Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Villa Carlotta is well signposted along the lakeside SS340, just north of Tremezzo.
This is one of the more popular boat destinations on Lake Como, with regular ferries
arriving from Como (€8.50, 1½ to two hours), Bellagio (€4.60, 15 minutes) and Varenna
(€4.60, 30 minutes).
WORTH A TRIP
MENAGGIO'S HINTERLAND
Menaggio makes a good base for a couple of off-the-beaten-track excursions.
If you have your hiking boots with you, take a minor road out of Menaggio for Plesio and then follow a walk-
ing trail (park in the hamlet of Breglia) for about two hours to the
Rifugio Menaggio
( 0344 3 72 82;
www.rifugiomenaggio.eu
;
dm €15, with breakfast/half-board €20/40; Sat, Sun & holidays mid-Jun-mid-
Sep), where you can sleep and get hot meals. At 1383m, the views down over the lake are ample reward for the
climb. Plenty of other walking routes wind off from the refuge.
Menaggio is also the jumping-off point for
Lake Piano
in Val Menaggio, a remote valley connecting Lake
Como with Lake Lugano, which straddles the Italy-Switzerland border to the west. Placid Lake Piano is protec-
ted by the
Riserva Naturale Lago di Piano
. Three marked nature trails, 4km to 5.3km long, encircle the lake,
and the visitors centre, on the lake's northern shore, rents out mountain bikes (€3 per hour) and row boats (€8 per
hour), and arranges guided visits on foot (€6 per person per half-day or €9 per person per full day).
TOP OF CHAPTER
Rezzonico
POP 1078
Beyond Menaggio, the northern stretch of the lake is known as the Alto Lario (Upper
Lario). It's far less touristed than other more famous points along the lake but holds some
enticing secrets.
At Rezzonico, an extension of Santa Maria, some 6km north of Menaggio, is a quiet
pebble
beach
with wooden fisherfolk's seats lined up along it. To find it (when travelling
north from Menaggio), follow the signs to Santa Maria and then, just before a tunnel on
the SS340, a side road to Rezzonico. This brings you to a 13th-century stone
castle
, built
by the Della Torre clan and largely intact (closed to the public). Around it, stone stair
paths lead downhill to porticoed houses right to the lake's edge. To the castle's left, a path
marked Via al Lago winds past grey-stone houses and lush green gardens to the beach.
For a fine view of Rezzonico with the Alps as a backdrop, head around 1km south of
town along the SS340 - a car park opposite the Cappella Degli Alpini is the place.
