Corenno Plinio and Dervio – Touring the towns of Lake Como
August 24, 2024
We’ve crossed the water to the Eastern-side of Lake Como (well, actually we drove around the north of the lake) for an explore of the towns Dervio, the castle town of Corenno Plinio and the peninsula of Piona and its monastery.
Dervio
Dervio seems quite a popular tourist spot with campsites and beaches. However, the thing that we really enjoyed was the very lovely (and quite long) lakeside path from the beach, past the old town, to a long stretch which is great for watching the very many kite and wind surfers. More about that in a bit. Along the way we found a serenely situated lake-side restaurant called Le Vele, and being on the lakeside path it’s completely devoid of traffic. In the dappled shade of the trees we enjoyed a chilled glass of wine and some fabulous (squid-ink) pasta with raw shrimp tartare…what now? I was a bit dubious, raw prawns etc, but it had a very delicate taste and soft texture which paired perfectly (aesthetically and taste-wise) with the black pasta and burrata cheese.
Further along the path you pass through the old town, with its harbour, cobbled streets, church and a lovely view across to Corenno Plinio…our next stop.
Corenno Plinio
This very small castle town is a bit unusual. We parked in the main square and wondered where or whether to pay for parking. There was a small information booth, so we opted to ask there. “Parking is free” we were told, “but there is a small fee of 4 Euro to walk around the town”. Well, ok then. It came with a map and recommendations of spots not to miss, so actually a real bargain.
It turns out Corenno is one of the “Borghi piu belli d’Italia” (The most beautiful villages in Italy). Borghi doesn’t really translate to village in the English sense of the word. It is more like an anicient village, often fortified…actually I’ll use the websites words
“A Borgho is a fascinating small Italian town, generally fortified and dating back to the period from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance.”
This isn’t just some bloggers opinions on Italian villages, but an association founded in 2001, with a quality charter which lays down specific criteria to allow a town to be in the “club” (their words). There are 313 selected Borghi. Have we been to any before? Well, yes we have. Around Lake Como there are 3, Tremezzo, Bellano and this village Corenno Plinio. We also visited quite a few during our stay in Marche a few years back. Every one we’ve visited so far has been extremely picturesque and an absolute joy to walk around. We are now actively seeking out further “Borghi piu Belli” to visit and explore.
Back to the “Borgo piu bello” of the moment; Corenno Plinio is described as “the one-thousand steps village” and it lives up to this description. I didn’t count but there were a lot. The ups and downs were quickly forgotten as we were distracted by the quaint narrow alleys, lovely old villas, pretty town houses and the harbour down on the lake front. A lovely quirk in the harbour is the 2 row-boats, one a free-library, the other a bench with the inscription
“Ascoltare e basta, e all’improvviso sapere che la pace del lago ha lo stesso silenzio della tua anima” –
Translation; Just listen and suddenly know that the peace of the lake has the same silence as that of your soul. Wow, that’s some deep stuff…I’ll let the reader dwell on that.
Piona and The Abbey di Santa Maria
Piona is a peninsula of land between Corenno and Colico with the very sheltered bay of larghetto di Piona. There’s a small village on the peninsula, Olgiasca, and at the far end is the very scenic Abbey of Saint Mary of Piona. A small peninsula but with some lovely things to do:
- Visit the Abbey. The buildings and grounds are beautiful and at the end, visit the shop for Monk-made Cafe’ liquor and Manderino (like Limoncello but Mandarin flavoured….yum)
- Walk from the town to the abbey (or visa versa) by taking the path over the ridge of the peninsula. A little uphill but a fantastic view over the bay, the town and the other-side of Lake Como (a new angle of our side of the lake for us).
- Lunch at the Hotel restaurant Conca Azzurra. Amazing views over Lake Como, great food including fantastic sharing plates of pasta. We opted for paccheri with tomatoes and seafood – there were so many prawns and loads of scallops…happy days.
An education in wind surfing
Long have we been admiring the speed and skill of the surfers in certain spots on Lake Como. But what are all the different types? We’ve seen traditional windsurfing, kite surfing and what on earth are those surf boards that seem to rise out of the water? Is that battery operated? Although very unlikely to partake in any of the above activities, I must admit a curiosity as to what it is I am observing. So, here we go…pay attention now.
Windsurfing – the traditional one. Board, sail, go.
Kitesurfing – quite self-explanatory. Board, giant kite, person attached to said kite by a harness.
Wing surfing – Ok, that’s a new one on me. Board. Person on board using a hand-held “wing”, loops on the board to place feet.
Now it’s going to get complicated with the addition of a hydrofoil. Ok, what now? A hydrofoil attaches to the bottom of the board, kind of like a fin. It creates lift as the board moves through the water at speed, elevating the board out of the water and therefore reducing drag…(to allow for more speed I’m guessing). These are the boards we’ve seen that look like they’re floating above the water….so not battery operated. With that in mind we have, wait for it:
Wind-foiling, Wing-foiling and kite-foiling. Phew. I’ll try to find photos to demonstrate.
Next stop?
Appetite whetted, we are now seeking some more of those most beautiful towns of Italy. A short stay in Bienno in the mountains I think.
“ the peace of the lake has the same silence as that of your soul”
I loved this! It really spoke to me 😍