Lake Como is shaped like an upside-down Y, with the city of Como at the end of one leg, and it is the deepest lake in Italy, plunging to over four hundred metres. The Alps rise straight from the water, with villas and gardens on the shores, and ferries zigzagging between the villages. Como itself is a small and elegant city, with a Duomo that took centuries to build and mixes Gothic and Renaissance styles, a walled old town and a lakefront with a funicular climbing to the hill village of Brunate. It was the birthplace of Alessandro Volta, the inventor of the battery, and the unit of electrical potential carries his name.
For a rider, the lake is a dream and a trial. The roads that follow its shores are narrow, winding and full of tunnels, with stone walls on one side and the drop to the water on the other, and in summer they are crowded with coaches, cars and cyclists. The western shore, with its old road, is slow but beautiful, passing villa gardens and villages of ochre houses. The eastern side has a faster main road with long tunnels and a more modern feel. Go early, avoid the weekends and be patient.
A circuit of the lake takes you through Menaggio, Bellagio at the tip of the central peninsula, Varenna and Lecco, and gives you a good sense of how the shores change from soft southern lakeside to steep northern mountain. The best light is in the morning, when the water is calm and the mountains are clear, and autumn brings colour to the chestnut woods. In summer, afternoon storms build quickly over the mountains.
Como has about eighty thousand people, so fuel is easy in the city, and it is wise to fill the tank before you set off, as stations along the shore are few. Try missoltini, dried and grilled lake fish, or risotto with perch fillets, and an espresso at a lakeside cafe. Silk weaving was the city's trade for centuries, and there are shops selling scarves and ties. Park the bike outside the old town, where the streets are narrow, and walk to the lakefront.