Lezzeno – Touring the towns of Lake Como
September 23, 2023
In the middle of Lake Como and just south of Bellagio we find ourselves in Lezzeno. There’s a birthday to celebrate and we decided on a few nights’ stay on the sunny side of the lake between the two legs of Como and Lecco. What is the central part called? The Bellagio leg? The crotch of Lake Como? (if you look at two legs and imagine the part in between them, that’s where we are…Oh I know but I’m just saying). As it turns out it’s called the Triangolo Lariano (the Lariano Triangle – the land mass between the 2 legs). Ok, that’s a bit better than a crotch.
Our holiday let is an apartment with an amazing terrace right over the lake. The first thing our host tells us is, “There’s absolutely nothing to do here”, and then proceeds to recommend other places around the lake we could visit while staying there. We politely listened, but I refuse to believe any lakeside town has “nothing to do”, and the point of being there was to explore that particular area. What did we find?
Wandering the streets of Lezzeno
As it seems with all the lakeside towns, there are streets and alleyways to explore and Lezzeno is no exception. Behind the main road that runs through the town is a maze of small-cobbled streets, arches and stairways with a plethora of photographic spots to discover. The thing I love most about this little town is they have signs with suggested routes around the alleys. (https://lezzenolakecomo.com/en/itineraries) Nothing to do here? I protest.
Don't miss on the Lezzeno walks
- The lake-side path – Just past Hotel Aurora, a sign points you down to the lake. It’s only a short section before being back on cobbled alleyways, but en-route we passed some tucked-away beaches from which a dip in the lake is possible (and extremely hard to resist), a small harbour and at the end a small piazza with a very cute and impossible to ignore sign.
- Walking along the old Strada Regia, winding through old cobbled alleyways, past water fountains and under ancient arches.
- A walk along the front to the church and the piazza by the lake.
Dining with a view in Lezzeno
As previously mentioned we had a birthday to celebrate so how many times can you say cheers and happy birthday in a day? As it goes, a lot. There was the champagne breakfast on the terrace overlooking the lake, the glass of wine (or two) with lunch on a restaurant terrace overlooking the lake, afternoon beer whilst sitting in the sun on the terrace overlooking the lake, pre-dinner bubbles on the terrace overlooking the lake followed by dinner in another restaurant on their terrace overlooking the lake. Happy birthday Bill! I’m not sure we can ever top that.
We had a lovely selection of eateries in Lezzeno to choose from. I can honestly say we thoroughly enjoyed all of them (especially the lake views). Where did we go?:
Ristorante Aurora
Our first meal out was a birthday lunch at Ristorante Aurora. Once again our host had high recommendations; “the food is good but very touristy, you’re just a number”. Ok then. She did tell us about the amazing terrace, which we cannot deny was spectacular. As for the service, no idea what that was about. They were very accommodating squeezing us in with no booking, very friendly and attentive (although they failed the water test – Can you get another bottle of water without asking twice? To be fair they were very busy)
Dish of the day? The Paccheri al ragu bianco di lago con pistacchio di Bronte e speck (Paccheri is pasta in the shape of large tubes, with a fish ragu, ham and pistachios), delicious.
Crotto dei Pescatore
This restaurant specializes in fish and does it very well. As always it was hard to resist the mixed lake-fish starter and then for main the waiter recommended the pike. Soft white fish beautifully cooked and served with an Italian staple of oven potatoes cooked with rosemary, and softly roasted courgette.
The stone house restaurant
Located in a piazza at the end of the lake-side path, the Stone House has a lovely terrace under the trees which we enjoyed on a couple of occasions. They very kindly accommodated us for some beers on our first night. And apperitivo. Ok, Italian unwritten rule: You cannot drink without food being present. How do we know? We ordered some meat and cheese with our first beer, so no problem there. Second round and no food, but wait….miraculously some deep fried nibbles arrived gratis. Thank you very much. Great rule. Our meal there was really amazing and in fact so good that there are no photos! We were clearly engrossed.
Osteria il Governo
When we walked past this charming little osteria, the most prominent thing was the sign that very clearly said don’t come in unless you’ve booked. Well, ok then. Didn’t do that, hindsight again, and I thought I was a good planner. The second time we were in the area we booked. The outside terrace, although on the other side of the road from the lake, has lovely views and is beautifully nestled under olive trees with a sprinkling of fairy lights for ambience. The waiters were very attentive with suggestions depending on your taste preferences; “do you like meat or fish?, do you like a pasta? Do you like the grilled meat, well I can recommend….” We did peruse the whole menu, but inevitably went back to our waiters recommendations; 2 pasta dishes, of which the Pasta ‘Unita d’Italia’ (paccheri pasta with a Bronte pistachio pesto and Coppa Piacentina – a cured charcuterie meat from the Duroc pig).
I know what’s the Duroc pig? – A red-haired pig originating from France that is known for its high-quality meat.
Another food item that kept appearing on the menu was the Pistacchio di Bronte. Where is Bronte and what is so special about pistachios from this area? Bronte is a village on the slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily known for its DOP green pistachios. Apparently only harvested by hand, they are known for their sweetness and intense emerald colour, hence their nickname “green gold”. No other compares (so they say).
Great education and may I say the cheesecake was amazing (and totally emerald)
Walking from Lezzeno to Nesso
The Strada Regia is the ancient path that used to connect Como to Bellagio. We followed this old route from Lezzeno to Nesso.
Distance – 9.7km with 355 meters of ascent.
Time – Approximately 3 hours.
Terrain – old cobbled paths, small town paths and woodland trails.
I had already read about the Orrido di Nesso (a gorge) and seen some photos of the lovely bridge on the lake looking up to waterfalls from the gorge. This to me seemed like a great place to visit and from our door, we could hike along the Strada regia. This off-road route has great views overlooking Lake Como, eventually coming out at the top of the town of Nesso. The gorge runs through the town with the river tumbling over rocks all the way down to the bridge on the lake. How idyllic…sigh. Hang on, what’s that on the bridge? About 30 people? Well that’s ruined my idyllic lakeside wander over the bridge. 
We did still walk down the 340 steps to the bridge, ever hopeful that what looked like a coach tour had moved on, only to find about 30 half-naked (ok, they were in their swimmies) youngsters sunbathing, playing music and taking it in turns to jump off the bridge, or as one very English young lady said “I’m not f**king jumping off there”. Don’t we leave a lovely impression. We realized it was in fact a Sunday in the holidays and have vowed to take another trip on a weekday for said idyllic moment.
While walking down Nesso’s steep and narrow lanes to the lake-front, we all noticed the stripy house. Who lives there? In a few weeks…us. I found out it was a holiday let and wanting to explore the town further we decided on a stay for a couple of nights. What did we find? Another post is needed for Nesso…
Very lovely to relive that great holiday
Lovely seeing your rocking chair words again , keep it up , cheers my days up no end xxxx