Beyond the villas: a gorge, a fort and a poet’s garden

Lake Como is famous for its villas and gardens, but some of its most memorable places are wilder: a gorge at Bellano, a First World War fort above Colico, a poet’s villa on the Como shore and the wooded hills above the town.

Once you have seen the great villas, the lake has another side: older, wilder and often quieter. Here are four places that show it.

The Orrido di Bellano

At Bellano, on the eastern shore north of Varenna, the Pioverna torrent and the Adda glacier spent some 1.5 million years carving a narrow canyon of giant potholes and caves. You walk through it on walkways anchored to the sheer walls above the water, recently extended to reach the great waterfall upstream, and lit in the evening.

At the entrance, the pentagonal Ca’ del Diavol tower, with its frescoes of zodiac signs and gods, now tells the story of Bellano.

Forte Montecchio Nord

Above Colico, at the top of the lake, Forte Montecchio Nord was built in a few months between 1912 and 1914, part of the Frontiera Nord, the line of forts facing Switzerland.

It stands where five Alpine routes towards Milan meet, and calls itself Europe’s best-preserved First World War fortress: you can see the barracks, the armoury, the armoured battery and the hand-painted map of the command room, with views over the lake and towards Valtellina and Valchiavenna.

The Villa del Grumello

Back in Como, on the road to Cernobbio, the Villa del Grumello was rebuilt in the late 16th century by the banker Tommaso d’Adda, one of the first country villas of Como’s nobility on the lake. Alessandro Volta and Vincenzo Monti were guests, and Ugo Foscolo came so often to see the Giovio family that his bust stands in the garden.

From 1970 to 2000 it held the design studio of the Ratti silk house; today villa and park are a cultural centre, with a season of jazz, dance and talks.

Take the boat or the train to Bellano for the gorge, then on to Colico for the fort.

The Spina Verde

Behind Como rise the wooded hills of the Parco Regionale Spina Verde, created in 1993. Its trails climb from the edge of town, and the park runs guided visits, including to the Castello Baradello, the tower that watches over the city.

Our advice: check opening times on each official site before you go, as the gorge and the fort open by season.