Shadowing Practice: 3 Days in LAKE COMO, Italy Travel Vlog: Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio | 2026 - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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90 minutes north of Milan, Lake Como is the third largest lake in Italy.
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90 minutes north of Milan, Lake Como is the third largest lake in Italy.
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Sitting at the foothills of the Alps, its epicentre is a small collection of picturesque towns filled with romantic streets,
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lakeside walks, castle top lookout points and the grandest of villas with their showpiece gardens,
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some made extra famous since becoming film locations for both Casino Royale and Star Wars.
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Pushed altogether, it's where casual luxury meets everyday tourism, where private boat hires mingle with public ferry crossings and it all still somehow works.
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Fitting together with a distinguished yet accessible flair, one that you don't come across all too often.
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If you're new here, then welcome.
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We make travel movies from around the world, hoping you might just find your next holiday inspiration.
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This is Suitcase Monkey, with a relaxing three days around Lake Como, Italy.
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Our arrival into Lake Como was an interesting one.
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Coming from Venice, it was delayed train after delayed train resulting with some minor chaos in the middle.
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So our one hour final approach from Milan Central into Verena-Ezeno station felt like a winning run towards the finish line.
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But this very wet arrival felt more like a finish line where our friends had already buggered off.
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As we'd be reminded throughout this late September trip, being surrounded by mountains often means the weather can be all over the place
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and over the coming days we were frequently treated to schizophrenic drizzle, which is also the name of my upcoming album.
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Looking at a map, despite the town of Como itself being placed on the left foot, many of the lake's highlights are centred here, in the Crotchal area.
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But all of these towns connect really well with ferries, leaving every 20, 30 or 60 minutes depending on your destination.
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Of the three which we'd all soon be visiting, Menaggio feels the most down to earth and peaceful, Bellagio, the most popular for shopping,
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dining and an abundance of accommodation, and Verena, an attractive hilly town that packs a punch given its relatively small size.
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And Verena was where we arrived into and as the rain already began to clear, we first needed to get a ferry to Bellagio.
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Since a trainload of people were now all trying to buy a ticket, this was the only time boarding a ferry was overly busy.
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But we later discovered that just tapping your contactless card
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or smart device after boarding negated the need to wait in line beforehand
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and it's how we got around for the rest of this trip.
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Either way, 6 hours after leaving Venice, our new home of Bellagio was finally within reach.
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The Pearl of Lake Como Known as the pearl of Lake Como and the original themed inspiration behind the Vegas casino,
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Bellagio has been known as a holiday destination going all the way back to the first century.
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But it was the 17 and 1800s where it really got put onto the map, following the trend of expansive villas and landscape gardens.
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Poets, artists, the aristocracy would all soon follow, culminating in my arrival, and to much delight of no one.
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Collectively, over the next 48 hours, we typically take an early morning ferry to another town,
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explore that town, but then still always enjoy coming back home to wind down.
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Ultimately we found Bellagio a great mix of action, with diners, bars, retail, stairways and window dressing.
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Our apartment was a 10 minute walk from the town centre.
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Perched on the side of one of many elevation points, its lookouts never got old and were a highlight each morning.
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As usual, all locations featured in this video such as restaurants, attractions and our apartment are linked in the description below or via the QR code.
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We ended day one browsing our first selection of restaurants.
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The upcoming nights and early mornings in Bellagio were always a lot more peaceful than the peak daytripper time afternoon hours, and does provide a different mood,
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though I seemingly never recorded a single shot of late night footage so I was clearly enjoying myself.
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Coming from Venice, we did find that dining out here to be a little more expensive in comparison.
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Venice has so many restaurants that competition likely helps keep prices in check, which is why seeing this 20 euro bowl of soup was a slight shock to the system.
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Tomorrow would be our first full day of sightseeing
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and we'd be heading back to Verena to explore its most famous garden villa,
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a hilltop castle that was well worth the climb and a surprising breakfast that can make you feel like a Disney princess.
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Before we continue with more from Lake Como, I want to rewind to our arrival.
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When booking a holiday to anywhere, the large upfront cost of the flight itself can put pressures on your spending.
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So for the times you're unable to commit to such a large cost so far in advance, Paylater Travel, the sponsor for this portion of the video,
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is a great way to get you where you want to go whilst managing your holiday budget.
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Paylater Travel lets you find your flights as usual, but then both lock in the price and save a seat for you with whatever deposit suits you at the time.
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This means you can't get stung by airline price hikes
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or a lack of availability whilst breaking down costs to a more manageable payment schedule over the weeks or months before takeoff.
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The total price shown to you at the time of the booking is the final price, so there's no added interest from what you originally commit to.
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And once that final payment is made, your tickets are sent to you as normal and you can endure your holiday having paid everything off already.
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There's no impact on your credit score or credit checks, no early repayment fees and a great Trustpilot score from thousands of customer reviews.
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To learn more visit PayLaterTravel.com using code suitcase to get a $25 discount and lock in your next holiday destination.
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The small town of Verena was the most romantically charming of the ones we'd visit it.
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After leaving the ferry, its lovers walk will gradually take you to the centre where cobbled streets
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and staircased alleyways will leave you frequently reaching for your camera.
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This is a small town though and often has you walking up steep roads
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so always check for ease of access with any potential accommodation you might find here.
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Since we'd taken the 8am ferry, we had a good hour before our intended first villa opened up.
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And without any planning, we soon stumbled upon this lakeside café.
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But a lakeside café with a 3.6 on Google Maps, so we sat down cautiously.
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Given it has over 4,000 reviews online I assume it's somewhat
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of a social media suggestion where hype isn't always kept in check.
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So let me say this.
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If you're lucky enough to grab a lakeside table, expect no service from your waiter, which they will kindly offer back, and you're happy with your breakfast being cooked,
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this glorious view will make it the best 3.6 that you can find.
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Oh, and having these little guys keep you company throughout did make me feel like Snow White.
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And you can't put a price on that now, can you?
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One of the few things we did pre-book ahead for though was the Villa Monastero, the most popular attraction in Verena.
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Once a women's monastery built at the end of the 12th century, numerous owners and renovations has turned it into a popular estate with gardens to explore.
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Compared to the Villa del Balbianello which we'd be visiting on our last day, this was more of a botanical garden and with over 900 plant species to be found,
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we spent a good hour wandering around its ornate pathways overlooking the lake.
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We did however feel like the only ones who hadn't brought three different outfits, getting a few snaps for the Instagram before changing colours and then doing it all over again.
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I mean it is what the 12th century nuns would have wanted
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but unfortunately I'm about as photographic as my passport would have you believe and Chiaki had come dressed like a ninja.
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So we made the best of a bad situation and quickly moved on to the town's best hilltop lookout.
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Built more than 1000 years ago, the Veccio Castle stood to defend the lake and Verena from its surrounding villages.
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Today, although its panoramas are the easy highlight, the castle itself is an interesting collection of stories, relics and remains.
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The grounds do also have a playful side to them with these ghosts littered throughout and also a scary dungeon.
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Now I initially entered for comedy reasons alone
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and with both the sloth from the Goonies and Walter White setting the immediate tone, I felt pretty secure in my manhood.
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But I must admit, the deeper I went, the tighter I clenched my bottom.
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Following a 15 minute ferry over to the west side of the lake, we finished our afternoon with a few hours in Menaggio.
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Of the three, this was easily the most down to earth
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and best if you want to avoid the day tripper crowds for Bellagio and Verena, but while still feeling connected to the action.
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Since the town centre is just a few streets in each direction, if you do have time there are a couple of relatively easy hikes that take you around the hills and back.
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We took the shortest one, around 4km, which turned into a great way to round off the day.
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Tomorrow would be our final full day and we'd be going out with a bang,
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visiting Como's most popular villa and taking one final lake cruise to give us some serious home envy.
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Of the many estates you can visit around Lake Como, the Villa del Balbianello is a is its most iconic.
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Converted from an old monastery in 1787 by an Italian cardinal,
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it's hosted writers, scholars and travellers for almost 250 years.
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It's even where James Bond recovers after that famous torture scene where he's repeatedly hit right in the Balbianellos.
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It's also where a young Anakin Skywalker would first kiss and eventually marry Padme.
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Sorry, I should say spoiler there, he's also Darth Vader too.
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And Luke's father actually, who's brother to Princess Leia if you didn't know.
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She marries Han Solo, who then dies in episode 7.
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Sorry, it's a very long story to be honest, but upshot is this is where all that starts.
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So you gotta buy a ticket, that's all I'm saying.
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Geek outs aside, I really enjoyed our time here and it was my preferred villa of the two, but for balance Chiaki did prefer the more botanical approach with the Villa Monastero.
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There is also an option to get more access inside the villa itself, along with a tour guided add-on for around 10 euros extra
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so I'll link the site that we use for tickets in the description below or QR code.
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As the rain weaved in and out one last time, we partly made our way back through a hiking trail known as the Greenway.
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Whilst it is 10 kilometers at full length, the Balbianello joins it around the halfway point
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so makes for a perfect excuse to see a bit more countryside on your return.
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We ended our time in Lake Como by doing the one thing we hadn't yet taken advantage of.
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With the weather literally showing us two forecasts right in front of us, we took a dive and booked this late afternoon cruise,
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which for 90 minutes is the best way to get up close to the dozens of impressive lakeside villas.
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Which speaking for myself will make you question why you've chosen to live your life in a tiny London flat.
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I don't know, but maybe they've got really bad wifi.
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It's my only hope.
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If you haven't already seen our three days in Venice that preceded this trip, now is the perfect opportunity to do so.
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Please leave a like if you've made it this far, there is still so much more to come this year and as ever, thank you for continuing to watch.
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Suitcase Monkey.
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Speaking Goals for This Travel Vlog Clip
This video is perfect for practicing descriptive fluency and narrative flow—key milestones for IELTS speaking practice. You’ll learn to articulate travel experiences, describe locations, and share anecdotes with natural pacing, mirroring how native speakers blend details like weather, logistics, and personal reactions. It’s ideal for shadowing, as the dialogue balances casual storytelling with vivid descriptions, helping you master conversational rhythm.
Phrase Bank: Reusable Expressions for Travel Talk
- "Pushed altogether, it's where casual luxury meets everyday tourism" – Great for comparing contrasts in a destination.
- "Schizophrenic drizzle" – A playful way to describe unpredictable weather (use cautiously for effect!).
- "Pack a punch given its relatively small size" – Perfect for highlighting hidden gems.
- "Wind down" – A common phrase for relaxing after a busy day.
- "Shock to the system" – Expressing surprise at a new experience (e.g., prices, culture).
Fix Your Weak Spots: Pronunciation & Rhythm Tips
The video’s conversational tone is ideal for shadowing practice. Focus on linking words like "it's where" and "and it all" to avoid stilted pauses. Notice how the speaker stresses words like "epicentre," "distinguished," and "abundance" to emphasize key details—this is crucial for IELTS speaking, where clarity and emphasis matter. For tricky phrases like "Crotchal area" or "Verena-Ezeno," use a shadowing app to repeat the pronunciation until it feels natural. Also, practice the relaxed pace of phrases like "we typically take an early morning ferry" to avoid rushing, a common issue in fluency. Whether using a shadowing site or app, mimic the speaker’s intonation to sound more authentic—this will help you stand out in IELTS speaking tasks.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.