Between the Alps and the Padana Plain, close to the Italian and Swiss border, the territory of Lake Como is distinguished by a variety of landscapes and settlements. The lake is certainly the most prominent asset in the area: 46 km long, 146 km surface area, 410 m at its deepest point, 4.3 km wide (between Cadenabbia and Fiumelatte) and 0,430 km (between Torriggia and Careno). The Breva and Tivano winds frequently blow over the lake. Around the area you see in succession steep mountains and gentle hills; narrow, solid valleys, while others wide and smooth; highly populated plains and untouched woods; small villages and cities; lake towns and mountain villages; wild streams and the River Adda. Today this territory, institutionally divided between the two Provinces of Como and Lecco, has always seen an intense fl ow of visitors due to its position connecting central Europe and the Mediterranean world. Thanks to its geographical position, the lake has developed a diverse and profound culture, which in every period has been capable of making the most of its people’s wisdom from contact with the most varied of populations, stimulating the creation of many fascinating works of art. Lake Como, the old Lario of the Romans, pushes its northmost point into the Valchiavenna and Valtellina regions, towards the famous and snowy Passes of the Spluga, Maloja and the Stelvio, ancient routes for journeys and trade towards the Rhineland and the Tirol. The lake opens up a narrow course, forking at Bellagio into two arms: the eastern side is dotted with small towns of rare beauty where tourism, history, art and nature harmoniously come together, protected by the mild lake climate. Varenna is a very good example of this mild lake climate, which welcomes the wonderful villas that rise on its shores, almost as if it wished to sweeten the natural roughness of the landscape. The eastern arm appears to unwind like a fast-fl owing canyon squeezed between steep mountains, the buttress of San Primo and Corni di Canzo on one side and those of Legnone and Grigne on the other: the latter’s calcareous peaks with spires and pinnacles, is extremely well-known and among the most frequented in Lombardy. The western arm is less rough; it has always been the destination for an “élite tourism” which started in the “belle époque” period. The discovery of these places, thanks to the presence of many important guests, has made towns like Menaggio, Bellagio, Tremezzo and Cadenabbia world-famous. There you can admire stunning villas with English gardens, some of which are enriched with tiny precious museums fi lled with works of art. The extraordinary neoclassic villas of Como, Cernobbio, Moltrasio, Blevio, Bellagio and Tremezzo, to mention only a few, have welcomed the most famous celebrities of music, and literature, Milanese and European nobility and today, the modern movie and fashion stars, proof of the endless charm of the Lake Como scene. The lake, together with a complex coastal network, maintained by the Via Regia and by the Sentiero del Viandante (the Wayfarer’s Trail), was the route for trade and many landings in ancient times. The lake and the coastal network gave birth to towns which nowadays are still overlooked by towers and castles that remind us of their strategic position over a land which was long disputed. The lake was firstly discovered by medieval merchants and boatmen and later on by the army that tried to control these areas. The Venetians did not succeed; the Spanish did and built two fortresses, one in Lecco against the Serenissima and the Forte Fuentes in Colico against the Swiss legions.
The excitement of seeing unique landscapes is particularly intense if you reach some observation points around the territory; real grandstand views to admire on days of clear skies, both a man-made and natural view. Two natural terraces overlook the “capoluoghi” of Lecco and Como: Brunate looks down over Como and the Piani d’Erna overlook Lecco. There are numerous recommendations for charming viewpoints: Mount Bisbino (m 1325) above Cernobbio, the Pigra plateau (m 881) connected by cableway to Argegno, Sacro Monte of the Madonna del Soccorso, above Ossucio, the little San Martino church, above Griante, opposite the spur of Bellagio, the views of the Alto Lago from Peglio (m 650) to lead into the Livo valley or towards Fordeccia, above Sorico, the “suspended” Monte Piatto villages (m 610), Molina (m467), Lemna (m 533), and along the shore between Como and Bellagio, Palanzo (m 596); Vezio’s castle (m 596) above Varenna and the Belvedere by the Agueglio Pass, extraordinary viewpoints on the centre part of the lake, the Olgiasca promontory in Colico, the Valbrona road, which goes down from Asso towards the shore of Olive trees, the Grigne range, Mounts Legnone and Legnoncino, the Valcava pass platform for bungee-jumping enthusiasts, suspended between the San Martino Valley and the Bergamo Orobie mountains, the blue skies visible from Piani Resinelli Plains, Mount Barro, and towards the South in the middle of Brianza, the Rocchetta Shrine in Airuno and the hill of Montevecchia, a watchful sentinel over the Adda; and again the Belvedere and the peak of Mount Sighignola (m 1302), above Lanzo d’Intelvi, with a breath-taking view over Lake Lugano.
