Discovering Lake Como

Bellagio occupies the tip of the peninsula dividing the two southern arms of the lake and has long been the most iconic image of Lake Como. Its charm springs from its stepped lanes, stone staircases, small squares and a distinctive topographical tension between water and height. Despite its worldwide fame, Bellagio retains — in the quieter hours of the day — a beauty that is collected and almost contemplative.

Its most celebrated sites include the gardens of Villa Melzi d'Eril, among the most refined on the lake, and the park of Villa Serbelloni, which can only be visited on a guided tour. This measured accessibility only adds to the place's quiet prestige. The crossing from Tremezzo to Bellagio takes about 15 minutes by ferry.

Tremezzina is the municipality where La Cà del Pitu is located — and one of the most cultivated and harmonious stretches of the entire Lario. Tremezzo, Lenno, Mezzegra, Ossuccio and other historic hamlets follow one another along the western shore in a continuous sequence of villas, churches, olive groves, lakeside promenades and broad views over the central lake.

Its highlights include Villa Carlotta, Villa del Balbianello, the Isola Comacina and the Greenway del Lago di Como. This panoramic trail weaves through the historic villages of the western shore past gardens, villas, Romanesque churches and lake views at a gentle pace. Nearby, about 15 km away, the Museo della Barca Lariana traces two thousand years of lake navigation. It is precisely this combination of landscape beauty and cultural depth that makes Tremezzina such a special place.

Among the central lake villages, Menaggio has a particularly lively, almost urban character. Its piazza, lakeside promenade, shops and cafés give it an openness that sets it apart from a simple picturesque village. At the same time, the town remains deeply rooted in the lake and the mountains, and represents one of those rare places where everyday life, quiet elegance and a departure point for excursions coexist in balance.

Above the town, in Loveno di Menaggio, stands Villa Vigoni — today the Italian-German Centre for European Dialogue. Its park, rich in ancient trees and views designed into the landscape, is one of the most extraordinary green compositions on the lake. Menaggio is also the ideal starting point for hikes towards La Grona (1,736 m).

Varenna is one of the most atmospherically intense places on the eastern shore. Coloured houses, narrow lanes, a small harbour and a quiet elegance give it an almost Mediterranean quality. The Passeggiata degli Innamorati (Lovers' Walk) is emblematic — leading the visitor from the jetty into the old town in one of the most romantic promenades on the lake. Contrary to popular assumption, Varenna is easily reachable not only by ferry but also by train.

Among its finest sights are Villa Monastero, with its long botanical garden stretching along the water, and the Castello di Vezio, which commands the central lake from above with one of the most memorable views on the entire Lario.

Just a few kilometres from Como, Cernobbio has long been associated with an idea of lakeside aristocracy and great international hospitality. At the centre of this image stands Villa d'Este: born as a noble residence in the 16th century, it is today one of the absolute icons of luxury hospitality on Lake Como. Its silhouette from the water — white facade, lush park, waterfront — is one of the most evocative images of the Lario.

A different but equally fascinating face of Cernobbio is Villa Bernasconi. This refined Art Nouveau villa, commissioned by Davide Bernasconi, is today a public museum; its ornamental facade — with references to the world of silk — makes it one of the most interesting architectural episodes on the lake.

At the upper end of the western shore lies Dongo — a place where landscape quietude and historical memory intertwine with particular intensity. The Museo della Fine della Guerra recalls the capture of Benito Mussolini and other leaders of the Italian Social Republic here on 27 April 1945. Palazzo Manzi, today the municipal seat, is itself central to that memory. The following day, 28 April 1945, Mussolini was shot at Giulino di Mezzegra — a hamlet of present-day Tremezzina — where a cross still marks the spot.

Lecco marks the southern end of the eastern arm and presents a dramatically different landscape from the villa villages of the central lake. Here La Grigna (2,410 m) and Il Resegone (1,875 m) descend to the water with an almost alpine force. The city is deeply connected to Alessandro Manzoni; his novel The Betrothed is set here, and Villa Manzoni is open as a museum. Lecco represents the rougher, less scenic but all the more authentic dimension of the Lario.

To the north-east, Mandello del Lario is home to the long history of Moto Guzzi (founded 1921). The Moto Guzzi Museum is being redesigned; visits are currently by appointment. Also in Mandello: the Museo della Barca Lariana, with one of the world's most important collections of historic watercraft, tracing two millennia of lake navigation.

Como is inseparably linked to the name of Alessandro Volta. The Tempio Voltiano, on the lakeside promenade, is dedicated to the great scientist and houses instruments, documents and memories of his work. It is the only museum in the world entirely dedicated to a single scientist. A few steps away begins one of the lake's most classic experiences: the funicular ascent to Brunate.

In just a few minutes the city is left behind for a quieter realm of woods, high air and open views. Brunate lives above all for its position and atmosphere; continuing to the Faro Voltiano — a lighthouse built in 1927 in Volta's honour — reaches a point where memory and landscape meet with rare effect, still commanding the entire Como basin.

Silk belongs to Como's identity as much as the lake itself. The Silk Museum tells not only the story of a craft of excellence but the full industrial and artisanal history of a city that built part of its international reputation around this knowledge. Machinery, fabric archives, production techniques and business history together paint the picture of a Como that is industrious, cultured and creative.

On the lakeside promenade, Villa Olmo represents the most monumental and scenic face of the city. The neoclassical villa — today publicly owned — hosts exhibitions, events and cultural initiatives; its park, open and refined (in summer until 23:00, free admission), is one of the most elegant places to walk by the lake. Next door is the Lido Villa Olmo, one of the few public bathing facilities on the Lario.

Como has also rediscovered a strong sporting identity in recent years. Como 1907 currently plays in Serie A and combines a new international profile with the historical depth of a club deeply rooted in its territory. The Stadio Sinigaglia — right on the waterfront — is one of Italy's most distinctive and atmospheric grounds: a place where football and landscape genuinely converse.

South of Como lies Cernobbio, where the lake takes on an even more aristocratic tone. Villa d'Este, an icon of international hospitality since 1873, embodies the classical and cosmopolitan style of Lake Como as few other places do. Villa Erba combines the prestige of a historic residence with a contemporary congress and cultural vocation. Both villas are best admired from the ferry.

More intimate but no less fascinating is Villa Bernasconi. This refined Art Nouveau building — today a public museum — tells its story also through its facade decoration, referencing the world of silk and the productive fabric of the region. It is one of the most elegant architectural counterpoints on the lake.

Bergamo is one of the most captivating historic excursions near the lake. The Città Alta (Upper City) is defined by its Venetian walls (UNESCO World Heritage since 2017), its open spaces and an extraordinary urban compactness. At its centre: Piazza Vecchia with the Palazzo della Ragione (12th century) and the Cappella Colleoni — one of the most important Renaissance chapels in northern Italy.

The city also holds the Accademia Carrara — one of northern Italy's most significant art museums, with works by Bellini, Mantegna, Botticelli and Raphael. A perfect destination for those wishing to combine architectural beauty and great art. By car approx. 60–70 min.

Monza brings together motorsport, monarchy and landscape. The Autodromo Nazionale Monza — in use since 1922, the "Temple of Speed" — is open for guided tours and pit lane walks. Within the same park stands the Villa Reale di Monza — an 18th-century neoclassical royal palace set within the largest enclosed park in Europe (approx. 750 ha, open to the public).

The Cathedral holds in the Cappella di Teodolinda the Iron Crown — one of the most symbolically charged goldsmith's works of the western Middle Ages, used to crown kings and emperors of Italy. By car approx. 40 min.

Lugano is perhaps the most elegant of the cross-border day trips. The city blends Swiss precision and Italian lightness in a particularly harmonious formula — reachable in approx. 30–40 min. by car via the A2 (San Pietro in Stabio border crossing). For panoramas: Monte San Salvatore and Monte Brè, both served by funiculars.

On the cultural front, the MASI — Museo d'Arte della Svizzera Italiana, born from the merger of the Cantonal Museum of Art and the Museum of Art, is one of the main cultural references of Italian-speaking Switzerland. The LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura hosts its modern and contemporary art exhibitions. A third way to arrive: the Swiss PostBus Lugano–Menaggio service. Swiss francs or credit card; no Schengen visa required.

Chiavenna is a destination for those who prefer depth to spectacle. The town has a distinctly alpine character, ancient routes and above all its crotti — natural rock cavities that have shaped local gastronomic culture for centuries, today home to restaurants and wine cellars. Worth seeing: the Parco Marmitte dei Giganti (glacial potholes in the rock) and the Collegiate Church of San Lorenzo with the Pace di Chiavenna (12th century).

Nearby, in Prosto di Piuro, Palazzo Vertemate Franchi is one of the most notable Renaissance civic buildings in Lombardy — with frescoes, historic interiors and a garden. Chiavenna is also the gateway to the Val Bregaglia and the Maloja Pass towards St. Moritz. Local specialities: Scimudin cheese and bresaola from the Valchiavenna. Approx. 60 min. by car.

The Valtellina opens to the east of the lake into a more severely alpine world, marked by terraced vineyards, sun-drenched slopes and villages of strong identity. Its vineyards — Sassella, Grumello, Inferno, Valgella and the great Sforzato — extend for 70 km of terraces on the sunny valley slopes, all from Nebbiolo grapes (here called Chiavennasca). Sondrio, the valley's main town, is approx. 90 min. away.

Tirano is the southern departure point for the Bernina Express: the Albula and Bernina lines of the Rhaetian Railway have been UNESCO World Heritage since 2008, making every stretch — to Poschiavo or the Ospizio Bernina — an exceptional experience. In town: the Sanctuary of the Madonna di Tirano, one of Lombardy's most important pilgrimage sites.

Bormio is the quintessential high-mountain day trip. The town combines thermal baths, an alpine historic centre and immediate proximity to the Stelvio National Park — one of Italy's largest and oldest national parks. The Stelvio Pass (2,758 m), with its 48 hairpin bends, is one of the most spectacular mountain passes in the Alps. This concentration of high mountains, mountain passes, thermal tradition and winter sports makes Bormio a destination that opens a completely different landscape dimension, even as a day trip.

The Terme di Bormio — thermal springs used since Roman times — offer thermal bathing with alpine views at Bagni Nuovi and Bagni Vecchi. Can be combined with an excursion to Livigno (duty-free, reachable via mountain pass). Approx. 2.5 hours by car.

St. Moritz represents the most worldly and alpine extension of a lake stay. Reachable in approx. 2.5–3 hours by car from Tremezzina (via Chiavenna and the Maloja Pass), or by Bernina Express from Tirano (approx. 2 hours), or by the Swiss PostBus line Lugano–Menaggio–St. Moritz, which connects Menaggio directly with the Engadine through some of the most beautiful alpine passes. The high Engadine valley at 1,800 m is a world unto itself.

Once at altitude, the Segantini Museum offers the cultural highlight: it holds the world's most complete and significant collection dedicated to Giovanni Segantini (1858–1899), the great innovator of alpine painting. The monumental triptych Life, Nature, Death is among the most moving works of art in the alpine region. St. Moritz thus combines landscape, altitude and art history in a wholly singular way.