Lake Como

Lake Como
	Lake Como with a view of Bellagio
Geographical location	Lombardy ( Italy )
Tributaries	Adda , Breggia , Livo , Mera , Varrone , Cosia
Drain	Adda
	Data
Coordinates	46 ° 0 ′ N , 9 ° 16 ′ E Coordinates: 46 ° 0 ′ N , 9 ° 16 ′ E
Altitude above sea level	197 m slm
surface	146 km²
length	51 km
width	4.2 km
Maximum depth	425 m

View over Como on Lake Como

The Lake Como ( Swiss spelling Lake Como , Italian Lago di Como , Lombard Lagh de Comm; German rarely, Como outdated, Chumer Lake, Italian and Lario, Latin Lacus Larius ) is one of the Italian lakes . It lies entirely in the Lombardy region .

The numerous small villages lying directly on the shore are characteristic, many of which have retained their very own character to this day. Many of the often luxurious villas (including Villa Carlotta , Villa d'Este ) date back to the 15th century, when the region had become rich from silkworm breeding and the silk industry that resulted from it. During the time of Napoleon, the Vice-President of the Italian Republic (1802-1805) Francesco Melzi d'Eril built the Villa Melzi . Due to the Mediterranean climate, many subtropical plants such as B. Palm trees , citrus fruits , cypresses and olive trees.

geography

Lake Como from the air

Lake Como, also called Lario by the locals, is 146 km² in size, 51 km long and max. 4.2 km wide. This makes it the third largest lake in Italy after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore , measured by the water surface. With a shoreline of 170 km due to its characteristic shape, it exceeds the two aforementioned lakes on this point. Its maximum depth is (at Nesso ) 425 m.

Lake Como lies in a tongue basin of the former Adda glacier, which divided into the arms of Como and Lecco in front of the Alta Brianza . Therefore, the lake today has its characteristic inverted Y shape . The northern arm begins at the city of Colico , while the cities of Como and Lecco lie at the ends of the southwest and southeast arms, respectively.

The Adda flows through Lake Como . The Adda flows into the lake at Colico and leaves it at Lecco, while the Comer arm has no drain.

The only island in Lake Como is Isola Comacina . It was already inhabited in antiquity, but the settlements were destroyed by Como's troops in the 12th century.

Places by the lake

West bank (south to north)	East bank (south to north)	South bank (west to east)
Como Cernobbio Moltrasio Laglio Brienno Argegno Ossuccio Lenno Mezzegra Tremezzo Griante / Cadenabbia Menaggio San Siro Dongo Gravedona Domaso Gera Lario	Lecco Abbadia Lariana Mandello del Lario Olcio Lierna Fiumelatte Varenna Bellano Dervio Corenno Plinio Dorio Colico	Como Blevio Torno Faggeto Lario Pognana Lario Nesso Lezzeno Bellagio Malgrate Lecco

tourism

Lake Como is a tourist destination with numerous spas , parks and golf courses. On its west side which is Sacro Monte di Ossuccio , in the list of the 2003 World Heritage of UNESCO was taken. The surrounding mountains offer hiking and climbing opportunities. Due to the mild climate there is a rich vegetation. The classic car event Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este takes place every spring .

Celebrities like George Clooney own a vacation home on Lake Como. This is used again and again as a film set, for example it was shot here for Star Wars: Episode II , Casino Royale or Ocean's 12 .

The German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer (1876–1967) spent a lot of time there on his property in Cadenabbia . After resigning from office, shortly before his death, he wrote a large part of his memoirs there. Villa la Collina, built in 1899 with its park, has been used by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation as an international conference venue since 1977 .

shipping

Several boats run daily between Como and Colico, and there are also various routes between Como and Lecco or Menaggio and Como or Lecco. There is a ferry connection between Lierna , Varenna , Menaggio and Bellagio .

water sports

Preparation for kitesurfing on Colico beach

Between Bellagio and Colico there is a lively activity of water sports enthusiasts, as there are reliable wind conditions.

According to reports from 2010, the water quality leaves something to be desired in certain places (due to the lack of sewage treatment plants).

Wind conditions

Except in winter, a thermal wind, the Breva, blows practically every day in the upper part of Lake Como . In the morning the wind starts at around 10 a.m. with 1 to 3 Bft and increases in the afternoon to 3 to 6 Bft. June to September are the best months for windsurfing and kitesurfing . In October, the Breva subsides and then falls asleep completely by early February.

The south wind Breva has its counterpart in the northern fall wind Tivano , which occurs when there is a large difference in air pressure between the northern and southern sides of the Alps. The Tivano blows early in the morning and is often stronger than the Breva , strongest in the Lecco region. In the south of the lake, in the Larian triangle, the area between the two arms of the lake, it also offers good conditions for windsurfing and kite surfing.