Milan · Lake Como and Ghisallo Ridge

Lake reflections, tight villages and a chapel for riders.

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Why this ride

Lake reflections, tight villages and a chapel for riders. 149 km round from Como - plan on about 2 h 34 of riding. The stops in between: Bellagio ferry village and Madonna del Ghisallo. The highest point is about 1,100 m. It keeps to quiet secondary roads.

Roadbook

1. Como lake gate photo

   Como sits at the southern tip of the western arm of Lake Como, with steep mountains rising straight from the water, and the town has been a place of passage for two thousand years. The Romans founded it, and Pliny the Younger was born here. Alessandro Volta, who invented the electric battery, was born in Como in 1745, and a temple on the lakeshore holds his instruments. The city's silk industry, which once supplied much of Europe, gave it a wealth that shows in the grand villas along the shore.

   At the heart of town stands the cathedral, built over four centuries, with a marble facade in Gothic and Renaissance style. A funicular opened in 1894 climbs steeply from the lakeside to Brunate, a hill village with views across the lake to the Alps. The lakefront promenade is a favourite for evening strolls, with boats arriving and leaving and the water shimmering in the late light. Lake Como itself is shaped like an upside-down Y, and the arm to the east, around Lecco, is quieter and wilder.

   The day's gate leads to the Ghisallo ridge, a gentle rise above the lake with a small chapel, the Madonna del Ghisallo, adopted as the patron of cyclists, and a museum of cycling history beside it. On a weekend you will see lines of cyclists, and motorcyclists gather as well. The roads climbing from the lake wind through woodland and old villages, with narrow bends and good views, though the surface can be patchy, and traffic on the lake road toward Bellagio is heavy in summer, with buses and delivery vans. Go early or on a weekday.

   Fuel is available around Como, and the town has cafés and gelaterias in good number, with restricted traffic zones in the centre that you should avoid on a bike. Parking is easier outside the old town. Autumn is lovely, with clear light and fewer visitors, though the mountains can hold mist.

2. Bellagio ferry village food

   Bellagio sits on the tip of the peninsula that divides Lake Como into its two southern arms, and it has the confident look of a place that has been admired for centuries. Steep stepped lanes run down to the water between old stone houses, and the waterfront is lined with cafés under arcades. Ferries cross from here to Varenna, Menaggio and Cadenabbia, and their horns echo off the mountains. The surrounding hills rise sharply, and on a clear day the Alps stand white at the head of the lake.

   The town's grand villas are part of the story. Villa Melzi, with its landscaped gardens by the water, and Villa Serbelloni, on the headland above, were built by wealthy families in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries when Lake Como was fashionable among aristocrats and writers. The gardens are open to visitors at certain times, and the views over the water from the paths are among the best on the lake. Silk was the local industry for generations, and the scarves and ties sold in the shops are a reminder of it.

   The ride to Bellagio from Como or Lecco is slow and scenic. The road along the lake, narrow and twisting, passes through villages and tunnels, and traffic can be heavy in summer. A better approach is the ridge road above, which climbs through woods and gives long views over the water. Near the top is the Madonna del Ghisallo, a small chapel that has become the patron shrine of cyclists, filled with racing jerseys and bicycles. It has a small museum and a view of the lake, and motorcyclists are just as at home, with fewer legs to tire.

   For practical matters, Bellagio is small and parking is tight, so look for the car parks above the town and walk down. Fuel is available at Mandello del Lario, about nine kilometres by the lake road, and in the bigger towns of Lecco and Como. Cafés and restaurants line the waterfront, with lake fish such as perch and missoltini, dried shad, appearing on local menus. Prices are high on the front, so walk a few streets back for better value.

   Evening light is the best. When the day-trippers leave, the town slows down, and the water glows in the low sun. If you can, stay on the lake late and ride back in the dark with the lights of the villages reflecting on the surface.

3. Madonna del Ghisallo sight
4. Back to Como lake gate finish

   Back to Como lake closes the day.

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