Italy's Hidden Gems: Pescallo Village on Lake Como and the Borges Labyrinth in Venice

Pescallo, a frazione of Bellagio on the southeastern shore of Lake Como, was a thriving medieval fishing village that supplied large quantities of fish to Como in the 13th century. Today the hamlet retains its historic ambience with narrow alleys, stone houses, a small port, and waterfront cafés, and offers activities such as sailing, kayaking and water‑skiing.

On the island of San Giorgio in Venice, the Borges Labyrinth of the Fondazione Cini was restored to celebrate the Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges. Designed by English architect and diplomat Randoll Coate between 1979 and 1986, the hedged garden spells “BORGES” in mirror‑image and features symbolic elements like a stick, a mirror, an hourglass and a question mark. The garden, protected from lagoon water, serves as a living tribute to Borges’s conception of the labyrinth as a metaphor for existence.