Lake Como ( it, Lago di Como , ; lmo, label=
Western Lombard
Western Lombard is a group of dialects of Lombard, a Romance language spoken in Italy. It is widespread in the Lombard provinces of Milan, Monza, Varese, Como, Lecco, Sondrio, a small part of Cremona (except Crema and its neighbours), ...
, Lagh de Còmm , ''Cómm'' or ''Cùmm'' ), also known as Lario (; after the la, Larius Lacus), is a
lake of glacial origin in
Lombardy
(man), (woman) lmo, lumbard, links=no (man), (woman)
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, ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. It has an area of , making it the third-largest lake in Italy, after
Lake Garda
Lake Garda ( it, Lago di Garda or ; lmo, label= Eastern Lombard, Lach de Garda; vec, Ƚago de Garda; la, Benacus; grc, Βήνακος) is the largest lake in Italy.
It is a popular holiday location in northern Italy, about halfway between ...
and
Lake Maggiore. At over deep, it is the
fifth deepest lake in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
, and the deepest outside Norway; the bottom of the lake is more than below sea level.
Lake Como has been a popular retreat for aristocrats and wealthy people since
Roman times, and a very popular tourist attraction with many artistic and cultural gems. It has many villas and palaces such as
Villa Olmo,
Villa Serbelloni, and
Villa Carlotta
Villa Carlotta is a villa and botanical garden in Tremezzo on Lake Como in Northern Italy. Today the villa is a museum, whose collection includes works by sculptors such as Antonio Canova, Bertel Thorvaldsen, and Giovanni Migliara; painters such ...
. Many famous people have had and have homes on the shores of Lake Como.
One of its particularities is its "Y" shape, which forms the "
Larian Triangle
Larian ( fa, لاريان, also Romanized as Lārīān) is a village in Nowdezh Rural District, Aseminun District, Manujan County, Kerman Province, Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, i ...
", with the little town of
Canzo
Canzo (; lmo, Canz , locally ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) of the Italian province of Como. It is the last town north of the historical Brianza region of Lombardy, capital of the Lake Como Triangle community and a regional tourism destinati ...
as its capital.
In 2014, ''
The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' called it the most beautiful lake in the world for its microclimate and environment with prestigious villas and villages.
Etymology
The lake's name in
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
is ''Larius'', Italianized as ''Lario'', but this name is rarely used; it is usually called ''Lago di Como'' (literally "lake of Como"). Its name comes from the city of
Como
Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label= Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and '' comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como.
Its proximity to Lake Como and to the Alps ...
, known to the Romans as ''Comum''. In guidebooks the lake may be variously referred to as Lake Como.
Geography
The lake is shaped much like an inverted letter "
Y". The northern branch begins at the town of
Colico
Colico ( Comasque: or ; la, Colicum) is a city in the province of Lecco, Lombardy, Italy. It is situated on the northern arm of Lake Como, where the river Adda enters the lake. Colico is the most important city in the northern part of Lake ...
, while the towns of
Como
Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label= Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and '' comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como.
Its proximity to Lake Como and to the Alps ...
and
Lecco sit at the ends of the southwestern and southeastern branches respectively. The small towns of
Bellagio,
Menaggio and
Varenna are situated at the intersection of the three branches of the lake: a triangular boat service operates between them.
Lake Como is fed primarily by the
Adda, which enters the lake near
Colico
Colico ( Comasque: or ; la, Colicum) is a city in the province of Lecco, Lombardy, Italy. It is situated on the northern arm of Lake Como, where the river Adda enters the lake. Colico is the most important city in the northern part of Lake ...
and flows out at
Lecco. This geological conformation makes the southwestern branch a dead end, and so Como, unlike Lecco, is often flooded.
The mountainous pre-alpine territory between the two southern arms of the lake (between
Como
Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label= Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and '' comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como.
Its proximity to Lake Como and to the Alps ...
,
Bellagio, and Lecco) is known as the
Larian Triangle
Larian ( fa, لاريان, also Romanized as Lārīān) is a village in Nowdezh Rural District, Aseminun District, Manujan County, Kerman Province, Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, i ...
, or ''Triangolo lariano''. The source of the river
Lambro is here. At the centre of the triangle, the town of
Canzo
Canzo (; lmo, Canz , locally ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) of the Italian province of Como. It is the last town north of the historical Brianza region of Lombardy, capital of the Lake Como Triangle community and a regional tourism destinati ...
is the seat of the ''
Comunità montana del
Triangolo lariano'', an association of the 31
municipalities
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...
that represent the 71,000 inhabitants of the area.
Climate
Lake Como weather is
humid subtropical (''Cfa'' in the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
). In winter, the lake helps to maintain a higher temperature in the surrounding region. Average daily temperatures range from ~ in January to in July, according to historical weather data from
Como
Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label= Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and '' comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como.
Its proximity to Lake Como and to the Alps ...
. Water temperatures can reach an average of in July. Snowfall is erratic and is mainly at higher elevations. Rainfall is heaviest in May and lowest during the winter months.
Tourism
As a tourist destination, Lake Como is popular for its landscapes, wildlife, and spas. It is a venue for
sailing
Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' ( land yacht) over a chose ...
,
windsurfing
Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the aerospace and surf culture of California. Windsurfing ga ...
, and
kitesurfing. In 1818
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley ( ; 4 August 17928 July 1822) was one of the major English Romantic poets. A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame during his lifetime, but recognition of his achi ...
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".
In the area surrounding Lake Como there are several farms which produce goods such as honey, olive oil, cheese, milk, eggs and salamis. Visitors can find lists of these farms and typically visit the farm itself in person to make their purchases.
In 2018, the Italian luxury label
Dolce and Gabbana
Dolce & Gabbana (), also known by initials D&G, is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1985 in Legnano by Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. The house specializes in ready-to-wear, handbags, accessories, and cosmeti ...
held a fashion event on Lake Como.
Lakeside villas
The lake is well known for the attractive
villa
A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became ...
s that have been built there since Roman times, when
Pliny the Younger
Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, born Gaius Caecilius or Gaius Caecilius Cilo (61 – c. 113), better known as Pliny the Younger (), was a lawyer, author, and magistrate of Ancient Rome. Pliny's uncle, Pliny the Elder, helped raise and educate ...
built the ''Comedia'' and the ''Tragedia'' resorts. Many villas on the lake shores have admirable gardens that benefit from the mild climate induced by the stabilizing presence of of lake water and can sustain many subtropical and Mediterranean plants.
Villa Carlotta
Villa Carlotta is a villa and botanical garden in Tremezzo on Lake Como in Northern Italy. Today the villa is a museum, whose collection includes works by sculptors such as Antonio Canova, Bertel Thorvaldsen, and Giovanni Migliara; painters such ...
was built for the
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...
ese Marquis Giorgio Clerici in 1690 and occupies a site of over at
Tremezzo
Tremezzo is a ''comune'' (or municipality) of some 1,300 people in the Province of Como, in the Italian region Lombardy.
It is located on the western shore of Lake Como between Mezzegra to the southwest and Griante to the northeast, and about ...
, facing the
Bellagio peninsula. An
Italian garden
The Italian garden (or giardino all'italiana () is best known for a number of large Italian Renaissance gardens which have survived in something like their original form. In the history of gardening, during the Renaissance, Italy had the most ...
(with steps, fountains, and sculptures) was laid out at the same time. The villa was later sold to powerful banker and Napoleonic politician Giovanni Battista Sommariva.
Stendhal
Marie-Henri Beyle (; 23 January 1783 – 23 March 1842), better known by his pen name Stendhal (, ; ), was a 19th-century French writer. Best known for the novels ''Le Rouge et le Noir'' ('' The Red and the Black'', 1830) and ''La Chartreuse de ...
was his guest in 1818, and his visit is recalled at the start of ''
La Chartreuse de Parme''. In 1843 it was purchased by Princess Marianne of Nassau as a wedding present for her daughter Carlotta, after whom the villa is now named. The latter, together with her husband Georg II of Saxen-Meiningen, laid out the woodland landscape park in
Romantic style. The villa today includes a museum of agricultural implements as well as important works of sculpture by Sommariva's friend
Antonio Canova
Antonio Canova (; 1 November 1757 – 13 October 1822) was an Italian Neoclassical sculptor, famous for his marble sculptures. Often regarded as the greatest of the Neoclassical artists,. his sculpture was inspired by the Baroque and the cla ...
and by
Luigi Acquisti.
Villa d'Este
The Villa d'Este is a 16th-century villa in Tivoli, near Rome, famous for its terraced hillside Italian Renaissance garden and especially for its profusion of fountains. It is now an Italian state museum, and is listed as a UNESCO World Her ...
, in
Cernobbio, was built in 1568 by Cardinal
Tolomeo Gallio
Tolomeo Gallio (also spelled Gallo and Galli; 25 September 1527 – 3 or 4 February 1607) was an Italian Cardinal.
Biography
In the time of Pope Gregory XIII, he acted as papal secretary of state (in office 1572 to 1585), having a key role ...
, a native of the town. In 1816–1817 the villa was home to
Caroline of Brunswick, estranged wife of the Prince of Wales and shortly to become
Queen Consort of
King George IV
George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten ye ...
of the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
. The landscaped gardens in the English style are a product of this period. Later in the century it was turned into a luxury hotel. Today the Villa d'Este is known for attracting celebrity guests.
Villa del Balbianello
The Villa del Balbianello is a villa in the comune of Lenno (province of Como), a province in the north of the Lombardy region of Italy, overlooking Lake Como. It is located on the tip of the small wooded peninsula of Dosso d'Avedo on the weste ...
, famous for its elaborate terraced gardens, lies on a promontory of the western shore of the lake near
Isola Comacina
Isola Comacina is a small wooded island of Italy’s Lake Como, administratively a part of the commune of Ossuccio. It is located close to the western shore of the Como arm of the lake in front of a gulf known as ''Zoca de l'oli'', a Lombard nam ...
. Built in 1787 on the site of a Franciscan monastery, it was the final home of the explorer
Guido Monzino and today houses a museum devoted to his work.
Villa Melzi d'Eril in Bellagio was built in
neo-classical style
Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing st ...
by architect
Giocondo Albertolli in 1808–1810 as the summer residence of Duke Francesco Melzi d'Eril, who was vice-president of the Napoleonic
Italian Republic. The park includes an
orangery, a private chapel, fine statues, and a
Japanese garden
are traditional gardens whose designs are accompanied by Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideas, avoid artificial ornamentation, and highlight the natural landscape. Plants and worn, aged materials are generally used by Japanese garden des ...
, and is planted, as often on lake Como, with huge
rhododendrons. 19th-century guests at the Villa included
Stendhal
Marie-Henri Beyle (; 23 January 1783 – 23 March 1842), better known by his pen name Stendhal (, ; ), was a 19th-century French writer. Best known for the novels ''Le Rouge et le Noir'' ('' The Red and the Black'', 1830) and ''La Chartreuse de ...
and
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...
.
Villa Serbelloni, also in Bellagio, hosts the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center, a international conference center set up and managed by the
Rockefeller Foundation since 1959, which also operates a "scholar-in-residence" program for scholars from around the world. This is believed to have been the site of Pliny the Younger's villa "Tragedia". Its well-known park was created at the end of the 18th century by Alessandro Serbelloni.
Many famous people have or have had homes on the shores of Lake Como, such as
Matthew Bellamy
Matthew James Bellamy (born 9 June 1978) is an English singer, musician, producer, and songwriter. He is primarily known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, pianist, and primary songwriter for English rock band Muse. He is recognised for his ecce ...
,
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party, he ...
,
Madonna,
George Clooney
George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, four Golden Globe Awards, and two Academy Awards, one for his acting and the ot ...
,
Gianni Versace,
Ronaldinho
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 21 March 1980), commonly known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho () or simply Ronaldinho, is a Brazilian retired professional footballer who played mostly as an attacking midfielder, but was also deployed as a winger. Wide ...
,
Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Enzio Stallone (; born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, ) is an American actor and filmmaker. After his beginnings as a struggling actor for a number of years upon arriving to New York City in 1969 and later Hollywood in 1974, h ...
,
Julian Lennon,
Richard Branson
Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is a British billionaire, entrepreneur, and business magnate. In the 1970s he founded the Virgin Group, which today controls more than 400 companies in various fields.
Branson expressed ...
,
Ben Spies,
Pierina Legnani,
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the g ...
and
José Mourinho
José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix GOIH (; born 26 January 1963), is a Portuguese professional football manager and former player who is the current head coach of Italian Serie A club Roma. Once dubbed "The Special One" by the Britis ...
.
Ferries
The Lake Como ferry service is a highly developed public transport system linking the many small towns around the Lake. A motorized service began in 1826 when a steamship with sails, the "
Lario
Lake Como ( it, Lago di Como , ; lmo, label=Western Lombard, Lagh de Còmm , ''Cómm'' or ''Cùmm'' ), also known as Lario (; after the la, Larius Lacus), is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of , making it the th ...
", was launched by the newly established ''
Società privilegiata per l'impresa dei battelli a vapore nel Regno Lombardo Veneto''. Since 1952 the system has been run under the auspices of a government organization called first the ''Gestione Commissariale Governativa'' and subsequently the ''
Gestione Governativa Navigazione Laghi'', which is also responsible for services on
Lake Maggiore and
Lake Garda
Lake Garda ( it, Lago di Garda or ; lmo, label= Eastern Lombard, Lach de Garda; vec, Ƚago de Garda; la, Benacus; grc, Βήνακος) is the largest lake in Italy.
It is a popular holiday location in northern Italy, about halfway between ...
.
Today there are three main services:
* Motorship services along the western branch and northern end of the Lake (between Colico or Piona and Como town), with additional shuttles to the mid-lake area.
* Fast services that follow broadly the same route, but use faster
hydrofoils, stop less frequently, and cost extra.
* Ferries that run only between the popular mid-lake villages of
Menaggio,
Bellagio, and
Varenna, plus Cadenabbia. Some of these boats carry vehicles as well as passengers.
Sacro Monte di Ossuccio
The
Sacro Monte di Ossuccio
The Sacro Monte di Ossuccio (literally "Sacred Mount of Ossuccio") is one of the nine sacri monti in the Italian regions of Lombardy and Piedmont, in northern Italy, which were inscribed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 2003.
T ...
("Holy Mount of
Ossuccio") is a sanctuary located on a hillside slope between olive groves and woods along the western edge of Lake Como facing
Isola Comacina
Isola Comacina is a small wooded island of Italy’s Lake Como, administratively a part of the commune of Ossuccio. It is located close to the western shore of the Como arm of the lake in front of a gulf known as ''Zoca de l'oli'', a Lombard nam ...
. Fifteen
Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...
inspired
chapels
A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common type ...
, built between 1635 and 1710, and dedicated to the
Mysteries of the Rosary are dotted along the way that leads to the Monastery. This building is the last in the chain and is dedicated to the
Coronation of the Virgin.
In 2003, the
Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy
The (plural of , Italian for "Sacred Mountain") of Piedmont and Lombardy are a series of nine calvaries or groups of chapels and other architectural features created in northern Italy during the late sixteenth century and the seventeenth centur ...
, including that of Ossuccio, were added by
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...
to the
World Heritage List
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
.
Villages, resorts, and other notable localities near the lake
In literature and the arts
*
Letitia Elizabeth Landon's poem ''The Lake of Como'' was published in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1837. It illustrates a painting by
Samuel Prout
Samuel Prout painted by John Jackson in 1831
Market Day by Samuel Prout
A View in Nuremberg by Samuel Prout
Utrecht Town Hall by Samuel Prout in 1841
Samuel Prout (; 17 September 1783 – 10 February 1852) was a British watercolourist, and ...
, engraved by
William Miller.
Gallery
Notes
Footnotes
References
*
* Macadam, Alta (1997). ''Blue Guide. Northern Italy: From the Alps to Bologna''. London: A & C Black. .
Villacarlotta.it, ''Villa Carlotta''Online camera Como
{{DEFAULTSORT:Como, Lago Di
LComo
Glacial lakes of Italy
Lakes of Lombardy
Province of Como
Province of Lecco
Rockefeller Foundation
Subalpine lakes of Italy
Waterways of Italy