Lake Como is one of those places everyone thinks they know everything about while actually knowing one photograph. The recent trip there by Kim Kardashian and Lewis Hamilton served as a reminder of something more practical: the best way to see Como is not by car.

The photographs published by Harper's Bazaar placed the couple at Villa Sola Cabiati, on the edge of Tremezzo, just before they boarded a boat. It has not been confirmed they stayed there - this large neoclassical palace now operates as exclusive accommodation.

Why the boat, not the road

Tremezzo is a good entry point to the most recognisable stretch of Lombardy's most famous lake. Great villas at the water's edge, villages climbing the shore, gardens dropping down toward the lake. The road that circles the lake is narrow and full of bends, and parking complicates every stop - so the boat is not a romantic choice but a sensible one.

The place couples usually stop is Villa del Balbianello in Lenno, one of the best-known historic houses on the lake. It is built on a promontory jutting into the water, surrounded by gardens and terraces from which the lake is visible on every side. It also holds part of the collections of its last owner, the explorer Guido Monzino - Chinese porcelain, Aztec terracotta, African masks.

And yes, it will look familiar even if you have never been. The gardens and terraces served as a filming location for "Star Wars: Attack of the Clones" and for "Casino Royale". The villa is reached from Lenno on foot or by water taxi, so you do not have to replicate the famous couple's arrival exactly to see it.

Three stops that explain the whole logic of the lake

Not far from Sola Cabiati is Villa Carlotta, named after Princess Charlotte of Prussia, who received it from her mother as a wedding gift. It is surrounded by a botanical garden where azaleas, camellias, bamboo and cacti grow, while inside the neoclassical collection holds works by Canova, among them a copy of his "Eros and Psyche" made by Adamo Tadolini. This is where you see most clearly why the villas are such an important part of the Como landscape: the house and the garden and the lake make one thing.

Further on you reach Bellagio, sitting exactly where the lake, with its distinctive inverted-Y shape, splits into three arms. There stands Villa Melzi d'Eril, a neoclassical building from the Napoleonic era with a garden lined with temples, Roman sculptures, a Japanese corner and Egyptian-inspired pieces. Nearby is the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni, built in the nineteenth century in the former park of an estate - Kennedy and Churchill stayed there, and two suites are named after them, as did Clark Gable, George Lucas and Al Pacino.

On the opposite shore is Varenna, with Villa Monastero - a former residence turned museum and garden, whose lakeside walking path stretches several kilometres.

How to get there and how much to plan

The Navigazione Laghi network connects the main places, with lines from Como and links between Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio and Cadenabbia. The advantage is obvious: you cross from one shore to the other without doubling back. The usual entry point is the town of Como, connected to Milan and to Bergamo - and Bergamo is among the airports reachable from this part of Europe without much connecting.

Kardashian and Hamilton left behind a key to a few hours of sailing. That is enough to know where to start, and the rest is not their doing anyway - the lake was standing there long before them.