In Deep: Lake Como

Georgia Yuill

During the last Ice Age, powerful glaciers shifted to create a mountainous cove that’s been treasured by mankind ever since, the home of Lake Como.

Lake Como By The Numbers

Today, it is Italy’s third-largest lake, composed of three long, narrow arms that meet at Bellagio. One arm stretches southwest to Como, another southeast to Lecco, and the third north to Colico. Como’s total length is 50 kilometres (31 miles) from Como to Gera at the northern point, and its greatest width, 4.4 kilometres (2.7 miles), is at the lake’s belly, just to the north of Bellagio. Lake Como’s chief source of water is the Adda, which flows in at Colico and out at Lecco.

A Union Between Peaks and Valleys

Surrounding Lake Como are breathtakingly tall snow-capped mountains that form an attractive backdrop. The mountain country around the lake consists of the Intelvi, Menaggio, Dongo and Gravedona valleys to the west, the Valassina and the Valbrona in the centre, and the Valsassina, Val d’Esino and Val Varrone to the east. These mountains greatly influence the wind patterns on Como. The two predominant winds, the Tivano from the north at night and in the morning, and the Breva from the south from noon to sunset, are reminders of the union between the mountains and the lake. Moreover, the sheer height of these mountains conversely hints at the depth of the lake. At 410 metres (1,345 feet), Lake Como is one of the deepest in Europe.