Toddler Takeover? Why Young Families Are Now Lake Como’s Most Important Guests.

The lunchtime atmosphere at Pizzeria Lugano is harried by the frequent rejiggering of tables to squeeze in the line of strollers that snake toward the patio. With a grunt, the hostess Tetrises a carriage with a protruding bottle holder. Milk is now just as likely to be ordered here as limoncello by families with toddlers teetering in her footpath. 

This is Menaggio, one of the towns and villages that wrap Lake Como like clusters of jewels on a necklace. Today, the profile of this illustrious Italian paradise, a byword for Hollywood glamour, is changing. Couture movie star stylings are out. The bumping of baby carriages on cobbled pathways, children with cups of melting gelato, and afternoon nap times are in. Moreover, the parents of these lucky tots are also less likely to don chic sundresses or wide brimmed hats in favor of jean shorts and running shoes.

“It used to be a lot more retired couples, but the average guest age started to go down several years ago and we saw lots of young couples and honeymooners,” says Paolo Sesana, longtime fitness manager at Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni. “More recently, that’s led to more families.”

When he started 20 years ago, Sesana says guests used to ask for help adjusting treadmills to lower walking speeds. In more recent years, he’s leading miles-long runs before the sun is up; his guests far from the sunset of their lives. 

Sesana’s walking tours now often include children, so he passes by a small playground overlooking the waterfront, and the Villa Melzi gardens, where kids delight in the flicker of koi fish in a small pond shrouded by rhododendrons and azaleas. On the stroll back, families pause to watch the ducks on the promenade.

While there are no hard stats, hospitality honchos across the region recognize that the average age of their guests is plummeting—perhaps thanks to social media. Steve Jermanok, the owner of Massachusetts-based boutique agency Active Travels, tells Robb Report that demand for family travel is at an all-time high across the board. However, the number of requests for Italy specifically doubled from 2022 to 2023—the majority of those were for Lake Como, he says.

In response, hotels have been quick to readjust their amenities.

At the five-star Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni, updates were recently completed to to suit the 5-and-under set. There’s a new playground, a sleek indoor swimming pool separated from the adults’ side, and highchairs at casual restaurant La Goletta. Other considerations include asking guests checking into the swank Helmut Newton Suite if they’re comfortable with coffee table books featuring the fashion photographer’s nudes (none of which include breastfeeding).

The Hilton Lake Como, one of the area’s newest hotels, features family deluxe king rooms that sleep four and include coloring books, children’s bath amenities, and a welcome kit for ages 12 and under.

The celebrated luxury newcomer Passalacqua opened in last year with family packages that include kids’ cooking classes, children’s water sports, and teen-centric mountain biking, tennis, and bocce. Kid-friendly cuisine is a focus. 

It’ll soon be joined by Ritz Carlton, which bought a circa-1850 luxury resort that’s fallen into disrepair. The sagging grande dame is undergoing a massive face lift that’s just as much the talk of the town as a George Clooney sighting. (The star’s 18th century villa is in the commune of Laglio nearby.) Soon the Ritz’s 59 rooms and 46 suites will open with family-friendly layouts.

Even the tourism office in Menaggio is embracing the transition (growing pains?). Visitors can request a behind-the-counter kids’ “puzzle tour” map to follow along with their parents and fill in the names of historical landmarks like churches and monuments. As she hands it over with a wink, the attendant says, “Why would you want that? It’s boring here.” 

Although that perspective is certainly in the eye of the beholder, but at least they’re trying to flip the switch for the Nintendo Switch generation.