Lake Como (Lago di Como in Italian, also known as Lario) is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of 146 km˛, making it the third largest lake in Italy, after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore. At 410 metres deep, it is also one of the deepest lakes in Europe.
Lake Como seen from the city of Como
The upside-down-Y-shaped Lake seen from the sky
The lake has a very peculiar shape: that of an upside-down "Y". The northern branch begins at the town of Colico, while the towns of Como and Lecco sit at the ends of the southwestern and southeastern branches respectively. Lake Como is fed in large part by the Adda River, which enters the lake near Colico and flows out at Lecco. This geological conformation makes the southwestern branch a dead end, and so Como, unlike Lecco, is often flooded.
The lake's name
The real Italian name is Lario, but this name is rarely used; it is usually called Lago di Como, literally "Lake of Como".
In guidebooks the lake may be variously described as "Lake Como", "Lake of Como", or "Como Lake"
As the town of Como is referred to as "Como", the lake is never referred to solely by this name. Strangely though, this is not true of another lake in Italy, Lake Garda. Even though Garda is a town on its shore, just as Como is a town on Lake Como's shore, you can refer to the lake simply as "Garda".
Lake Como seen from Villa Carlotta in Tremezzo, near the centre of the lake
LakeComo [1] is situated in Lombardy, Northern Italy.
The Lake is shaped rather like an inverted 'Y', with two 'legs' starting at Como in the South-West and Lecco in the South-East, which join together half way up and the lake continues up to Colico in the North.
Como - At the southern end of the lake, the lake's main town is a good base and although not as attractive as some of the other towns, it remains an elegant resort.
ust half an hour from noisy, bustling Milan, LakeComo is a jewel-like oasis of tranquillity, a magical combination of lush Mediterranean foliage and snowy alpine peaks.
alking (or driving) along the western perimeter of the lake, you can stop in at the Tempio Voltiano, a surprising classic temple with marble columns and mosaic floors, housing the apparatus of Alessandro Volta, inventor of a battery that was the first reliable source of electricity.
The best day of the year to take the ferry over to the island is the week end after June 24th, when St. John's Day is celebrated with a mass in the ruins of the S. Eufemia basilica, followed by a costumed procession and night-time fireworks.
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