Sightseeing
There are four main areas for sightseeing at Lake Como:
The Mid-lake triangle
Sightseeing in the Mid-lake area consists principally of visiting three towns – Bellagio, Menaggio and Varenna – with buildings and gardens kept as far as possible as they were in the nineteenth century. Characteristic features to look out for are Menaggio’s wonderfully relaxing Piazza Garibaldi, with pavement cafes and stunning lake views; Bellagio’s steep narrow alleyways lined with boutiques selling local wood and leathercraft products and international luxury goods, and the castle above Varenna where you can watch displays of falconry.
The Western branch
The Western branch runs about twenty five kilometres from Cadenabbia down to Cernobbio, served by ferries and the C10 bus. It provides sightseers with attractions such as: the house, gardens and sculpture of the Villa Carlotta in Tremezzo; the Villa Balbianello just outside Lenno – so handsome it’s appeared in Star Wars and Bond movies; the Lido at Lenno, which turns into a nightspot after dark; the charming village of Argegno and nearby cable car ride; Laglio, where George Clooney has his villa, and Cernobbio’s large piazza and art nouveau ferry point.
Como
Como, at the foot of the western branch, is primarily an industrial town, producing almost all of Europe’s silk. But it has a clearly defined tourist area consisting of an old town with a cathedral, town hall , opera house and many other historical buildings and a semicircular waterfront containing a temple museum dedicated to Volta, who invented the battery, seaplanes for flights over the lake and a funicular railway.
The northern end
At the opposite (northern) end of the Lake, opportunities for sightseeing often take second place to water sports but still include the ‘Gold Room’ and Resistance museum in the Palazzo Manzi in Dongo, beautiful Romanesque and later churches in Gravedona the remains of a world war two fort; Colico’s handsome piazza; the ‘Orrido’ water feature and the lovely Abbey at Piona.
For more information about sightseeing around Lake Como including Top 10 Lake Como sightseeing attractions go to our partner site My Lake Como Holiday.com
