Lake Como
Discover Lake Como
A concise introduction to Lake Como, its geography, history and culture.
Introduction
Lake Como sits in the pre-Alps about forty kilometres north of Milan. It is the third largest of the Italian lakes and the deepest, at roughly four hundred metres, and its inverted-Y shape gives it three arms: Como in the south-west, Lecco in the south-east, and Colico running north into the mountains.
The two cities are at the southern tips. Como is a silk town with a Gothic cathedral and a funicular; Lecco is plainer, more industrial and framed by dramatic limestone peaks. Bellagio sits at the fork where the arms meet, which is why it appears in every photograph of the lake.
Across the water from Bellagio are Varenna, which has the railway station, and Menaggio, which has the road north. The frequent car ferry between those three is the hinge the whole lake turns on.
The northern arm is different again: windier, cheaper, less visited, and given over to sailing and windsurfing rather than villas.