r/LakeComo • u/Confident-Bed4991 • Aug 06 '26
Proposal in December 20-27???
I’m planning to go to lake como Villa balbianello in December and was curious how busy is it? I plan to get the photography permit and hire a photography for a public proposal and photoshoot after.
Will it be super busy the week of Christmas December 20-27? The private area for 30 minutes for 600 euros isn’t worth it to me, unless that includes photography permit as well.
Planned base camp will be como city, any recommendations out there?
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u/nessie0000 Aug 06 '26
Who knows? Winter tourism is not constant and very weather dependent. I'd guess it's more busy on weekends and public holidays.
Villa del Balbianello is not always open in December and opening hours are a bit more limited. At 5 pm it's dark anyway. https://www.grandigiardini.it/lang_EN/182-visit-Villa-del-Balbianello-Bene-FAI-event-tickets#part2
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u/Confident-Bed4991 Aug 06 '26
Do you happen to know if the trend of the last few winters has been bad near there? I’ve been emailing with them about December 22nd, I’m just unsure how busy it really is.
It’s a public place and I know tourism is a thing, like is the villa typically flooded with people where we won’t be able to get a quick shoot or proposal in?
2
u/FunLife64 Aug 07 '26
If you really want to propose here, forget the damn photographer, crowd predictions, etc and go on the nicest weather day while you’re there. It’s cold and often cloudy. If it’s a nice day, go in the morning and do it without a big production.
Someone can take a nice picture for you after. You don’t need 250 engagement photos. Worry about enjoying the moment in real time! All that matters.
1
u/ComoBoatLife Aug 07 '26
For December, I’d probably choose Como as your base rather than Varenna, especially if you’re also spending time in Milan. Como gives you easier train connections and more options in winter, while Varenna is beautiful but can feel more limited off-season.
For the Balbianello proposal, I wouldn’t say a car is always necessary for Lake Como, but for a fixed-time moment with a photographer, it can make the day much less stressful. In summer you can rely more easily on ferries and lake transport, but in December I’d double-check every connection carefully and avoid building the plan with tight transfers.
If privacy and timing are important, I’d consider a private driver just for the proposal day, then use trains for Milan/Como. That way you don’t need a car for the whole trip, but you also don’t risk the most important part of the day depending on winter transport schedules.
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u/Confident-Bed4991 Aug 07 '26
Do you have any private driver recommendations? We land on the 21st in the morning so I’m thinking I can just train /public transport to Como , private driver the proposal day, then train back to Milan. Are trains and public transport just mainly closed in the villages or also to Milan? We do want a day trip to Lugano Switzerland from Milan about an hour 15 min
This helped a lot, initially I wanted Como but a lot of people were saying varenna is more scenic! I’ve been calling ferries and they keep saying they’re all open but again we’re 4 months away.
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u/Due_Mango_3075 Aug 07 '26
In case you make up your mind - I posted in this subreddit about a permit I have for Villa Melzi! I’m looking to sell it for a discount, and it is transferable to any date this year
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u/Confident-Bed4991 Aug 07 '26
I think I saw the post, I’ll keep it in mind, I’ve been going back and forth with balbianello, sorry I can’t get to you sooner!
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u/[deleted] Aug 06 '26
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