Links

We leave lots of information in the house about places to visit and things to do, but the following links may be useful if you want to plan your activities in advance or find out more about Lake Como generally.

Local tourist websites

    There are several websites (in English) which give a general description of Lake Como and its different areas and activities: the best are probably www.my-lake-como-holiday.com and  http://www.lakecomonline.com/lakecomo/index.asp .The former has useful practical information (eg how to use the buses) as well as information about different holiday activities; the latter gives more background to the geography and history of the area and descriptions of the different towns and villages. Three local towns with their own sites are www.menaggio.com , www.gravedona.it   and www.domaso.it/ .These tend to have a little history, pictures, local activities, links and sometimes itineries (not all in English). The Valtellina, to the north and east of the lake also has its own website (in English) at www.valtellina.it .

    An example of a general travel website's view of Lake Como, with recommendations, is www.gonomad.com/destinations/0504/lake_como_italy.html  though this is aimed at Americans and ignores winter activities like skiing and snowboarding.

Maps

    We find that the best map for small local roads as well as hiking and biking routes is the Kompass 1:50,000 Lago di Como - Lago di Lugano (Wanderkarten/walking map no.91). For a larger area the Touring Club Italiano 1:200,000 regional map of Lombardy is good. These are available from map shops like www.stanfords.co.uk . You can also look at road maps of the area online at eg www.viamichelin.com/viamichelin/gbr/tpl/hme/MaHomePage.htm . Put in: address - via vanzonico, postcode:-22010, city: -Stazzona, country - Italy and the map will centre near Casa Felice. You can see a satellite image as well if you use the same details in Google maps ( www.maps.google.co.uk ).

Travel and transport

    Passenger (and car) ferry services on Lake Como provide an interesting way of seeing the area. They are frequent and cheap so generally you just buy a ticket and get on, but www.navigazionelaghi.it   (English) provides timetables and other information.

    Bus services round Como are provided by Spt Linea. Go to www.sptlinea.it  and point to "Linee e orari", then move to "Orario linee in pdf" and click on "Rete extraurbana". Clicking on "C10 Como-Colico" or "C17 Dongo-Garzeno" will bring up the timetables for the route along the lakeside or past the house from Dongo.

    The three main airports for Lake Como are Milan Malpensa, Milan Linate (both  www.sea-aeroportimilano.it/en/   ) and Milan Bergamo (Orio al Serio -  www.orioaeroporto.it ) which give details in English of flights and of services like shuttle buses and car-hire firms. For booking flights from the British Isles the airline sites are www.alitalia.co.uk , www.aerlingus.com , www.britishairways.com , www.easyjet.com  , www.flybe.com ,  www.jet2.com , and www.ryanair.com . You can also hire cars through these airlines or use price comparison sites  like www.carrentals.co.uk as well as finding hirers from the airports above.

    Information (in English) about the Italian railway system can be found at www.trenitalia.com . This provides timetables, prices, descriptions of train types, ticket agencies in Italy and abroad and ticket purchase via the net (for collection in Italy). Trenitalia also has a wbsite aimed specifically at travellers from the UK: http://www.italiarail.co.uk/tickets/IR/IRUK.asp?AFF=ITR  which  also gives details of international trains and passes. Click on "European timetable" to plan your journey. Details of European passes for UK residents, as well as trains, are also shown on www.raileurope.co.uk.

Things to do

    There are many centres for watersports, horseriding, mountain-biking  golf etc in the area but not all have websites. Those that do are sometimes in Italian only.

    Tabo Surf Centre ( www.tabosurf.com  in English) has windsurfing and kitesurfing courses and lessons, sailing lessons and boat hire, canoe and mountain bike hire. Windsurfing Colico also does windsurfing and kitesurfing lessons and hire and guided canoe and mountain bike excursions (  www.windsurf-colico.com  ). Wassersportcenter Domaso  ( www.wsc-domaso.com ) (English) provides windsurfing and catamaran courses, canoe and mountain bike hire. Bomboklat specialises in kitesurfing (in English at www.bomboklat.it/defaultB.asp?lingua=GB&area=P )  Canottieri Domaso ( www.canottieridomaso.it ) is a sailing club which rents both sailing and motor boats.  Annje Bonnje ( www.annjebonnje.it ) has sailing courses and boat hire. Como Lake Boats (  http://www.comolakeboats.it/  English) rents motor boats and sailing boats, while Rent a Boat ( www.rentland.it ) (English) just rents motorboats as does Blue Easy Rent ( www.blueeasyrent.it ) (English).

    Many of the centres above hire bikes. Keen mountain bikers may also be interested in the Lake Como Bike Club in Bellagio which runs a 35km tour (  www.bellagio.co.nz/bike/index.html   in English).

    The horseriding centres on the Piano di Spagna at the top of the lake organise rides into the wetland as well as lessons, but unfortunately do not have websites. There is information (in English) about the "Maneggio dei tre laghi" centre between Menaggiio and Porlezza at www.menaggio.com  (click on "tourist information", then "sport and free time", "sports" and "horse back riding".). You can also ride near Bellagio through Bellagio Mountains (  www.bellagio.co.nz/mountains/index.html  in English)

    For golf, the Villa D'Este site, in English, provides basic information about its own and other local courses( www.villadeste.it/ ). The nearest is Menaggio-Cadenabbia.  The Italian Golf Federation also provides details of golf clubs, but in Italian, at www.federgolf.it (click on "i golf club", then Lombardia, then Como).

    Directions to the Menaggio climbing "gym" are given at www.menaggio.com  (click"tourist information", "sport and free time", "sports" and "rock climbing"). Experienced climbers will find information (in English) about climbs in www.thecrag.com/CRAGS/LeccoComoMilano-231512.html .

    The Jungle Raider Parks' website (in English) is www.jungleraiderpark.com . Details about the go-kart track in Valchiavenna can be found at www.pistatibikart.it (Italian only).

    Bellagio Mountains ( www.bellagio.co.nz/mountains/index.html  in English) organise a range of activities including paragliding and canyoning as well as trekking, mountain (and downhill) biking, horse-riding and canoing. Free Air Adventure near Bellano & elsewhere (www.arialibera.altervista.org in Italian) specialises in tandem paragliders (with you as the passenger),  You can take a seaplane flight from Como Aero Club ( http://www.aeroclubcomo.com/  ,mainly Italian) .

     A good source of information about ski/snowboarding resorts is www.skiinfo.co.uk . Under the map select "Italy", then region "Lombardy " and individual resorts, the nearest being Alpe di Paglio, Alpe Giumello, Bobbio-Valtorta, Caspoggio, Chiesa and Lanzada in Valmalenco, Madesimo, Margno-Betulle and Pescegallo-Valgerola. Centres often have their own provincial or individual websites: eg www.valchiavenna.com and www.madesimo.com  (both for Madesimo;select English), www.pianidibobbio.com (for Piano di Bobbio-Valtorta; in Italian) and www.valtellina.it (which covers and links to all the resorts except  Paglio, Giumello, Bobbio-Valtorta and Margno-Betulle; click on English then "skiareas"; the top of Lake Como is to the left of the map). Many sites give email links to tourist offices etc if you want more information.

Villas and gardens

    For something more peaceful www.ilporticcioloviaggi.com/Localities/villas_gardens.html  gives descriptions and opening times in English for well-known lakeside villas. The Villa Carlotta (  http://www.villacarlotta.it  in English) has well-known botanical gardens as well as an interesting villa to look round.. There is also information about the gardens at the Villa Melzi at http://www.giardinidivillamelzi.it and about the Villa Monastero at www.villamonastero.eu . English information about the Castle of Vezio (which holds falconry demonstrations) is provided by www.castellodivezio.it