Begin this tour with a romantic cruise along the beautiful Ramo di Como, past waterfront villas and gardens. After a picnic lunch on a haunted island, take a short boat trip to Villa del Balbianello, which has the finest setting on the lake.
Distance: 60km (37-mile), ferry trip (return)
TIME: A full day
START/END: Como Town
POINTS TO NOTE: Check ferry times from any landing stage on the lake or on www.navigazionelaghi.it. Bring a picnic as the once iconic Locanda del Isola Comacina is currently in the centre of a dispute with the local mayor and remains closed at the time of writing in 2023. A useful guide to have with you to find out more about the villas you pass is the tourist offices’ bilingual guide to the lake’s villas (free download from www.visitcomo.eu/export/sites/default/it/vivere/il-lago-di-como/guidaVille.pdf).
From Como, be sure to catch a ferry that stops at Isola Comacina (as some bypass the island). Boats depart from Piazza Cavour 1 [map] on the Como waterfront. The cruise leads to the central part of the lake, famed for its villas and gardens. En route it criss-crosses the most beautiful arm of Lake Como, the Ramo di Como, moving from the sunny western side to the shady eastern side. The west has the best resorts, historic villas and gardens; the wilder east is dotted with Romanesque churches and the odd silk factory. This cruise starts at Como, but Isola Comacina and Lenno are also accessible from Bellagio, Tremezzo or any of the ferry stops on the Como–Colico service.
Villa d’Este in Cernobbio
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Celebrated villas
On the western shore, Cernobbio 2 [map] is the first major resort after Como. The town has an appealing lakefront and old quarter, but the most eye-catching sights are the 19th-century Villa Erba, which belonged to the family of film director Luchino Visconti before becoming a conference centre, and the Villa d’Este, the most prestigious hotel in the lakes .
Laglio
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Ramo di Como and Villa del Balbianello
After Torno 3 [map], on the eastern side, you can glimpse in the distance the sombre Villa Pliniana, where Byron, Stendhal and Liszt stayed, and where Rossini composed the opera Tancredi (1813).
Romantic Moltrasio 4 [map], back on the sunny side of the lake, features the deceptively low-key Villa Le Fontanelle, designed as a perfect setting for fashion shows. This was the favourite home of the late Gianni Versace (he had several) – and the one where he lived until he was murdered. The villa was regularly visited by a string of celebrities. After his death it was sold to Russian restaurateur and billionaire Arkady Novikov.
Laglio
The Hollywood star George Clooney bought the Villa Oleandra in the tranquil village of Laglio 5 [map] falling in love with both villa and lake on a motorcycling holiday around the Alps. To thank Clooney for putting Laglio on the map, its mayor has made the actor an honorary citizen of Laglio, and he sits on a committee devoted to preserving the integrity of the lakeside.
Yachts and jetties in Laglio
Neil Buchan-Grant/Apa Publications
The Villa d’Este was built in 1568, when Cernobbio was a village of fishermen and woodcutters. In 1815 Caroline of Brunswick – princess of Wales and future queen of England – fell in love with Lake Como, and persuaded the owner, Countess Pino, to sell her the villa. Caroline spent five years at the Villa d’Este, following a disastrous marriage to the Prince of Wales (the future King George lV). The couple had found each other equally unattractive (he had married ‘the vilest wretch this world was ever cursed with’ to pay off his debts), and within a year they were living apart. Caroline spent her time embellishing the villa, and leading a lavish and, by all accounts, lascivious lifestyle.
Having run up debts, she returned to London in 1820 in an abortive attempt to take her place on the throne. Legally, Caroline remained Queen Consort until she died at the age of 53. Unlike George lV, she had been popular with the London public, as she had been with the locals of Cernobbio.
Since 1873 the Villa d’Este has been the most luxurious hotel on the lake, hosting royalty, politicians and film stars, and maintaining the elegance of a bygone era. The restaurant offers a less-expensive way to live it up for a while.
The ‘Amalfi Coast’ is so named because its dramatic cliffs and wild atmosphere are reminiscent of the real Amalfi Coast near Naples. It begins just to the north of Torno, on the eastern shore.
The fine Romanesque church in Pognana Lario sits in the shade of surrounding villas, while Nesso, also on the shaded side, is known for a long Romanesque bridge and a gloomy five-storey silk factory that closed in the 1950s, when silk production moved to China, Brazil and Turkey. From Nesso, the ferry crosses to Argegno 6 [map], with its red-tile roofs and sunny lakefront. Perch abound in this, the lake’s deepest section.
Tiny Isola Comacina 7 [map] is the only island in Lake Como. The very best time to visit is during the Festival of San Giovanni (St John), the most magical festival in the lakes, celebrated on 24 June. At other times it is unlike anywhere else on Como, wild, a bit scruffy, with the ruins of nine Romanesque churches.
On the far shore of the lake is the blighted fishing village of Lezzeno, in contrast to splendid Bellagio, which commands the point beyond. Due to the gigantic shadow cast by the mountains, the sun is permanently blotted out, and the locals pay the price in terms of tourism.
Isola Comacina, the only island on Lake Como
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Haunted island
Tiny though it is, Isola Comacina became a political and military centre in the Middle Ages, acquiring the name of Crispoli, City of Gold. But the island was cursed by the bishop of Como in 1169, probably in revenge for its alliance with Milan, and Como’s soldiers razed its churches and forced the inhabitants to take refuge in Varenna. The Baroque Oratorio di San Giovanni and the ruins of medieval churches are all that remain. More recently, the island was bequeathed to Belgium’s King Albert I, who donated it to the state in 1927. Today it is under the supervision of Milan’s Brera Academy of Fine Arts.
Exorcising the demons
In 1949 a passing English journalist by the name of Frances Dale apparently came up with the idea of a ‘rite of fire’ exorcism to stimulate the tourist trade – and the word spread like wildfire. Today guests at the Locanda are welcomed by the current melancholic master of ceremonies, the bobble-hatted Benvenuto Puricelli (who was born in Sala Comacina, facing the island, and who served a stint as head chef at London’s Penthouse Club). Puricelli has been exorcising the island’s demons on a daily basis for the past thirty or so years, in which time the roster of visiting international celebrities has included Sylvester Stallone, Michael Schumacher, Madonna, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Brad Pitt and Elton John. The inn’s gallery is full of portraits of such stars participating in the theatrical ‘purification ceremony’.
Lake Como is a haven for celebrities, who tend to be discreet and whose privacy is respected. George Clooney has a lovely waterfront villa at Laglio; Sting and Ryanair owner Michael O’Leary have homes on the lake. Guests of the late Gianni Versace at his villa in Moltrasio included Madonna, Elton John and Bruce Springsteen.
Set meal and ceremony
For all the hokum, the set meal – ranging from an array of antipasti to chunks of Parmesan, baked onions, grilled trout, chicken and orange ice cream – is good. The rite of fire begins at the flambéed coffee stage, and involves arcane incantations and copious amounts of brandy and sugar. Even if the ceremony is not your cup of capuchin, the lakeside views are simply gorgeous. After lunch, you may want to follow a path that passes the ruins of the Romanesque churches sacked in 1169.
Comacina church
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Good options for lunch are the Locanda La Tirlindana, see 1 [map], by the landing stage where boats cross to Isola Comacina, or Trattoria Santo Stefano, see 2 [map], on the main square in Lenno.
Set on the tip of a wooded promontory between Lenno and Sala Comacina, Villa del Balbianello 8 [map] (www.fondoambiente.it; charge) enjoys the loveliest setting on the Italian Lakes. Romance, peace, seclusion, tranquillity and fabulous gardens: this ochre-coloured villa has everything you might hope to find in the region.
To access the villa, you can get a boatman at Isola Comacina to ferry you across, or take the public ferry to nearby Lenno, where you can be taken across in the private shuttle boat (look for the sign at the landing stage). Another option is simply to walk from Lenno to the villa (about 1km/0.6 mile; signposted from the church square).
A cardinal’s retreat
In 1786 the sybaritic Cardinal Durini bought the villa here as a retreat from his taxing diplomatic missions. He incorporated what remained of a medieval Franciscan convent, which, with its quaint pair of bell towers, you can still see today. After landscaping this rocky spur, he enlarged the villa, and, as his crowning achievement, added the loggia on the highest point. Durini wanted both a memorable venue for literary salons and a place from which to admire the sun setting in the mountains.
Villa del Balbianello
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The most recent owner of the villa was the wealthy explorer Count Guido Monzino, a descendant of the cardinal. Acquiring the property in 1954, the count restored the villa and filled it with his collection of books, furniture and works of art. On his death in 1988, he left the villa, complete with contents, to the FAI (the Italian National Trust). Famous for his mountaineering feats and Arctic expeditions – he led a North Pole expedition in 1971 and the first successful Italian ascent of Everest in 1973 – he turned the villa into an international centre for the study of explorations.
Visits of the villa take in the library, with hundreds of books devoted to explorations, and a museum full of mountaineering memorabilia, including the sledge on which Monzino trudged to the North Pole in 1971. Fine though the interior is, more impressive is the loggia when seen from outside: it is covered in climbing plants, and an old fig tree clings to its columns.
The sumptuous view from Villa del Balbianello
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The villa has featured in numerous films set in the region.
Romantic gardens
The garden makes the most of its setting on a rocky spur and poor soil conditions. Somewhere between a classical 18th-century Italian affair and a romantic English garden, it exploits the gnarled outline of the barren rock to present beguiling paths that lead up to a three-arched folly. Bound by boxwood and laurel hedges, pergolas, climbing plants and scented wisteria, this secret garden is mirrored in the lake. Cypresses, holm-oaks and plane trees pruned into candelabra shapes provide shelter for snowdrops, cyclamen and magnolia. Closer to the villa are lakeside vistas framed by terracotta tubs of pink hydrangeas and classical statues that protrude from beds of azaleas.
The final view is of the Italian flag unfurled on the jetty, in keeping with Monzino’s will. The explorer wanted the gesture to be ‘in memory of all the flags my Alpine guides placed on countless peaks all over the world’.
Unless you are up for more adventures, you should ask the boatman to drop you off at the Lenno jetty, where you can take a ferry home.
1 [map] Locanda La Tirlindana
Piazza Matteotti, Sala Comacina, www.latirlindana.it
Facing Isola Comacina, this charming little locanda draws food lovers from all over the world. Frederic extends a warm welcome while Patricia produces mouth-watering ravioli with mascarpone and lemon, sea bass fillet in citrus, and fillet of beef with gorgonzola sauce. On a warm day, you should arrive early (or book in advance) to secure a seat on the terrace, which has glorious views across to the island. It’s the perfect spot to enjoy a glass of local wine. €€€
2 [map] Trattoria Santo Stefano
Piazza XI Febbraio 3, Lenno, www.santostefanolenno.it
A small sought-after trattoria where chef Giovanni Sansone produces delicious lake fish-based dishes at affordable prices. Menus change according to the availability of ingredients, but are likely to feature the local ‘cucina povera’ dish, missoltino – small fish that are dried and salted, then fried with vinegar, oil and parsley. €€
Romantic balcony
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