Italy's most glamorous lake — silk towns, George Clooney villas, and risotto with perch
Lake Como (Lago di Como) is a 46km glacially carved lake in the Lombard Alps — one of the deepest in Europe and for centuries the chosen retreat of European aristocracy and, more recently, Hollywood celebrities. The three-armed lake surrounds the historic silk-weaving town of Como, the gardens-and-villa resort of Bellagio (perched at the exact centre point where the two arms diverge), and Varenna, a car-free village of steep stairways and 14th-century walls rising directly from the water.
Como was a Celtic settlement before becoming a prosperous Roman colony (Comum) — the elder and younger Pliny were both born here, and the younger Pliny's descriptions of his two Como villas (Tragedia and Comedia) are among Roman literature's finest accounts of lakeside life. The silk industry arrived in the 15th century and Como still produces roughly 70% of Europe's printed silk. The 19th century brought the grand villas and garden terraces (Villa Carlotta, Villa del Balbianello) that define the lake's image today.