I love how every time, during my vacations, I get to have that dose of fresh air, of pure nature. A few moments in its midst fill me with energy and give me a sense of well-being for the rest of the time I'll be spending between four walls or in the urban hustle and bustle.
I had such an escape in Italy too, a day that soothed my soul. After struggling through the hustle and bustle of Milan and the opulence of the French Riviera, the contact with the natural environment was like a breath of fresh air.
Half a day spent here turned out to be extremely short, but it was enough to recharge my batteries and prepare me for the continuation of my vacation.
The landscapes offered by the lake, together with the forested mountains, are formidable. The silence that rings in your ears is only interrupted by the few boats that navigate the lake, connecting the towns located all around.
I had visited Lake Maggiore a day or two before and left with a huge regret. I hadn't managed to take a boat trip to see the islands in the middle of the lake. Arriving at Lake Como, I decided, no way I'm missing out on such an experience.
A few facts about Lake Como
Lago di Como, as the Italians call it, is a lake of glacial origin, located in the Lombardy region, about 50 km from Milan and just a stone's throw from the Swiss border.
With its surface area of 146 km² and a record depth of over 400 meters (the 5th deepest lake in Europe), Lake Como is the smallest of the three lakes (Como, Maggiore, and Garda), all forming the so-called trio of lakes in northern Italy. According to many, this is the most beautiful and most visited, but opinions are divided, of course.
Located in a depression surrounded by towering peaks, with heights of over 2000 meters, the lake and the surrounding area offer curious visitors unique landscapes, of a beauty rarely seen, a true paradise I could say.
The charming little towns, with their narrow, terraced streets, lining the shores of the lake, nestled at the foot of the mountains, offer views so beautiful that your mind is blown. Celebrities like Madonna, George Clooney, Sylvester Stallone, or Gianni Versace have their holiday homes right here, on the shores of the lake.
They didn't choose the area by chance, did they? The lake is in most of the top lists of the most beautiful lakes in the world. That's something 🙂
How to get to Lake Como?
It's best to get there on your own, if you can afford it and can rent a car. If not, from Milano Centrale Station you can take the train to this destination, either to Como city or to the surrounding towns: Lecco, Varenna, Menaggio, or Bellagio.
You'll get there in about an hour. Tickets can be purchased in advance from trenitalia.com or from the machines at the station.
What can you do at Lake Como?
Let's say you'll first arrive in the city of Como. It's considered a kind of silk homeland, you can find a lot of shops with natural silk items. There's even a museum where representative materials are exhibited.
The Como Cathedral should be a landmark (after the lake, of course), a must-see, both from the outside and inside, it's fascinating. Cernobbio, somewhat in the shadow of Como city, is a charming little town with many buildings with fantastic architecture, worth noting: Villa Erba, Villa d'Este, or Villa Bernasconi.
The town has a promenade on the lake shore, perfect for a stroll and admiring the blue of the lake in such a beautiful contrast with the green of the forests. The mountain peaks that guard the shores of Lake Como are reflected proudly in the calm and clear waters of the lake, as if welcoming tourists eager to take superb photos.
From Cernobbio, just like from the other towns bordering the lake, you can take boat trips with the ferries that make regular runs connecting the villages. You can do a tour of these towns, stopping in each one to visit, and then continue your journey. A kind of nautical hop-on hop-off. Details about the ferry routes and schedules can be found on the Navigazione Laghi website.
We did the same thing, we bought tickets from Cernobbio to Torno, another town that retains the area's character, with narrow streets winding up towards the mountaintop, with old but carefully maintained buildings. No matter how hard I try to put it into words, I wouldn't be able to capture the beauty of the place.
You can't help but fall in love with Lake Como!
I loved the welcoming atmosphere of the villages, with their narrow and well-kept streets, with their churches strategically placed near the water's edge, giving the impression that the expansion started from there.
When I was there at the end of March, the weather was perfect, the lake's waters were an intense blue, contrasting perfectly with the fresh green of the forests around the lake, and the hundreds of tourists made this whole spectacle of nature so lively.
I loved this day so much and I was so sorry that it was getting dark and it was time to leave. And because hunger was starting to kick in, and when I'm hungry I can't think straight, something typically Italian, some pasta, pizza, something was welcome.
Is there ever a wrong time for pizza (on vacation)? Nooo! The terraces and restaurants on the lake shore came to meet my hunger and everything was quickly resolved. Dessert... gelato, of course!
As it was already evening and we had a long way to go home, we turned back, not before admiring once again the wonderful landscape we were leaving behind. Of course, there are so many wonderful places to see, you can do water sports, you can go hiking in the wooded mountains, there are a lot of emblematic buildings and gardens ready to be explored.
One day is not enough, a week dedicated to the area would probably be welcome. I would love to get to the most privileged town on the shores of Lake Como, Bellagio, from where you can see all three branches of the lake, and from here to travel daily to the other riverside towns.