland no matter how skillful the cook.  The area's wines, from the Valtellina Valley, are excellent and well worth ordering, with the caveat that some of the full-bodied reds tend to be heavy with a higher-than-average alcohol content. The Torre della Sirena Conti Sertoli Salis (&euro;24 a bottle) and Sfozato 5 stelle Valtellina Negri 1998 (&euro;55) are recommended. These go well with some of the local mountain cheeses; don't miss the creamy taleggio.  From Bellagio, it is a 15-minute boat trip to Menaggio on Como's western shore. From there south to Como town you can explore some of the region's elegant villas, now museums and galleries, with their wrought-iron balconies and rotundas, although you will need a car to reach some of these.  Favorites include Villa del Balbianello, set on an idyllic promontory all its own -- George Lucas shot scenes from his latest "Star Wars" film there -- and Villa Carlotta, with its stunning entrance, fine furniture and a spectacular garden.
Italy's Lake Como has inspired inventors and poets with its unspoiled beauty and warm winter climate. Renovated villas are now luxurious hotels, enchanting guests with their history and elegance.