Como Lake

 This year for the summer vacation we have decided to swith from the formula " sea,sand,hot" to a softer and healtier one : "lakes, mountain, warm". The place that fits perfect with our needs is district lake, northern Italy.
  Italy has 3 major lakes, located in the north part of the country: Garda (the biggest oneMaggiore ( shared with Switzerland) and Como.
  We spent first week of our summer holiday at Como Lake and the next one at Maggiore Lake. Analysing these two experiences now, I cannot decide which lake I like the most, as they are so unique, diverse  and full of places to explore and experiences to try.
   Leaving Lichtenstein ( our first stop from Paris-see article Lichtenstein) it took about 3 hours to arrive in Carate Urio (as small mountain resort close to Como city) -a perfect place to explore the lake by road or by boat.
  What we have liked most about those lakes is that you can benefit from swimming and beaches in a not-so-hot summer mountain climate (daily temperature 25-30 Celcius degrees, sea temperature 23 Celsius degrees).
 Como Lake is like a balerine in the middle of a dance, splitting at some point in two branches-
Como and Lecco.We have mainly explored Como branch.
 We have stayed in Carate Urio, close to Como city, easy access to explore the lake.
  The region offers so much to explore in terms of natural beauty and history. Winston Churchill painted here, Allesandro Volta was born in this region ,Benito Mussolini found his death being 
shot in Giulino- to name just a few...
So it is extremely difficult to make a top, still we will share with you what were our "bests":
  • visit the magnificent, opulent villas along the lake- villa Carlotta(1690) ,villa Balbianelli (where was filmed the scene from Star Wars-Attack of the clones : the kiss between Padme Amidala and Anakin Skywalker -photo), Villa Castello in Carate Urio, Villa D'Este
  •  take the funicular from Argegno and go to Pigra for a beautiful view over the lake, at 1000 m
  • hire a boat from Cernobio and explore the 2 branches of the river. You can stop in Bellagio to admire the architecture and eat some pasta or pesce.
  • visit Isola Comacina and ancient bell tower of Ossucio(9th century)
  •  enjoy a bath on a small peable beach( spiaggetta), near the church and bell tower               ( spiaggetta di Urio, near Il Castello). It is advisable to wear slippers as there are rocks on the beach and in the water
  •  eat pasta con frutti di mare, frittura di pesce or mediterranean fish cooked with olives, tomatoes and capere, near a glass of Pinot Griggio, in a small restaurant facing the lake( Il Filo D'olio, Carate Urio)


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