In the shadow of the snow-covered Rhaetian Alps of Italy and hemmed in on both sides by steep hills clad in oak, hemlock and pine, Lake Como is the most famous of the major lakes. Shaped like an upside-down ‘Y’, it counts 99 miles of squiggly shoreline, littered with gingerbread villages like exquisite Bellagio, pastel-painted Varenna, and charming Menaggio.
Where the southern and western shores converge, the lake’s main urban centre of Como awaits in a flurry of handsome villas and bustling cobbled streets. The old town there – known as the Città Murata – is a joy to get lost in. Meanwhile, the lakeside hosts a temple and shrine to revered Alessandro Volta, inventor of the battery, plus the erstwhile aristocratic residence of Villa Olmo, a touch to the north.
A touch to the north of that again is iconic Bellagio. The stomping ground of celebs throughout the summer months, it’s a maze of a town woven together by cobbled alleys. Designer shopping abounds in the nooks and crannies, alongside fine Italian wine bars serving Lombardy’s best labels.
Touring the lakes can be as active as you want to make it. Cycling is an excellent way to get around, especially on the western shoreline, where a busy motorway takes the traffic away from the tree-line coast roads. Go there, and you can whiz from the café-speckled promenades of Bellano to the secret castle at Corenno Plinio.
There’s plenty more to be done on the water in the form of lazy cruises between the various towns – how about morning espressos on the piazza in pretty Menaggio, followed by a picnic lunch on the banks of the Isola Comacina, Lake Como’s largest island?
Active travellers should be sure to pack their hiking boots, too. Routes zigzag up from the water’s edge into plateaus clad in thick woodlands. Eventually, they get high enough to beat the tree line and reward visitors with front-on views of the snow-capped Marmontana and Piz Corbet on the border with Switzerland.
Luxury villas in Lake Como offer unrivalled elegance on the edges of this famous body of water. Some sit plum on the shoreline, so you’ll sleep to the sound of the lake lapping to and fro. Others are perched high up in the surrounding peaks, with views of ice-capped summits and forests of pine hemming them in on all sides for complete privacy.
See
- Idyllic alpine towns like Mennagio and Varenna
- The historic centre of Como
- Beautiful historic villas such as Villa Carlotta and Villa del Balbianello
Experience
- Designer shopping in Bellagio
- Scenic boat trips on the lake
- Hiking to highland villages in the Italian Alps
