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Lecco Pescarenico - photo © Cendali Gianpietro
Lecco
"One arm of Lake Como turns off to the south between two
unbroken chains of mountains, which cut it up into a series of bays and inlets…" Alessandro Manzoni.
This boat route runs along the Lecco branch of
Lake Como, with a departure from Lecco and arrival at Bellagio. You will find
the boat schedule, which changes during the seasons, at www.navigazionelaghi.it.
Lecco owes a good portion of its beauty to the
great variety of landscapes, and to its unique position and morphological
conformation. As a matter of fact it rises at the extreme south-east of the
Adda, up to the Gerlate Lake, where the river begins. It is circumscribed to the
north by Mount San Martino and to the east by Mount Resegone.
Bellano, lake Como towards Lecco
photo © Cendali Gianpietro
The historic center, characterized by a sober but
elegant 18th cent. building of neo-Classical flavor still preserves traces of
the Viscounts rule. The Torre Viscontea, of the first half of the 14th cent.,
today site of the Renaissance Museum, is all that remains of the Castle
demolished together with the walls at the end of the 1700s.
Among the various palazzi, significant from an
architectonic point of view are, Palazzo Belgioioso, of the '700s, seat of the
municipal museums (naturalistic and archaelogic sections), and Villa Manzoni, it
belonged to the writer's family up until 1818, and now property of the Commune.
Here Manzoni spent long periods of his infancy and youth.
Abbadia Lariana
Setting
off from Lecco the boat arrives at Abbadia Lariana, after a run that up until
this first tract revels the great landscape difference of this branch of the
lake when compared to that of Como. The mountain is more at the back of the
lake, the colors and the conformations are more severe and harsh. Abbadia takes
its name from a Benedictine complex of the 10th cent. of which remains only the
Church of San Lorenzo, fronting onto the Lake and almost completely transformed
during the years.
 Mandello Lario
A very short distance away we reach Mandello Lario, one of the major centers of
this eastern shore. Mandello gets it livelihood from tourism, industry, the
motor field ( in 1921 the Moto Guzzi settled here) and the mechanics.
The small
town still conserves the characteristic habitations with arcades of medieval
style. To visit: the 18th cent. Parochial of San Lorenzo, remake of a Romanesque
structure recognizable by the belfry; the Sanctuary of the Beata Vergine del
Fiume ( Blessed Virgin of the River) in Baroque style, with the complex of the
chapels of the Via Crucis, and some Liberty villas like Villa Falk.
We cross the
Lake once again to the land at Onno, Vassena ad Limonta, hamlets of the commune
of Oliveto Lario, on the territory where once olive grooves and vine-yards
reigned.
The route ends then at Bellagio, from here it is possible to continue
on with the other line.
Bellagio
Then
the boat lands at Bellagio, at the top of the "Larian triangle", on the
promontory that divides the Como branch from that of Lecco.
It is no mistake that Bellagio is called the
"pearl" of Lake Como. It is undoubtedly the most famous resort on the lake. For
centuries, its scenic location has enchanted artists and writers, not only from
Italy, but also from abroad. It is situated on the tip of a headland that
divides the lake into the two legs of Como and Lecco.
The town stretches along the coast and part of it goes up the slopes of the
promontory.
Because of its location it has a great variety of
views; indeed, it offers a good view of the whole lake. On the northern horizon
one can see the Pre-Alps.
 Bellagio
Some of the best views can be seen from the park
of Villa Serbelloni and from the top of Monte San Primo. On a particularly clear
day, one can make out the Alps, from Mont Blanc to the Ortles, and the Madonnina
on top of the Duomo of Milan.
Both the historic
center situated at a higher level dominated by the Romanesque Basilica Of San Giacomo (enlarged in the Baroque Age) and the more recent arcade lake-front are
all preserved intact. Among the aristocratic villas let's remember Villa
Serbelloni, first castle, then country residence and transformed into villa at
the end of the 15th century. Later once again restructured in the 17th and
turned into a hotel during the last decade of the 19th century, it is presently
appointed headquarters of conventions and study tours.
The park - the lake's
largest- extends all over the entire promontory to the small town's mount with a
splendid view onto the two branches of the Lake. Viewing the lake is the
Neo-classical Villa Melzi, from the extremely sober and elegant forms, realized
between the 1808 and 1810 and based on Giacomo Albertelli's project for the
Count Francesco Melzi, vice-president and Chancellor of the Kingdom of Italy.
Described by Stendhal, this noble residence as well had among its guests famous
personalities: from the Emperors Francesco I and Ferdinand of Austria to the
musician Liszt. Worthy of mention as well, Villa Trivulzio, built in the 18th
century and restored a century later with its grand English-style park, and
Villa Trotti, in its neo-Gothic remake with Moorish decorations and with
rarities that enrich the park.
The North part of Lake Como by boat
From Bellagio you can proceed with the itinerary to visit by boat the North part of lake
Como, reaching Colico. In alternative you can cross with Ferry to Varenna as follows.
 Varenna - photo © Cendali Gianpietro
Varenna
From Bellagio you can take
the ferry that takes you to Varenna. The ferry runs every 30-50 minutes until
10PM.
The center, structured according to
the design lay-out of Roman origin, and village fortified in the Middle Ages,
still preserves town-planning and buildings of unique value. Here, in the nearby
church of San Giorgio of the 14th century, later re-elaborated in the 17th -18th
century, two tall villas rise.
Villa Isimbardi or dei Cipressi (of the
Cypresses), 19th century reconstruction of an older building, with suggestive
terraces and rows of Cypresses, and Villa Monastero, directly in fronted over
the waters of the Lake, its name comes from the original all-women monastery
active here between the '200 and '500, transformed later in residence in the
second half of the 16th century at the request of Paolo Mornico.
Interesting not
too far from Varenna, is Fumelatte (Milk River), hamlet of the same name as its
characteristic stream, very short and foaming course, springs back to life every
year in the Spring from a mountain grotto; it empties into the Lake after only
250 meters (it is matter of fact the shortest in Italy) and even Leonardo da
Vinci in the Atlantic Code mentioned it.
From Varenna you can take the
boat back to Lecco, or the Trenitalia train to go back to Lecco.
One day trips from Milan without a car:
Milan on foot
Milan - Chiaravalle Abbey
Bergamo Alta
Bologna with the high speed train
Isola Comacina on Lake Como
Lecco and Bellagio by boat
Como and Bellagio by boat,
Isole Borromee on Lake Maggiore
Arona, Angera on Lake Maggiore
Arona, Rocca di Angera on Lake Maggiore
Villa Taranto on Lake Maggiore
Mottarone on Lake Maggiore
Lake Maggiore, Arona to Stresa by boat
Stresa - Locarno, a day boat trip
The Garda Lake - a day boat trip
Pavia, the city
Pavia, the Certosa
Portofino in winter
Vigevano
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