Rezzonico to Nobiallo – Touring the towns of Lake Como
July 21, 2022
As we move south from Cremia along the shore of Lake Como, the main road once again bypasses the lakeside towns as it goes in and out of long, dark, winding tunnels. From Rezzonico to Nobiallo, it’s only 5.5km, that’s 7 minutes of driving, 3 tunnels and in that small distance there are 4 small lake-side towns; Rezzonico, Santa Maria, Acquaseria and Nobiallo. We decided a further explore was definitely needed, and to speed up the travel in-between the towns, we thought we’d try this explore by bicycle.
Cycling from Rezzonico to Nobiallo
There is free parking in Rezzonico, so this is a great place to leave the car and get the bikes out. The first part of the ride goes through the quiet street Via Rezzonico, which pops out at the end on the main road. From here, the main lake-side road between Rezzonico, San Siro and Acquaseria goes through several long and very dark tunnels. Not great on a bike, but fortunately not necessary. Along-side the tunnels, there are beautiful traffic-free cycle/walking paths that skirt around the tunnel. This means great views, stopping whenever you like and no cars to worry about. 
Of course while cycling through each town, we dipped off the road towards the lake to find those quiet and special spots. It kind of doubles the journey, but isn’t the whole point to explore? What did we find then…
The lakeside towns:
Rezzonico
We’ve passed Rezzonico many a time. As you pop out of a tunnel it stands out instantly as it is the only town on the lake where we’ve seen a pucka turreted castle. We’ve stopped, only to discover said castle is not open to the public, and swiftly moved on. As with other towns, we decided to have a little explore around the smaller streets going right down to the lake-shore. It’s just amazing what hidden little gems you can find…
Don't miss on an explore of Rezzonico
- A walk down the cobbled street to the lake-front is a must. We found a beautiful little harbour, a water front piazza and a lake-side path leading to some quiet beaches.
- Hidden along some of the streets are old photos and newspaper articles of the village, the locals and stories from the past. Time has not changed the village, it still looks exactly the same. Perfect.
- Following the cobbled paths by the lake, we also found a “hidden” beach area. Possibly not normally this “available” as at the moment Lake Como is very low…so, more beaches, yay!
Near the car park we noticed a sign for all the small mountain villages above Lake Como between Rezzonico and Acquaseria. We always drive along the lake-side and don’t often venture up the mountain, but on seeing all the villages, we thought a bike-ride up the mountain roads might be a nice way to explore. Of course, it means cycling up the side of a mountain right from the off. But the good news with that is – what goes up, must come down – and boy, can you pick up some speed. Take a ride with us to see some of the mountain villages and a “real-time” whizz down again to the Lake (once we have internet it will be on our Youtube channel – watch this space)
- Of course, refuelling is needed and whilst exploring the mountain towns, we discovered a lunch spot; La Locanda San Martino. It has a terrace with a fantastic view down the lake and great local food.
Santa Maria
Again another village we usually just drive through, but on the bikes, so easy to stop and have a look. What did we find?
- We found the Fortezza Tardo Romana di San Siro…an old late Roman fort, only some of it remains and is being restored. Pretty much only a couple of walls visible, but therre are information boards around if interest is piqued.
- Chiesa Santa Maria. One of those beautiful churches that did not disappoint from a point of view of frescoes and glamour inside. We were so lucky on the day we popped our head in, as a small orchestra were practicing for a concert of Bach or Beethoven…have a listen and see if you can decide which..
- Another great and uncrowded beach area, with what looked like a popular beach bar (we did not partake at this point) and as expected in almost all of these small lake-side towns, a picturesque harbour.
Acquaseria
On our bike ride, we passed the upper parts of Aquaseria on the main lakeside road, but as we ventured downhill towards the water we found some lovely secluded beaches and a great lunch spot (not such a great name), Crème Caramel. Their location right on the Lake-front was amazing, the waitress was so lovely (even though she was speaking to us in German…do we look German?) and the menu simple; fish from the lake, ribs or pasta of the day….fish from the lake it is. The perfect light lunch when you’re out on a bike.
At the end of the tunnel past Acquaseria we came across Villa La Gaeta. A rather ornate lake-front villa (alas not open to the public), which is famous for being a movie location, most recently in James Bond’s Casino Royale. The scene where Mr. White is shot by Daniel Craig’s James Bond and he says for the first time “The name’s Bond, James Bond”.
Exciting!! There is also a sign showing ‘le stelle di lago di Como’ – The stars of Lake Como, where we discovered various other movies that have scenes on Lake Como; The Other Man, Ocean’s 12, Man on Fire, A Month by the Lake and more recently Murder Mystery with Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler (now on my must watch list). This is to name a few and I’m sure as we visit certain said filming locations we will have to point them out.
Nobiallo
The last town on our little cycling expedition; Nobiallo. Nothing to do with wine, which is where my mind keeps going (Nebbiolo being a favourite red wine grape and used to make Barolo, check out our Piemonte post). This is almost like a gateway to the bigger and much more touristy Menaggio which touches its borders to the south. However, Nobiallo feels a world apart as you listen to the lake lapping against the wall on the front, admire the small but beautiful harbour, and wander up the Antica Strada Regina (the old road) to the even more peaceful Santuario della Madonna Pace (Sanctuary of our lady of peace – it’s even in the name)
Next on our tour of Lake Como
There’s still so much to explore. We’ve just started to have a proper look around the very popular touristy town of Menaggio and our next exciting plan is to cycle from there to Porlezza, which is on Lago di Lugano. Apparently there is an old railway that is now a cycle path that takes you between the two lakes….watch this space.
Looks lovely.