Do you and your honey love nothing more than finding that hidden, untouched village in faraway destinations? Have a hankering for an Italian honeymoon but want to discover somewhere new? Hidden in the Italian Alps is the private and charming town of Pasturo.
Find ultimate relaxation with plenty of time to reflect on your wedding and new life together in these picturesque hills. Not far from the many villas and bed and breakfasts from Lake Como, Pasturo offers a unique honeymoon your friends will all be copying once they tie the knot.
With travel advice from planner Julia Degtyareva and gorgeous newlywed photos from Mikhail Balygin, we've crafted a relaxed, intimate, slow-living honeymoon in the dreamy mountains of Northern Italy.
Why Pasturo, Italy
Love Lake Como but want to get away from the touristing crowds? Pasturo offers the same alpine grandeur while providing the ultimate privacy, with practically an entire village to your own. Easy to get to by car from Lecco, Pasturo is that charming untouched Italian hamlet you've been dreaming of.
“Pasturo is a commune in the Province of Lecco, in the Italian region Lombardy, about one and a half hours away northeast of Milan. It is such a small tiny town with population maybe just around 2000 people, making it the greatest place for a couple who just want to be together, without any other eyes.
Pasturo is not a place filled with tourist attractions, rather a destination where you can be yourself all by yourself! You don’t really see people who walk around when you walk you just see the beauty of the mountains. One could even feel that no one lives in Pasturo, your own private mountain paradise.”
Julia Degtyareva, planner
Because everything is so close to each other, you can travel the town by foot and breath fresh mountain air as you walk through the charming alleyways. While you may find yourself stopping to catch your breath at this altitude, you'll gain pleasure in stopping to take in the grandeur of the Italian Alps.
Where to Stay
Enjoy the rustic yet modern furnishings at Agriturismo B&B Il Mirtillo perched in the hills, just walking distance from town. The B&B offers a hearty breakfast, barbecue, jacuzzi, plenty of fresh air and stunning mountain views. Rooms start from $120 per night.
If the privacy of your own mountain village isn't enough, consider renting this entire bed and breakfast (seriously!) on Airbnb. The fifteenth century home has four rooms, nine beds, modern bathrooms and a gigantic kitchen for all your Italian fares. The entire home, high in the hills, starts for just $180 a night.
What to Eat
While we bet you'll be arranging plenty of your own antipasti platters, planner Julia offers some insightintoo the local fares:
“There are few churches in Pasturo with wonderful frescos and just a few restaurants. You'll find one pizzeria and a couple of stores with some food and gelateria (store with Italian ice cream).
The pizzeria is owned by Egyptian family – wife and husband with their cute little kids. They make this pizza in a clay oven and it cost just 6 euro for Margherita pizza, the maximum for pizza with some seafood was just 13 euro. It's truly a wonderful place with wonderful people!
Our second favorite place – is the gelateria. Its such a great place and not just because of their perfect lemon gelato – they have a view! When you go inside first you see just a few chairs and tables and you think that that's just it. But then, you look more deeply and you see the balcony with a view on mountains! Imagine, just sitting there and seeing this incredible view and eating your gelato and drinking some cappuccino, perfect!”
What to Do
While the town may be quiet, honeymooners in Pasturo have plenty to do. Ride your bike on the valley floor, ride horses up the cliffs of the Alps, gather wildflowers and watch wild bunnies as you forage. Winter honeymooners will find skiing opportunities aplenty and the adventurous mountaineers can find world-class climbing.
Exploring beyond Pasturo can take you to luxe and water activity rich nearby Lake Como to the West, to plenty of wineries, cheese farms and truffle hunting in every direction from town.
How to Arrive
If you need to go to a bigger store to collect provisions, drive to the closest big city, near the Lecco train station, about 25 minutes away. There you will find plenty of stores, cafes, restaurants. Also, from this train station, you can travel anywhere in Italy.
If you need to go to the airport, take the train from Lecco train station to Milan and then to Malpensa Airport or Bergamo Airport if you wish.
About the Shoot from Julia Degtyareva
The shoot was in two locations: inside of villa and outside – in mountains and fields. Inside of villa, we tried to create an atmosphere of the everyday life of an Italian couple – vine, cheese, fruits and kisses.
The look of our couple was very simple – a breakfast look, when they just woke up at their honeymoon weekend. Kseniia was wearing Dario’s long sleeve shirt, that looked very fresh (and also sexy). Makeup and hair for Kseniia were also simple – nude makeup and soft curls.
As a decoration, we have chosen a table with different sorts of cheese, fruits and vegetables and also a vine. We also arranged some flowers to refresh the look of the dark stone villa. Kseniia and Dario are a very sensual couple, their real emotions and love added to our pictures individuality.
The second part of the shoot was outside the villa and in the mountains and fields. The couple’s look changed to cozy sweaters and coarse boots. The weather was cold that day, just 10 degrees Celsius, but despite of that, you can on these pictures, how they warm up each other with their love.
For more honeymoon inspiration, visit our travel section.
