Italy’s Lake Como Region By Car

Bordered by Switzerland, Lombardy is a mountainous region boasting some of Italy's most breathtaking scenic sights.  Milan, its main city, is an internationally renowned centre for fashion and design.  This historic district with its ancient cities and lakeside towns is a popular tourist destination, and an ideal alpine retreat.

Highlights

If you only have a couple of days to spend in Lombardy, make sure you don't miss these gems:

Milan

Duomo di Milano - Milan's spectacular gothic cathedral dates back to the 14th Century.










The Quadrilatero d'Oro, or "Golden Rectangle" is Milan's premier high fashion shopping area.











Castello Sforzesco - this magnificent castle now houses the city's most prestigious museum and art gallery collections.










Pavia

Once known as the city of 100 towers, this ancient university town is well worth a visit.













Mantua

The most romantic skyline in the world (according to Aldous Huxley).  Be enraptured by its beautiful minaret-like towers, and visit one of its marvellous palaces, the Palazzo Ducale or the Palazzo Te.








The Italian Lakes - Como, Garda, and Maggiore

Long famed for its beauty, the Italian lake district is a haven for lovers of sailing and other watersports.

Driving Around Lake Como

Lake Como is situated in the Lombardy region of Italy and its southern shores are about 50km from the city of Milan. There are many picturesque towns and villages located near the lake, making it a great place to explore.

The following itinerary  will take you along the entire perimeter of this stunning lake: we'll show you all the best places to stop along the way!

From Milan, head north on the A8 partial toll road.  Take the exit for the A9/Como/Chiasso to ger onto the E35 partial toll road and follow this for 22.8km.  It should take only 40 minutes to drive from the airport to Como, at the southern end of the lake’s western “leg”. 

Take a stroll around Como’s Old Town district, where there are plenty of cafes to refresh you after your drive. The Old Town contains a number of historic buildings, including the town’s 14th-century Duomo (Como Cathedral), which features both Gothic and Renaissance architectural styles. Next door to the Duomo, you’ll find the Broletto, which was originally the town hall and was later used as a theatre. This distinctive pink, grey and white building was constructed in the 13th century.

Como has a long history of silk-making, and you can find out more about the industry at the town’s silk-making museum, the Museo Didattico Dell Seta at Via Castelnuovo 1.  Other must-see attractions include the Museo Alessandro Volta and the 18th century Villa Olmo, with its attractive gardens.

If you have a good head for heights, take a trip on the Brunate Funicular Railway, which runs from Como to the hilltop village of Brunate, for some stunning views.

Leave Como and head north on the SS583.  The route will take you through a number of pretty towns and villages.  Torno, for example, is a village which dates back to the Middle Ages and has a number of interesting buildings, including the Church of San Giovanni.  The village is best known for the Villa Pliniana, which was constructed in the 16th century and was visited by the poet Shelley and his wife, Mary Shelley, in 1818.

Continue along the SS583: on the way, you can stop to look at the waterfall near Nesso, where the Tuf and Nose streams meet.  After passing through a number of small fishing villages, you will eventually reach Bellagio, “la perlo del lago” or "the Pearl of the Lake”.

This romantic and luxurious destination has several impressive buildings, including the 11th-century St. James’ Basilica and the Town Hall.  The Villa Melzi is perhaps the most significant of Lake Como’s villas.  Constructed between 1808 and 1810, the villa is still privately owned, but you can take a tour of the lakeside park, which includes oriental gardens, the Moorish-style Dante and Beatrice kiosk, greenhouses, statues and a small rocky garden. Look out for the small chapel in the villa’s grounds and visit the museum if you have time.  You can download free walking tour itineraries from the Promo Bellagio website.

If you fancy taking part in something a bit more active, you can also play tennis or go rock-climbing, para-gliding, horse riding or parachuting in the Bellagio area. You can also try water skiing, rowing or wind surfing on the lake.

To get to Lecco, head south on the SS583. It will take you about 30 minutes to drive there from Bellagio in your hire car. The route will take you along the west shore of the east leg of Lake Como, via a number of towns and villages including Limonta, Oliveto Lario, Onno, Ceppo Palazzolo, Morrege, Pare and Valmedrera. You can then drive across the Ponte Azzone Visconti (bridge) at the far end of Lake Como and into Lecco.

The 18th century Palazzo Belgioioso houses Lecco’s Civic Museum, where you can see a range of exhibits tracing the history of the area. You can also visit the 15th century Viscontea Tower on the Piazza XX Settembre, which is now home to the city’s Risorgimento and Resistance Museum, or see the San Nicolo Basilica, which features frescoes dating from the 14th-century.

Another of Lecco’s main attractions is the Villa Manzoni on Via Amendola, which was once the summer residence of Italian novelist, poet and playwright, Alessandro Manzoni, whose most famous work was the novel ”I Promessi Sposi” (”The Betrothed”). Manzoni’s mother, Giulia Beccaria, inherited the property and surrounding land in 1805, and the family restored and extended the villa during the years that followed. The villa, which Manzoni sold in 1818, is now open as a museum.

From Lecco, you have two choices.  If you want to see the entirety of the lake's shoreline, head north up the SS36.  You will pass through Varenna, Domaso, and Dongo.  On the way round you could stop off at the Civic Monti Silk Museum in Abbadia Lariana, the medieval fortress of Castello di Vezio, the Bellano gorge, and the the Palazzo Manzi.  If you would rather take a shorter route, perhaps take the ferry from Varenna to Menaggio.


The next stop on our journey is one of the most popular towns in the Lake Como area.  It’s worth stopping off to take a stroll along its lakeside promenade and visit the “Old Town” district, where you can see some attractive 19th century and medieval buildings. You can stop for a coffee in one of the cafes in the Piazza Garibaldi or, if the weather is good, relax at the Lido Giardino.

From Menaggio you can take a ferry back to one of the other destinations on Lake Como, such as Varenna or Bellagio, or you can continue driving south along SS340dir in your hire car.

Just ten minutes from Menaggio is the beautiful town of Tremezzo.  Its best known attraction is Villa Carlotta, a stunning villa. Villa Carlotta was constructed during the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries by the Clerici family from Milan.  Both the villa and gardens are open to the public, and there is plenty to take in.  You can see more than 470 Roman plaster cameos in the Cameo Room, admire the stunning art deco ceiling in the Views’ Room and tour the luxurious bedrooms on the second floor.

The gardens of Villa Carlotta are known for their beautiful displays of azaleas and rhododendrons, and you can explore the five terraces, the rock garden and the tranquil bamboo garden. You can also see the Fountain of the Dwarves in the Old Garden area, take a stroll through the Fern Valley, explore the romantic ruins, visit the Sommariva Chapel or learn about the history of gardening and farming at the Museum of Agricultural Tools.

Once you’ve explored Tremezzo, head south on the SS340 in your hire car. This route will take you through a number of towns and villages, including Lenno, Ossuccio, Colonno, Argegno, Brienno, Torrigio, Laglio, Carate Urio and Moltrasio.

It’s worth stopping off and visiting the beautiful Villa del Balbianello, which sits on a promontory on the lake, just outside of Lenno. If you park your rental car in Lenno, you can either walk to Villa del Balbianello, which is about 1km away, or take a boat there.

Villa del Balbianello was constructed during the 18th century for Cardinal Angelo Maria Durini and later became the home of the explorer and mountaineer, Count Guido Monzino. Monzino was born in 1928 and made more than 20 expeditions to places such as Greenland, Pakistan and Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro before he died in 1988. He also led Italy’s first expedition to climb Mount Everest.  Learn more about Monzini and his travels in the Museum of Expeditions, which is on the villa’s upper floor. Here you can see documents, photos and even one of the dog sleds that Monzini used during his North Pole expedition.

The interior of the villa is only accessible if you go on a guided tour -see the Villa del Balbianello website for further details.  You can explore the Villa del Balbianello’s terraced garden, which includes a “loggia”, and enjoy the beautiful views across Lake Como. Villa del Balbianello has been used as a location in a number of movies, including Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) and Casino Royale (2006).

On route to Cernobbio from Tremezzo, you’ll also pass through Laglio, which is now world famous for being the location of George Clooney’s Villa Oleandra.

It will take you about half an hour to drive to Cernobbio from Tremezzo in your hire car if you don’t stop en route, but part of the joy of touring Lake Como is being able to do so at a leisurely pace and enjoy all that it has to offer.

Cernobbio sits at the foot of Monte Bisbino and its most famous attraction is the Villa D’Este.  Originally the site of a convent, this luxurious residence changed hands numerous times over the centuries before becoming a hotel in 1873.  The Villa D’Este has attracted many celebrities over the years, including Mark Twain, Greta Garbo, Clark Gable, Elizabeth Taylor, Woody Allen and Mel Gibson. It has retained many of its original features, including the beautiful painted ceiling in the Napoleon Room, and you can see some wonderful works of art in the hotel.  The gardens contain statues, fountains and fortifications.

Cernobbio’s other famous villa is the Villa Erba, which was constructed in the 19th century for the Erba family. Now a conference centre, the Mannerist-style Villa Erba also houses a museum (”The Rooms of Luchino Visconti”), which contains exhibits relating to Luchino Visconti, the Italian film director, who was the son of Duke Guiseppe and Lady Carla Visconti.  Unfortunately, “The Rooms of Luchino Visconti” are only open to the public during May and you will need to book a tour in advance if you wish to visit.

Once you’ve seen all Cernobbio has to offer, you can head back to Como in your hire car. It will take you about 15 minutes to get there. Just head south on the Via per Cernobbio.  Either spend a day or two in Como or drive straight back to Milan, heading south on the A9 partial toll road and then taking the exit for the A8/E62 to Milan. Return your car to the car rental office and you're ready to fly home!