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Lake Como's Most Photogenic Corners, Ranked

Lake Como, ItalyNovember 21, 20242 min read
By MASA Editors
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The view from Brunate high above Como, looking down over the wooded ridges and the rooftops of the town in its basin, with the snow-covered wall of the Alps stretching along the far horizon and a cedar branch framing the right edge.01
The view from Brunate high above Como, looking down over the wooded ridges and the rooftops of the town in its basin, with the snow-covered wall of the Alps stretching along the far horizon and a cedar branch framing the right edge.Photo: Eugeniya Belova / Unsplash

Loggias, stepped alleys, lakeside gardens and one gorge with a bridge over it — the eight corners of Lake Como that reward a camera most, and how to reach them by ferry.

Lake Como photographs almost too easily, which is exactly why so many pictures of it look identical. This ranking favours specific corners over general panoramas, and every one of them is reachable on the lake's own transport network rather than a hire car.

Key facts

  • Getting there: trains from Milan reach Como and Varenna in around an hour or less.
  • Getting around: passenger ferries and hydrofoils link the central-lake villages; car ferries connect Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio and Cadenabbia.
  • Best months: April and May for gardens in flower, September for light and thinner crowds.
  • Note: most historic villas close over winter and some shut one day a week, so check opening days before you plan around them.

1. The loggia at Villa del Balbianello

On a wooded promontory near Lenno, an open stone loggia sits above terraced steps and water on three sides, wrapped in clipped plane trees. Arrive by boat if you can; the approach is half the picture.

2. Varenna's Passeggiata degli Innamorati

The Lovers' Walk is a narrow walkway pinned to the cliff just above the water, linking the ferry pier to the old village. Ochre houses, iron railings, lake underfoot. Best in the hour before sunset.

Varenna on Lake Como, coloured houses stepping down to a small harbour with the mountains opposite
Varenna on Lake Como, coloured houses stepping down to a small harbour with the mountains oppositePhoto: Ziyi Zhu / Unsplash

3. Bellagio's stepped alleys

Salita Serbelloni and its neighbours climb the headland in shallow stone steps between shuttered facades and awnings. Shoot them early, before the day-trippers arrive, when the alleys are still in shade and empty.

4. Villa Carlotta's gardens

At Tremezzo, a botanical garden famous for azaleas and rhododendrons that peak in spring, arranged around a neoclassical villa with a sculpture collection inside. The upper terraces line up villa, garden and lake in one frame.

5. Nesso and the Orrido

A steep village on the eastern shore where a gorge cuts down to the lake and an old stone bridge arches across the mouth of it. The classic view is from the waterline; the descent through the village is steep, so wear real shoes.

Abbey of Piona, Lake Como
Abbey of Piona, Lake ComoPhoto: Jesper Brouwers / Unsplash

6. The Brunate funicular viewpoint

A short funicular from Como lifts you to Brunate and a top-down view of the whole southwestern branch, town, basin and mountains together. Go late in the day for warm light down the lake.

7. Comacina Island

The lake's only island, small, green and almost entirely undeveloped apart from a scattering of ruins and a chapel. Reached by short boat hop from the Lenno and Ossuccio shore.

8. The garden walk at Villa Monastero

In Varenna, a long ribbon of botanical garden runs beside the water, punctuated by columns, statues and citrus, with the house museum at the end of it.

Tip: Buy a day pass for the central-lake ferries and treat the boat as your tripod. The best angles on Balbianello, Bellagio's point and the Tremezzo shore are all from the water, and the crossings themselves are the cheapest scenic ride in Italy.

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