The most beautiful villages on Lake Como

The beauty overlooking Lake Como

If you want to treat yourself to a trip out of town or a short trip on Lake Como, the third largest lake in Italy, we will show you which are the most beautiful villages to visit. You can take an alternative itinerary in Lombardy, both cultural and scenic, and relax on the lake which became famous thanks to The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni, where the landscape surrounding the lake is described in a sublime way. The work begins with the famous incipit "That branch of Lake Como, which turns towards the south, between two uninterrupted chains of mountains, all with bays and gulfs...".
Lake Como - Cernobbio
Lake Como - Cernobbio

Cernobbio

Cernobbio (Cernòbi in the Como dialect), is a pretty village that develops along the shores of the lake, and includes the medieval nucleus and the area called "la riva", where the dock of the Navigation of Lake Como is located. The municipality was born from the grouping of houses around a 12th-century convent of nuns, which was called Coenobium. In the Middle Ages it was a prosperous fishing center, but, from 1432, a series of tragic events followed, including the destruction of the town by Vincenzo Vegio, the looting and attacks suffered in 1522 during the Franco-Spanish war and, the plague, which reduced the number of inhabitants of the city, reaching the historical minimum of 190 residents in 630. In 1872, thanks to the foundation of the Tessiture Bernasconi, the urban aspect of the city was transformed.
Visiting the village today, you can stroll through Piazza del Risorgimento, in the historic center and admire in its surroundings elegant villas and churches such as: Villa d'Este , originally known as "Villa del Garovo" which represents a luxurious patrician residence and, to date , is the most luxurious hotel in Cernobbio. It was built between 1565 and 1570, on the model of the architect Pellegrino Tibaldi, to be the summer residence of the Cardinal of Como, Tolomeo Gallio. In 1815, the mansion was purchased by the Princess of Wales Carolina Amalia of Brunswick. It was in this villa, in 1948, that Countess Pia Bellentani killed her lover with a revolver, during an attack of jealousy. Villa Erba, was built in the nineteenth century and is named after Luigi Erba, brother of Carlo Erba, one of the most famous pharmaceutical manufacturers of the time. From the 1920s, it was owned by Carla Erba, mother of the director Luchino Visconti. It was in this villa that Luchino Visconti completed the editing of the film "Ludwing". Today the villa is home to numerous congresses, and is enriched by a park, with elegant gardens. Villa Bernasconi is one of the rare examples of liberty architecture on Lake Como. The villa was built before 1905, near Davide Bernasconi's client's textile factory. Its particular decorations are inspired by the life cycle of the silkworm. The villa has one of the largest lake front gardens. The Silk Citadel is an archaeological site where the textile industry buildings are located, which were once inhabited by Bernasconi weaving workers. The area of Como and Cernobbio have a long tradition linked to the silk industry. Piazza Risorgimento is located on the shore of Cernobbio, near the Imbarcadero della Navigazione, an art nouveau structure built in 1906. The war memorial, created by the Milanese sculptor Angelo Galli, stands at the center of the square. The square, in the past, was a stony expanse, known as "Punta de Gera", frequented mainly by workers. During the nineteenth century, with the intensification of tourism, it was rebuilt and embellished; a bridge was built and many shops and tourist establishments were opened. The Church of San Vincenzo is located in the historic village of the town, near the shore. It is a church in Romanesque style that was restored between 1793 and 1775. Its baroque facade, instead, was built later. Casa Cattaneo was built in 1938-1939 by the architect Carlo Cattaneo, just before the outbreak of the Second World War while the Oratory of Santa Maria delle Grazie, is located in Piazza Belinzaghi and inside there is the image of the nursing Madonna Jesus. In the locality of Stimianico, there is the Oratory of the Beata Vergine del Carmine, an ancient chapel that was demolished and then rebuilt in 1923, maintaining however its original project. A part of the wall was frescoed by the painter Ugo Sambruni. Villa Pizzo stands on a promontory not far from Villa d'Este and its gardens, of ancient origins, were enlarged from the end of the 18th century, when the villa became the property of Bishop Muggiasca.
Bellagio - Lake Como
Bellagio - Lake Como

Bellagio

Bellagio (Beláas in the Como dialect) is a village that stands on the promontory that separates the two branches of Lake Como and is also a renowned holiday resort. The first to inhabit this territory were probably the Insubres, who lived freely until the arrival of the Gauls who, after destroying the Insubres in 600 BC led by Belloveso, settled in Milan and Como, where they created a garrison on the shores of the lake , calling it Bellagio (from the name of the commander Belloveso). Virgil, a well-known Latin poet, visited Bellagio and cited the lake in the II book of the Georgics. Pliny the Younger, another thick figure who used to stay there frequently, owned a villa in this village, called Villa Tragoedia. Today Bellagio is a verdant village, with oaks, beeches and firs. There are many old churches to admire, stone staircases and colorful villas, which make this village a destination for everyone. Among the most fascinating aspects of this village are its sumptuous villas. One of the most famous is Villa Serbelloni , a seventeenth-century villa built on the ruins of an ancient castle. Today it is both a venue for international conferences and an important hotel and belongs to the Rockfeller Foundation in New York. Another villa not to be missed is Villa Melzi . It is currently inhabited, so it is possible to visit only a few places and, inside it, there is a small museum that houses many archaeological finds. In the external garden, there is a Venetian gondola, which arrived in Bellagio at the behest of Napoleon. The Basilica of San Giacomo was built in the 12th century, and houses important works such as the Deposition of Jesus in the Sepulcher. Walking through the village, you will also admire the Church of the Madonna del Rosario in San Martino, the Church of Santa Maria in Loppia and the Church of Sa Giorgio , all in Romanesque style, but not always open to the public. The latter, dating from the twelfth century, houses inside a wooden statue depicting the Madonna of the Belt, one of Bellagio's religious symbols. The Church of San Giovanni Battista , on the other hand, is a Baroque construction dating back to the 17th century, where the "Madonna delle Grazie" fresco from the Lombard school is kept. Before leaving the village, we recommend that you see the Museum of Navigation Instruments , located in a historic tower house. Inside there are more than two hundred precious objects, which over the centuries have helped man to orient himself at sea and to navigate to new worlds.
Borgo di Varenna Lake Como - Photo by travelspot by Pixabay
Borgo di Varenna Lake Como - Photo by travelspot by Pixabay

Varenna

Varenna was once a fishing village, as revealed by one of the first references dating back to 768, while today it is an ancient village located at the beginning of the Lecco branch. From 1200 it hosted those who fled from the island of Comacina, whose traces are still present today in the architecture of the village. During the dominion of the Visconti and Sforza families, it had its period of maximum flowering. Thanks to its colorful houses, the village appears bright and brilliant in the eyes of visitors and, for the most romantic, it is possible to take a walk along the lakefront up to the Vezio Castle, with its plaster ghosts or falcons, which fly free. in the sky. The village has just over 700 inhabitants and is located in the province of Lecco. It is very easy to reach, even if the boat is the most suggestive route to take to admire the beauties of the place. We advise you to see its central square where the Church of San Giorgio is located , a church built in the thirteenth century, on the foundations of an ancient Roman temple, which is today an example of medieval Lombard architecture. A few steps away is the Church of San Giovanni Battista, dating back to the 11th century and that of San Giorgio, with beautiful frescoed walls. Inside the two churches there are precious frescoes. Walking through the typical streets of the historic center of Varenna, you can admire Villa Monastero : a beautiful architectural complex of the '500 that was once a convent of Cistercian nuns while today it is one of the main tourist attractions of the village. This villa is both a convention center and a house museum, and has a fantastic botanical garden. It is precisely here that, in 1954, the Nobel Prize winner Enrico Fermi gave some lessons. Near Villa Monastero there is also Villa Cipressi, dating back to the late Renaissance, with enchanting terraces overlooking the lake. The most romantic place of all is The Lovers' Walk: a walkway that overlooks the lake and is covered with climbing plants, which will accompany your romantic walk with pleasant smells. From here you can also admire the Vezio Castle. The Vezio Castle is located higher than the inhabited center and dates back to the age of the Lombards. According to a legend, it was inhabited by Queen Teodolinda for a long time and, since her death, it is said that her soul still wanders among the ruins of the castle. Before leaving the village, we advise you to try the Missoltini, a typical dish based on agoni, fish from the lake, which after being fished, are salted and dried in the sun.
Church Santissimà Trinità - Argegno Como - Photo by Sandeep Gill from Pixabay
Church Santissimà Trinità - Argegno Como - Photo by Sandeep Gill from Pixabay

Argegno

Argegno is one of the most popular tourist resorts on Lake Como. It is a town of about 659 inhabitants and is about 20 km from Como. The town includes tourist towns such as Castiglione, San Fedele, Lanzo, and more peaceful villages. We recommend you to enjoy the view from the Belvedere of Pigra and Lanzo . The ancient village of the town, on the other hand, is crossed by the Telo stream and is divided into two parts connected by a stone bridge. Some findings attest to the Roman origin of the place although, in 1335, like the rest of the municipalities of Como, it became the property of the Visconti. Not to be missed are the Santuario Sant'Anna , an eighteenth-century building inside which are preserved frescoes dating back to the eighteenth century, the Parish of the SS. Trinity , built in the neo-Romanesque style in the early 1900s and the Church of San Sisinnio of Romanesque origin, considered a small jewel. Give yourself also a walk in the Vicolo Mulini, where the "Roggia Molinara" was built, which once channeled the waters of the Telo to supply hydraulic power to the four mills in the town.
Lake Como Villa Balbianello
Lake Como Villa Balbianello

Lenno and Tremezzo

Lenno is a town in the municipality of Tremezzina. The village is frequented by both nature lovers and visitors who want to make a cultural excursion, given its historical origin. In fact, many tourists come to this place, both to admire the beauty of the lake and the beauty of majestic buildings, such as Villa del Balbianello . Villa del Balbaniello is an architectural complex that was built towards the end of the 1700s, on the remains of a Franciscan monastery, of which it is possible to admire the facade of the ancient church. The villa was built by order of Cardinal Angelo Maria Durini and today includes the Villa, the Loggia, the Library, the Hall of the Primitives, the Museum of expeditions and the park-garden. Over the course of history, the villa has had numerous owners, including, last, Count Guido Monzino, who renovated the building enriching the rooms with English and French furniture and works of art. It was precisely because of the count's wish that after his death the villa became part of the FAI, the Italian Environment Fund. Thanks to its position, the villa was also chosen as the location of important films such as the second episode of the Star Wars saga (2002) and Martin Campbell's Casino Royale with the well-known protagonist James Bond . We recommend that you see other important buildings, such as the Collegiate Church of Santo Stefano , dating back to the 10th century (as evidenced by the underground crypt), but restored over the years and the Abbazia dell'Acquafredda , dating back to the 11th century, but restored between the 16th and 17th centuries. The structure is located in an elegant Italian garden and inside it preserves frescoes by Fiamminghino, from the Baroque period. The cuisine includes both mountain products and freshwater fish. Cheeses such as Como and Zincarlin and polenta "toc" are also typical. As the last village, but not least, there is Tremezzo , a town of about 1,288 inhabitants, mentioned in a 1932 film with Greta Garbo: Grand Hotel. In the night between 29 and 30 April 1945 a plane bombarded the west coast of Lake Como that preceded Tremezzina, the place where Mussolini was shot, destroying the Bazzoni hotel and killing sixteen civilians in the building. At the time it was assumed that the Germans had bombed the site, while according to scholars it was done by the British. You can take a tour of the marina, from where hydrofoils leave for Como and Bellagio or visit Villa Carlotta , an 18th century building, which became the property of Gian Battista Sommariva, who collected works by Antonio Canova, Luigi Purchases, Canova, Hayez and many others. The villa also has a fantastic botanical garden, where you will find over 500 species of plants.

Entertainment

Fun on Lake Como is closely linked to personal well-being and contact with nature. In fact, here you can rent a bike and go into nature, play golf, rent canoes or go horse riding. If you want to relax, you can also enjoy a picnic immersed in nature during sunny days.
Climate, curiosity and advice
Climate: in Como and in the other towns located on the shores of the lake, such as Cernobbio and Bellagio, the climate is semi-continental, with cold and wet winters and hot summers, but also rainy ones. Rainfall is abundant, so much so as to define Como "one of the most rainy cities in Italy".
Curiosity: in Fiumelatte, a pretty village overlooking the waters of Lake Como, a river that bears the same name flows (not all year round). The Fiumelatte river, in the past, also captured the attention of Leonardo di Vinci, who described it thus: "It is the Fiumelaccio, which falls from above more than 100 arms from the vein whence it arises, plumb on the lake, with inimitable rattle and uproar. »
It is possible to admire it between March 25 and October 7, although its range varies depending on the rainfall of the year.
Advice: given the heavy rainfall in the area, we recommend that you visit it mainly in summer, to be able to enjoy the greenery and nature to the fullest.
Most Beautiful Villages In Italy