Como green travel guide
1. Best things to do in Como (Lombardy)
One of the most beautiful places in Italy is the Duomo of Como, a harmonious and impressive building. The facade is full of spiers and pinnacles, with decorations by the workshop of sculptor Giovanni Rodari.
And then, you will find the lake. Goethe and many other romantics discovered here true passionate and real emotions. In this lake you can really dream, moving from the shore where you will find fairy villas bought by movie stars and business man. Do not miss the wildest places, the mountains, the abbeys and small forgotten beaches, where everything is still and silent.
2. The surroundings
Villa Balbianello will surprise you from the tip of a promontory in the middle of the lake, surrounded by a wooded complex and mixed park: a little Italian and a little English. This is the house that George Lucas choose as location for Star Wars. The lake can often seem another world.
Visit Bellagio and take a peaceful drink in one of the bars along the lake. If you reach Bellagio by boat, go to Varenna, a small country at the beginning of Lecco that still has all the charm of old fishing villages.
Comacina Island is the only island of the lake: on June 24 it is remembered the fire that once lit the place with a fireworks show that you can't miss. You will also find a wonderful Gothic tower: a church to be discovered.
3. Tastes and local food
Among the various dishes don't miss “misultin”: born from the eating habits of the fishermen: they are freshwater typical fish of the lake finely cooked; the fish is first cleaned, then put in salt, then passed in brine, then cleaned and then left to dry. Taste it with the polenta, always good and plentiful. You can eat it also with the other specialties such as marinated fish, smoked trout in oil, eel and fish soup Tremezzina. Do not even miss the risotto with perch fillets.
Inland mountain cuisine is poorer but alway excellent. In typical Crotti, cool cellars carved into the rock, there are excellent restaurants with delicious cheeses: Taleggio, Bitto, formaggelle, ricotta, curd and butter.
4. Nature, sport and green itineraries
There is nothing better than taking a rented boat, without a license and traveling from town to town, not to mention a bath in the lake.
You can also use the funicular Como-Brunate connecting the lake and the mountains, offering stunning views of the lake from above.
It starts from a tunnel and then continues outside, climbing a steep hill: the entire route is 1,084 meters long and takes you in a few minutes Brunate, also called "balcony" of the Alps for its numerous scenic spots of Como , the lake and the Alps with Monviso and Monte Rosa.
5. Where to stay in the city and surrounding
Discover all eco-friendly accommodations in the province of Como, from the organic and elegant farms surrounded by wood, to the small B&B overlooking the wonderful and picturesque lake.
Discover all eco-friendly accommodations in Como
Author: Angela Sebastianelli
Cover Image: Villa Balbianello
