Italy: Bellagio Rowing Wellness Retreat

Europe
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Italy: Bellagio Rowing Wellness Retreat

Duration :   6 Days 5 Nights
Max People :    14
Start Location:   Bellagio, Italy

We are running this trip in partnership with Sculling Gear! We are offering a second wellness rowing retreat on Lago Maggiore in June.


Sold out? Prefer your own dates or a smaller group? Consider our Independent Rowing Experience in Luino, Lago Maggiore.


An Annual Favourite

The Northern Lakes of Italy have cast their spell on us, becoming one of our favourite places to run rowing trips. Every year since the inception of Rowing The World, we have been drawn here for some of the most spectacular rowing in the world. Join us for an amazing Health and Wellness Retreat in Bellagio, Italy. Bellagio is one of the most beautiful places in the region of Lombardy.  Located halfway between the two southernmost branches of the lake, Bellagio is famous worldwide for its beautiful villas overlooking the water.  We will spend our days exploring this spectacular region from coxed quads, with stops along the way to explore colourful villages, elegant lake-side villas and delightful gardens. 

Wellness Retreat

We are delighted to offer this combination of rowing and wellness with our friends and partners from ScullingGear.com.  We will dive into the Italian way of life, savoring a week long retreat with targeted health coaching, wellness sessions, great food and wine, and lots of rowing in a bucket-list destination. You’ll go home with an Italian inspired appreciation of the exquisite joy of a variety of delicious, seasonal foods, appreciated in small portions, enjoyed leisurely with friends and family and more kilometers in your rowing legs. La Dolce Vita! The sweet life.

La Vita è Bella

While the focus is on the rowing, we will squeeze in a few cultural and off water activities. A highlight is a visit to a beautiful Villa del Balbianello on a peninsula surrounded by gardens. Of course we will enjoy fabulous food and wine. Sit in the warmth of a sunny café to watch chic people passing by in a square decorated with buildings painted white, yellow, pink and ochre, the vowels of Italian floating above the clink of glasses. Savour a morning cappuccino and pastry, for lunch enjoy fresh panini or a hot slice of pizza, and at dinner sample a heaping bowl of risotto alla Milanese or a serving of polenta with lake fish. Enjoy local wines or perhaps prosecco or just a refreshing glass of sparkling water. Be charmed and enchanted. This is the good life.

Read some of our blog posts about this trip:

Which Rowing Wellness Retreat in Italy to Choose?

Bellagio in Rowing & Regatta magazine

Unplug. Breathe. Row. Repeat: How to Stay Healthy in 2018

Check out this video by ScullingGear:

Trip Details

Price TypeUSDCADEUR
Regular$4,360$5,700€3,885
Single Supplement$520$675€450
Daily DistancesBoatsGroup Size
10 – 27 km per dayCoastal coxed quadsMinimum group size is 9 guests and maximum is 14 guests.

For non-rowers: We would love to welcome non-rowing companions, if possible. Fully independent non-rowers, who take care of their own transportation and daily activities, are most easily accommodated. A semi-guided program for non-rowing companions may be available and could include walking and sightseeing options. Note that the availability of the program will depend on several factors. Please contact us to discuss.

Included in Price

  • Five nights’ accommodation in a charming hotel
  • All breakfasts, four lunches and four dinners (beverages and alcohol not included, with the exception of the welcome drink)
  • Four days of rowing
  • Guide services and tour support. Guided by Catriona Cameron and Luigi Manzo. Trip Leader is Chris Coughlan of Sculling Gear
  • Daily wellness sessions
  • Cultural visits and alternate activities for poor weather days

Schedule Details

Day 1

Arrive in Bellagio. Enjoy a delicious welcome dinner, meet your guides and support team and get an orientation to the trip.   

Day 2

Today we see Bellagio from the best possible vantage point: on the water. We start each day with a short health and wellness session where we will set our intentions and receive our action plan for the day. After breakfast a quick ferry ride takes us to Menaggio where our boats will be waiting. The rowing will take us south along the western short of Lago di Como, passing charming Villa Carlotta. Out destination is Lenno. The highlight of the day will be a guided visit to Villa del Balbianello. Adjectives such as “striking, grand, spectacular” are applied, and you will understand why as you see it from both land and water. We will row the boats across the lake to arrive at the rowing club in Bellagio. Back to the hotel and another wonderful dinner.

Day 3

Today is all about Varenaa! In the morning after our wellness session, we will transfer to the boat club. The row is past Varenna which is a picturesque and traditional village, located on the eastern shore of Lake Como, Italy. Some consider it to be even more beautiful and charming then Bellagio. We will return to Bellagio for lunch. In the afternoon we will visit Varenna, travelling by ferry. There will be time for shopping and wandering the narrow streets and waterside walk. Up we will walk to visit the Villa Monestero, one of the main historical and environmental sites in the area. The villa has been transformed into a museum with a splendid botanical garden that surrounds it and extends for almost 2 kms along the lake shore. Dinner tonight is on your own – perhaps stay in Varenna, catching a late ferry back to the hotel. Or head back earlier and detour from the ferry down to the gardens of Villa Melzi.

Day 4

The third arm of Lago di Como is called the Lecco arm, for the town at its far south-eastern tip. We consider the scenery quietly spectacular. There are not the big villas of the other arms, but there are lovely towns, green hills with mountains forming a beautiful backdrop. We will look for a most charming boathouse in Limonta! We will row the boats back to Mennagio, loading the trailer before taking the ferry back to Bellagio. Lunch is own your own. Later in the afternoon we will enjoy a guided visit to the gardens of Parco di Villa Serbelloni. Dinner tonight is at Trattoria Baita Belvedere, perched high on the hill above the town – an amazing view and a chance to see where you rowed over the past few days. Much of the menu is grown on their farm or from local suppliers.

Day 5

Today is a very full day. In the morning we will take the fast ferry all the way down the lake to the city of Como. Our friends in the storied Lario rowing club will welcome us, give us a tour of their club before taking us for a row to enjoy views of Villa d'Este and other sites. Lunch on the rooftop of the club, then the ferry back to Bellagio. There is an option to potentially row from Bellagio to Como, seeing the best of the lake from the rowing seat – decisions will be made a few days in advance, based on several factors, particularly weather. Our farewell dinner means a final opportunity to taste, savour and celebrate the flavours of Italy!

Day 6

Sadly, all good things come to an end. Departure from Bellagio. You will be taking good memories and an appreciation of Italian wellness with you.

F.A.Q

Can I book a private tour?
What other trips will be run in 2023?

What's Included

  • Accommodation
  • Coastal Rowing Shells
  • Cultural Program
  • Guide Services
  • Meals

What's Excluded

  • Flights

Activities

  • Centre-based
  • Lakes

Meet our guide