Three Must Visit Towns on Lake Como

Lake Como is Italy’s third largest lake and is made up of about 24 towns and villages. In 1818 Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote to Thomas Love Peacock: “This lake exceeds anything I ever beheld in beauty, with the exception of the arbutus islands of Killarney. It is long and narrow, and has the appearance of a mighty river winding among the mountains and the forests”. We certainly found it to be beautiful after visiting these three must visit towns on Lake Como:

Castello di Vezio

Varenna

A short ferry ride across the lake from Bellagio brought us to the steep hillside village of Varenna. Some consider Varenna to be the most heavenly of all the towns on Lake Como. Only a population of 882, the residents have an odd tradition keep water bottles just of outside their houses to keep stray cats from peeing on their door!

After enjoying a lunch of the lake fish and seafood, a climb up the hillside overlooking Varenna to the Castello di Vezio is well worth the effort. As we approached the castle, a panorama of the lake opened up. From here,we could see the peninsula where Bellagio is situated and divides the lake into two parts: on the left is the Lecco side and to the right is the Como side.

There are ghosts in the castle grounds which are made from white chalk. Willing tourists who offer to pose in the spring and summer will be covered with gauze and the white chalk to make the ghost sculptures. The sculptures remain in the castle grounds until the snow comes and destroys them.

Lake Como seen from Varenna

We climbed the castle turret for more stunning views of the lake. The turret also has a permanent collection of Lairosauro, a water reptile with a long neck and head. Most of the species of the Lairosauro have been found in the area of the lake, but recently some have also been found in China.

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