The southwestern area of Lake Como has something for everyone, whether it be Summer walking on the long lakeside trails, or Winter watersport activities. There are numerous villages of varying sizes offering urban tourist free Italian life to more popular café lined towns. One thing remains the same for all these towns though – and that’s the magnificent dominating lake and the backdrop of huge mountains.
COMO
This, the capital of the Como province, is a popular resort for being near the lake and the Alps. Its most important and impressive sight is the Duomo which was built over several centuries and is a wonderful example of Renaissance and Gothic influences.
The lively streets and vibrant atmosphere in Como make it a perfect place from which to explore the rest of the lakeside towns. It has a vibrant waterfront, with the lake stretching northwards from the town, as well as a great funicular which offers amazing views before a stroll back down to sea level.
At just half an hour by train from Milan it is also the perfect place to relax after a day in the big city, while still being able to reach it frequently for all of the cosmopolitan life you could wish for. You could be strolling round the most important exhibitions of the year in the centre of Milan in the morning, and back in a café sipping an Aperol by the afternoon.
It is surrounded by hills and full of cafés on tiny streets among plenty of beautiful individual shops. Many of these shops sells high quality silk, a reminder that Como was once an important and significant town in the silk trade.
Although in parts it is more urban and commercial than some of its neighbouring towns, Como offers any visitor or resident a slice of authentic Italian lakeside life in a non-touristy environment.
CERNOBBIO
Cernobbio is approximately 40km north of Milan, and just 2km northwest of Como. It is most famous for its array of impressive villas.
Villa d’Este, used to be where the Princess of Wales, Caroline of Brunswick, resided in the 16th century. It has since become a luxury hotel with impressive gardens and collection of furniture.
Villa Erba, dates back to the 18th century and has become a centre for a variety of events and importance meetings. It has impressive rooms and a park worth seeing.
Other villas include Villa Barnasconi, Villa Fontanella which used to belong to Gianni Versace, and Villa Pizzo built in 1435. They can all be seen by taking a stroll along Cernobbio’s waterfront.
MOLTRASIO
Moltrasio is 45km north of Milan and 6km north of Como. It has a pleasant historic centre and appealing little narrow sidestreets which offer snapshots of intriguing views. Although not that easy to get to by car, it takes no time to reach it by a water taxi from Como. It has a pleasant beach with an area for children to play.
One of the most appealing things about Moltrasio is how clean the water is, even more so than in Como or Cernobbio.
It is a town with plenty of restaurants and cafés to choose from. People come to Moltrasio to relax by the water and eat well. The Lido is particularly popular, not least due to its idyllic sunny location during the day and its romantic atmosphere at night as a spot to watch the sunset. The 180 degree view needs to be seen to be believed.
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