It is undeniable that one of the great attractions of Lake Como is its villages, dotted with colorful houses and beautiful corners. That and the pasta dishes, of course. And ice cream, of course. But today we are going to talk about the best villages of Lake Como (where you can eat a lot of pasta and lots of ice cream, and all happy).
We visit the area in two days, but as we tell you in our complete guide to Lake Como, the ideal is to have at least 3 days of time to visit all the villages we are going to talk about. If they are more better!
Now, let's go with those who for us they are the most beautiful villages of Lake Como:
Bellagio
Known as "The Pearl of the Lake“, Bellagio would be the perfect example of the stately atmosphere and a little bit of stuff that the whole area is soaked in. It is an old town with narrow and steep streets on a promontory over the lake that in 1800 was chosen by the Lombard bourgeoisie to locate its splendid mansions. It has a strategic location, right in the center of the lake, so from here you can make boat trips to other nearby locations.
The places you cannot miss in Bellagio are: Villa Melzi, Villa Serbelloni and the church of San Giacomo.
Nesso
This little village on the shore of the lake has one of the places that impressed us the most: theOrrido di Nesso. It is a waterfall that has opened a gorge in the middle of the town and ends up diving into the waters of Lake Lario. It is best to park the car on the small square next to the waterfall and go down the (many) stairs that reach the mouth. There is also a nice waiting for you medieval bridge. The effort is worth it: it is a top place, probably our favorite of Lake Como * _ *
Turnstile
It was an important urban center in the Middle Ages and from that time its main jewels date: the churches of Santa Tecla and San Juan, two of the most important monuments of the entire Lake of Como. It is tiny but if you have time it is well worth going around here.
Cernobbio
It is not a small town, like the ones we have been through so far, but one of the main lake resorts. In fact it is one of the places with the highest concentration of villas, of which the impressive Eastern Villa, where Alfred Hitchcock's “The Garden of Joy” was filmed, and the Villa Erba. The square facing the lake with the Parish of the Holy Redeemer is also worthwhile.
In Cenobbio you can also take a panoramic road that reaches the top of Mount Bissinio, from where there is a lovely view of the lake.
Moltrasio
From this town we must mention the Villa Passalacqua, where characters such as Napoleon Bonaparte or Winston Churchill himself have stayed, and Villa Fontanelle, which was owned by the mythical stylist Gianni Versace.
Carate Urio
This small town has very cool corners where you can take a picture such as the Church of Saints Quirico and Giulitta, with a curious lake panorama.
Laglio
Can you imagine buying bread and bumping into George Clooney himself? The inhabitants and Laglio have repeatedly run this great risk since, in effect, in this town the American actor was bought a villa: theVilla Oleandra. Uncle is not stupid, huh?
In addition to Uncle Giorgio, Laglio is very pretty, so if you can ... park and take a walk around its quiet streets.
Brienno
It is a very characteristic town of Celtic origin and medieval houses of stone with colored facades hanging over the lake. the Santa Ana Church and its bell tower of the 11th century will be the first thing you find, later in the center of the town is the church of Saints Nazaro and Celso.
Argegno
Another medieval town with many options for accommodation, restaurants and cafes. At the back of Argegno opens theIntelvi Valley, which connects Lake Como with the Lake of Lugano and where are some beautiful villages. As a highlight is the Belvedere di Pigra viewpoint which must be reached by cable car.
Lenno
In Lenno is the Villa of Balbianello, one of the main reasons to travel to Lake Como. Not only is it beautiful, but scenes of legendary movies like Star Wars Episode III or Casino Royal were shot here (it hits James Bond, huh?). And after the visit, nothing better than a dip in the crystal clear waters of the lake from the Lenno Lido (yes, if it is autumn or winter better go for a hot chocolate at one of the downtown bars).
Very close is the Comacina Island, the only island of Lake Como.
Tremezzo
It is a short distance from Lenno and we advise you to visit it if you want to keep freaking out with the Villas del Lago. Here the best are, without a doubt, Villa Carlotta Y Villa la Quiete.
Menaggio
This town is a real gem: we fell in love with its walk along the lake, with piers, benches with beautiful views and magical corners. We advise you to get to the small port and have a drink in one of the cafes in the historic center that, by the way, seemed like a joke.
The Church of S. Stefano It has a particularly beautiful bell tower, if you like architecture, stop by.
Bellano
Here is one of the best-kept secrets (well, secretly hehe) of the Lake: the Orrido de Bellano, a waterfall hidden in a curious gorge. After the visit there is no better plan than to recover energy with a good local dish: knock, which is prepared with polenta (cornmeal) and muuuucho cheese and butter.
Varenna
His "love walk”On the lake is already a reason to stop here, but the rest of this fishing village is also an absolute charm: from the Main Square where a beautiful church is located to the streets that go down to the lake, which give away An unbeatable view of this beautiful Italian corner.
About 4 km from Varenna is the Vezio Castle, go up here by car and enjoy the panoramic view, possibly one of the best in the whole area.
These are the best villages of Lake Como but there are many, we know it. If you have few days we tell you what they are Our 5 favorites: Varenna, Nesso, Bellagio, Menaggio and Lenno... in this same order.
Obviously in this post we have not considered Como and Lecco since they are rather cities. Of course, stop by its streets because they hide beautiful corners (As especially we found it very nice).
Have you been to Lake Como? What are your favorite villages?
