Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
LAKE COMO EAST BANK
Lake Como's eastern shore has a wilder feel to it than the more illustrious west. Less tour-
isted, it hides numerous gems that alone justify the effort. Back-country drives take you
still further off the beaten track.
Our coverage of the East Bank below runs from north to south.
Getting Around
BUS
Regular buses connect Lecco with Como. Others run up the shoreline to Colico, but it is of-
ten just as easy to take the train.
CAR
The SS36 fast highway, mostly a series of inland tunnels, is for those in a hurry between
Lecco and Colico. If you want to see the lake, follow the S road. The main inland road
along the Valsassina mountain valley is the S between Lecco and Bellano. The SS36 and
then S roads lead west 29km from Lecco to Como.
TRAIN
Trains from Milan run to Lecco (€4.55, 40 minutes) and call in at all towns on the east
shore of the lake before swinging east at Colico into the Valtellina (heading as far east as
Tirano, where Swiss trains connect on a scenic line north to St Moritz). Note that Piona sta-
tion is in Colico, not at the Abbazia Piona. Trains link Lecco with Bergamo (€3.45, 45
minutes).
TOP OF CHAPTER
Valtellina
From the north end of Lake Como, the Valtellina cuts a broad swathe of a valley (at whose
centre runs the Adda river) eastward between the Swiss mountain frontier to the north and
the Orobie Alps to the south. Much of its steep, northern flank is carpeted by the vineyards
(mostly the nebbiolo grape variety) that produce such coveted drops as Sforzato (Sfurzat).
You can largely skip the valley towns, but a detour to the hillside wine villages is worth-
while. Two points of reference are Ponte , 8km east of Sondrio, and Teglio (with a cute
 
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