Lake Como is one of the places in our country renowned worldwide and a destination for tourists throughout the year who appreciate what is called “Lake Como” abroad.
What I suggest in this post are some points and tips for a short tour of Lake Como with itineraries and advice on what to see.
Here is what you will find in this article :
# How to get around
# Como-Bellagio-Argegno-Pigra
# Menaggio – Gravedona-Abbey of Piona- Bellano
# Lecco-Mandello del Lario – Varenna – Vezio Castle
How to get around
To get around the lake, you can choose whether to use the car, but be careful because the choice could be counterproductive during the summer due to traffic and limited parking spaces in small villages. At the same time, the bike is better suited to establish a direct relationship with the fresh lake air.
However, I would like to suggest another means which is the boat, in this way you will not have traffic or parking problems but above all you can admire the splendid villas overlooking the lake during navigation.
For more information on seasonal timetables and on the different types of tickets, I leave you the link to the site of the www. navigazionelaghi.it
Como-Bellagio-Argegno-Pigra
To get to Bellagio, I suggest you take one of the first hydrofoils of the day from Como (it makes a few stops compared to the boat) to be at your destination around mid-morning. This way you will have the opportunity to see the country with fewer tourists.
Driving directions to reach Bellagio -> Google Maps
Once you arrive at your destination, head south, a few hundred meters away, you will find the entrance to the garden of Villa Melzi d’Eril, the variety of tree species present is impressive. The advice is to visit in spring when the park is in full bloom, and the bright colours contrast with the meadows’ green and the lake’s deep blue.
After visiting the garden, return to the town and look for the famous Salita Serbelloni, which leads to the upper part of the town with shops and restaurants. Here you can have a quick snack and then continue a few hundred meters north towards Punta Spartivento, which is the point where the two branches of the lake come together. The place is very suggestive, and you will find a restaurant and a small garden where you can relax a bit’.
In the early afternoon, take the boat, the one that makes all the stops, so you can admire the mountains that border the lake more closely, the villages that cling to it in the afternoon light, and the villas that become the protagonists of the landscape.
In Tremezzo, you can see the splendid Villa Carlotta with its majestic garden to continue immediately after with the sobriety of the luxurious Grand Hotel Tremezzo and its swimming pool in the lake. Then you will round the Lenno promontory on which stands the splendid and renowned Villa del Balbianello, Owned by the FAI. which stands on the tip of the promontory among wisteria and centuries-old trees.
Once you arrive at the town of Argegno, head immediately towards the church overlooking the lake; behind it, a few tens of meters along the main road, you will find the funicular, less famous than the one that leads to Brunate and goes up to the small town of Lazy.
These are the directions to reach -> the funicular.
Several trekking routes start from here, but what I recommend is to follow to the viewpoint, after a short walk in the woods you will come to admire a wonderful panorama from about 600 meters above the lake, from the Lenno promontory to the Comacina island and the villages on the opposite shore Lezzeno and Nesso.
Pay attention to the times of the funicular. It is very small and has shorter hours compared to that of Brunate. Check the reference times well at departure.
The return from Argegno to Como can do by boat or hydrofoil, and I recommend the first so you can enjoy the last glimpses of the sun that illuminate the large villas of the lower lake, including Villa d’Este and Villa Erba in Cernobbio and Villa Olmo in Como.
Menaggio – Gravedona-Abbey of Piona- Bellano
Thanks to its position in the middle of the lake, Menaggio is an excellent starting point for its discovery. The central square and the famous lakefront are excellent vantage points that, with the lido and the free beach, also make it a point to dive into the waters of the lake.
How to get there with -> the directions of Maps
Continuing towards the upper lake Gravedona is one of the most important centres. Every year at Easter and Easter Monday, the Camellia exhibition is held, linked to a rich program of events that ends with spectacular fireworks that reflect on the needle.
On the opposite bank from Gravedona, there is a small jewel of peace and meditation, the Cistercian Abbey of Piona. Located at the top of the small Olgiasca peninsula since the 7th century, this small hermitage has been a reference point for the upper lake area.
Still inhabited by monks, it retains its medieval charm with the church of San Nicola. The abbey and the monastery are also valid examples of the Comacina art that spread throughout much of Italy in the Middle Ages.
Directions to reach -> the Cistercian Abbey of Piona
A bit further south, we find the town of Bellano, famous for its “Orrido” or rather a very narrow gorge carved by the Pioverna stream over the centuries in the rock of the mountain.
The roar of the water, which flows fast to form small areas of turquoise and crystalline water, has made this place one of the most famous on the Lecco shore. Walking the suspended walkway a few meters from the rapidly flowing water is a truly fascinating experience.
Lecco-Mandello del Lario – Varenna – Vezio Castle
Always starting in the early morning from Lecco, I recommend you stop in Mandello del Lario, the lower part of the town characterized by small streets that lead to the lake. Still, this town is also famous for making the Lariana motorcycle history. In 1921, the famous Guzzi motorcycle factory came to life, and today the Moto Guzzi Museum is located in what was the old factory. It is not a stop for fans of two wheels not to miss on the Lariano tour.
Continuing north, you come to the beautiful town of Varenna, one of the most famous with its lively square, shops, and restaurants overlooking the lake. Here you can walk the walkway suspended over the water called “the walk of love”. Also, in Varenna, you cannot miss a visit to Villa Monastero. Its botanical garden is open to the public. It is possible to visit the house museum while walking along its avenues. You will once again be fascinated by the Larian landscape.
Above the town of Varenna, there is a fortification overlooking the lake with a beautiful view. The Vezio Castle has a long history dating back to the Lombards. It is said that Queen Teodolinda lived there for some time and that after her death her soul still wanders among the ruins of the castle. This is why in the gardens you can make special encounters such as the silhouettes of ghosts made of plaster and paper-mâché.
Here is where the -> Castello di Vezio is located
The last piece of advice is no less important than the others when you stop for lunch or dinner. You have a little more time; do not miss out on tasting the “missultén” I Missoltini, lake fish, agony, salted and dried in the sun, served with a small portion of polenta are an excellent appetizer. In the same way, Risotto with Persico is a guarantee for the palate. The mixed fried lake with bleaks will complete the meal and then taste the “miascia” cake of ancient origins or the “masigott” of the Erba area.
Visiting Lake Como is always a different experience, each town, each villa, each mountain has its own story to tell, made up of writers and historical figures or ordinary people who live the lake every day, here they are called “lagheé”, and they are mythological characters.