Discover Lake Como

Bellagio sits at the tip of the peninsula that divides the two southern arms of the lake, and has always been Lake Como's iconic image. The town lives by its steep lanes, its stone stairways, its small squares and that particular topographic tension between waterline and height that gives it its unmistakable charm. Despite its global fame, Bellagio retains a quiet, almost contemplative beauty in the calmer hours of the day.

Among Bellagio's great addresses are the gardens of Villa Melzi d'Eril, now open daily and among the most cultivated garden estates on the lake. Equally special is the park of Villa Serbelloni, accessible only on guided tours — booking is now mandatory and online, and it's exactly this limited access that lends the place its discreet prestige.

Tremezzina is the municipality in which Cà de Sura sits, and one of the most cultivated stretches of the entire Lario. The present-day commune brings together historic villages such as Tremezzo, Lenno, Mezzegra and Ossuccio; along its shores you find some of Lake Como's most familiar images: villas, churches, olive groves, promenades and wide views across the middle basin.

Among its highlights are Villa Carlotta, Villa del Balbianello, Isola Comacina and the Greenway del Lago di Como. Officially described as a gentle panoramic route, the Greenway runs about ten kilometres through old villages, past villas, gardens, and Romanesque and Baroque churches, following in part the historic Via Regina. Also nearby: the Museo della Barca Lariana — about 15 km away — dedicated to the lake's traditional boat types and boat-building culture. The ferry piers at Tremezzo and Lenno link the commune to Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio and Como.

Among the villages of the middle lake, Menaggio has a particularly lively, almost small-town air. Its piazza, lakeside promenade, shops and cafés give it an openness that sets it apart from the purely picturesque lakeside village. At the same time, Menaggio remains tightly bound to the lake and the mountains, making it one of those rare places where strolling, everyday life and a base for excursions come together almost perfectly.

Just above the town, in Loveno di Menaggio, lies Villa Vigoni. Today it is the Italian-German Centre for European Dialogue, spread over some 40 hectares. The park — with its ancient trees and carefully composed sightlines — is one of the most extraordinary on the lake; public tours are offered regularly from March to October (except in August). Menaggio is also an excellent starting point for mountain walks on La Grona (1,736 m).

Varenna is among the most atmospheric places on the east shore. Between its coloured houses, narrow alleys and small harbour, the village unfolds a quiet, almost Mediterranean elegance. Particularly characteristic is the Passeggiata degli Innamorati, the lakeside walk that leads from the ferry pier to the historic core and is one of the most romantic promenades on the lake. Contrary to common belief, Varenna is reachable not only by boat but also conveniently by train.

Cultural highlights include Villa Monastero, with its nearly two-kilometre-long botanical lakefront garden, and the Castello di Vezio above the village. Villa Monastero belongs to the Province of Lecco; the garden and house-museum are open to the public. The Castello di Vezio is open daily from 1 March to 1 December and offers one of the most striking viewpoints over the middle basin.

Just a few kilometres south of Como lies Cernobbio, long associated with cultivated lakeside aristocracy and international grand-hotel tradition. At the centre of this aura stands Villa d'Este: built as a noble residence in the 16th century, it is today an icon of international luxury hospitality and one of the lake's great historic addresses. Its view from the water — white façade, opulent garden, lakefront setting — is one of the unforgettable images of the Lario.

A very different but equally rewarding side of Cernobbio is revealed by Villa Bernasconi. This significant Art Nouveau building was erected for Davide Bernasconi and is open today as a public museum. Its ornamental façade — with references to silk production: silkworms, butterflies, mulberry leaves — makes it one of the most interesting architectural counterpoints on the lake.

On the upper west shore lies Dongo — a place that combines scenic calm with historical weight. The Museo della Fine della Guerra recalls that Benito Mussolini and several leading figures of the Repubblica Sociale Italiana were arrested here on 27 April 1945; the Palazzo Manzi, today the town hall, is itself a central site of memory from those final days of the war. The following day, on 28 April 1945, Mussolini was shot together with Claretta Petacci in Giulino di Mezzegra — the spot is still marked by a commemorative cross.

Lecco marks the southern end of the eastern arm of the lake and has a notably different feel from the classic villa towns of the middle basin. Here the forms of the Grigna (2,410 m) and the Resegone (1,875 m) press so close to the water that the lake takes on an almost alpine character. The city is closely linked to Alessandro Manzoni; the Promessi Sposi are set here, and the Villa Manzoni is open as a museum. Lecco stands for the rougher, less-staged side of the Lario — and for that reason feels particularly authentic.

Northeast of Lecco lies Mandello del Lario, home to Moto Guzzi since 1921. The Moto Guzzi Museum is currently being reorganised; visits are arranged through the official booking system. Also in Mandello: the Museo della Barca Lariana — one of the most significant historic boat collections in the world, telling two thousand years of seafaring history around Lake Como.

Como is inseparable from Alessandro Volta. The Tempio Voltiano on the lakefront is regarded as the only museum in the world built as a memorial to a scientist; it preserves instruments, documents and reconstructions from the world of his research. A few steps away, the funicular to Brunate begins one of the classic changes of perspective on the lake: in about seven minutes you rise from the city into a much quieter setting of woodland and views.

Brunate itself lives less on monuments than on location and atmosphere. From here the wide topography of the southern lake opens up, and if you carry on as far as the Faro Voltiano, you reach a spot where commemoration and panorama overlap especially beautifully. The lighthouse was raised in 1927 in Volta's honour and still dominates the entire Como basin.

Silk belongs to Como's identity as much as the lake itself. The Museo della Seta describes itself as the only museum in the world to make the entire production process — from silkworm to fashion — fully legible, preserving not only machines, samples and tools but the industrial memory of a whole city. Como appears here not just as a pretty stage but as a place of work, invention and craft.

On the lakefront, Villa Olmo unfolds the city's grander side. The Neoclassical estate now belongs to the municipality and serves as a venue for exhibitions, events and culture; its park remains one of the most elegant public spaces on the entire lake. Open daily and free of charge — in summer until 11:00 PM. Right next door: the Lido Villa Olmo, one of the few public lake-bathing facilities on Lake Como.

In sport, too, Como has a notable presence again. FC Como 1907 is currently in Serie A, combining the club's new international attention with the strong local roots of a tradition-rich side. The Stadio Sinigaglia, right on the water, is one of the most unusual football grounds in Italy: a stadium that doesn't fight the landscape but lives off it.

South of Como lies Cernobbio, where the lake shows itself once again at its most aristocratic. Villa d'Este has stood since 1873 for the kind of international hotel culture that carried the name "Lago di Como" out into the world, while Villa Erba today bridges historic villa and modern venue as an important exhibition and conference centre. Both estates continue to shape the southwestern arm of the lake.

A different, more intimate note is struck by Villa Bernasconi. The restored Art Nouveau house is today a museum open to the public and tells its story deliberately as a "speaking house". The ornamental façade and its references to the silk industry make the villa one of the finest architectural counterpoints on the lake.

Bergamo is one of the most beautiful historic day trips within reach of the lake. The Città Alta lives by its Venetian walls (UNESCO World Heritage since 2017), its squares and its remarkably unbroken urban silhouette. At its heart: Piazza Vecchia with the Palazzo della Ragione (12th c.) and the Cappella Colleoni — one of the most important Renaissance chapels in northern Italy.

At the same time, with the Accademia Carrara, the city holds one of the major art museums of northern Italy, whose collection runs from the Gothic to the 19th century and includes works by Bellini, Mantegna, Botticelli and Raphael. To experience urban form and painting in a single place is unusually rich here. Around 60–70 min by car.

Monza brings together motor sport, monarchy and parkland in a rare combination. The Autodromo Nazionale Monza is officially the "Temple of Speed" and has existed since 1922; tours and guided track-walks can be booked. In the same park area lies the Villa Reale di Monza — an 18th-century Neoclassical royal palace with gardens and the largest walled park in Europe (ca. 750 ha, open to the public).

Add to that the Duomo, with the Corona Ferrea kept in the Cappella di Teodolinda — one of the most symbolically charged works of Western Christian goldsmithing, used to crown the kings and emperors of northern Italy. About 40 min by car.

Lugano may be the most elegant cross-border trip of them all. The city combines Swiss precision with Italian ease, and draws its charm from that balance — about 30–40 min by car via the A2 (border crossing at San Pietro in Stabio). For the overview, Monte San Salvatore and Monte Brè are both accessed by their own funiculars.

Culturally, MASI — Museo d'Arte della Svizzera Italiana sets a clear accent: born from the merger of the Museo Cantonale d'Arte and the Museo d'Arte, it is one of the most important art institutions in Italian-speaking Switzerland. A third way to get there: the Lugano–Menaggio Autopostale line of the Swiss Postbus. Swiss francs or credit card; no Schengen border crossing required.

Chiavenna is a trip for those who prefer depth to spectacle. The town lives by its alpine character, its old paths and above all its crotti — those natural rock cellars with a constant cool draught of air, part of local culture for centuries and today home to restaurants and wine stores. Worth seeing: the Parco Marmitte dei Giganti (giants' kettles in the rock) and the Collegiata di San Lorenzo with the Pace di Chiavenna (12th-c. peace chalice).

Just nearby, in Prosto di Piuro, rises Palazzo Vertemate Franchi — one of the most remarkable secular Renaissance buildings in Lombardy, with magnificent frescoes, historic interiors and gardens. Chiavenna is also the gateway to the Val Bregaglia and the Maloja Pass on to St. Moritz. Local specialities: Scimudin cheese and bresaola from the Valchiavenna. About 60 min by car.

The Valtellina opens a different, distinctly alpine world to the east of the lake. Its terraced vineyards count among the great cultural landscapes of northern Italy — 70 kilometres of terraced slopes along the sun-facing valley flank, with crus such as Sassella, Grumello, Inferno, Valgella and the great Sforzato. All from the Nebbiolo grape, here called Chiavennasca. Sondrio, the valley's capital, is about 90 min away.

Tirano is the southern terminus of the Bernina Express: the Albula and Bernina lines of the Rhaetian Railway have been UNESCO World Heritage since 2008, and even a partial stretch — as far as Poschiavo or Ospizio Bernina — makes for an extraordinary experience. In the town itself: the Santuario della Madonna di Tirano, one of the most important pilgrimage churches in Lombardy.

Bormio is the trip into the high mountains. The town combines thermal baths, a historic centre and the immediate proximity of the Stelvio National Park — one of the oldest and largest national parks in Italy. The Passo dello Stelvio (2,758 m), with its 48 hairpins, is one of the most dramatic pass roads in the Alps. This concentration of high mountains, pass roads, spa tradition and winter sport makes Bormio a destination that, even as a day trip, opens up a completely different scale of landscape.

The Terme di Bormio — thermal springs used since Roman times — offer the Bagni Nuovi and Bagni Vecchi thermal baths with mountain panoramas. Combine with a side trip to Livigno (duty-free, just over the pass). About 2.5 hrs by car.

St. Moritz stands for perhaps the most fashionable extension of a lake stay into the high Alps. If you go via Tirano on the Rhaetian Railway, the journey itself is already part of the trip. Another option: the Lugano–Menaggio–St. Moritz Autopostale line of the Swiss Postbus — a direct cross-country bus that links Menaggio with the Engadine. By car: about 2.5–3 hrs via Chiavenna and the Maloja Pass.

On site, the Segantini Museum sets a cultural highlight: it holds the most comprehensive and important collection on Giovanni Segantini (1858–1899), one of the great renewers of Alpine painting. His monumental triptych La Vita, La Natura, La Morte is one of the most striking works of art in the Alpine region. In its own way, St. Moritz binds landscape, altitude and art history together.