How was Lake Como formed?

It was carved by glaciers flowing south from the Alps during the Ice Ages. When the ice melted, water filled the deep trench the glaciers had cut.

How deep is Lake Como?

Its maximum depth is roughly 400 metres or a little more, depending on the survey, which makes it one of the deepest lakes in Europe.

Why do olive trees grow at Lake Como?

The deep lake stores heat and the mountains shelter its shores from cold northern winds, giving a mild climate in which Mediterranean plants can thrive.

What are the breva and tivano?

They are the lake's regular winds. The tivano blows from the north at night and in the morning, and the breva blows from the south in the afternoon.

Can I explore Lake Como in the app?

Yes. You can look out over a lakeshore modelled on Lake Como and explore its water, villas, gardens and mountains in interactive 3D.

A deep glacial lake folded among the Alpine foothills, lined with villas, gardens and olive groves

Lake Como

3D landscape · Bellagio, Lombardy, Italy

Land here and explore →

Lake Como, also known by its old name Lario, lies at the foot of the Alps north of Milan, close to the Swiss border. Shaped like an upside-down letter Y, it is around 46 kilometres long but only a few kilometres wide, with steep, wooded mountains rising straight from the water. In this app you can look out over a lakeshore modelled on Lake Como and explore it in interactive 3D: still blue water, terraced villages, cypresses and palms, villa gardens and the peaks of the Prealps behind.

The lake has drawn visitors since Roman times, when the writer Pliny the Younger had villas on its shores. From the 16th to the 19th centuries, wealthy families from Milan and elsewhere built grand villas with terraced gardens along the water, and in the 19th century Romantic writers, musicians and travellers made it famous across Europe. Today ferries link the villages, and the lake is one of Italy's best-known landscapes.

Key facts

Location: Lombardy, northern ItalyShared between the provinces of Como and Lecco
Other name: LarioFrom the Latin Larius
Shape: Inverted YThree branches meet near Bellagio
Length: About 46 kmFrom Colico in the north to Como in the south-west
Maximum depth: Roughly 400 m or morePublished figures vary, commonly about 410–425 m; one of Europe's deepest lakes
Surface height: About 200 m above sea levelSo its deepest point lies well below sea level
Origin: GlacialCarved by glaciers during the Ice Ages
Main river: AddaEnters in the north and leaves at Lecco
Famous gardens: Villa Carlotta, Villa del BalbianelloAlso Villa Melzi and Villa Serbelloni at Bellagio

A lake carved by ice

Lake Como fills a deep valley shaped by glaciers. During the Ice Ages of the last couple of million years, great tongues of ice flowed south from the Alps along the valley of the River Adda and its neighbours. The ice deepened and widened existing river valleys, scouring them into a U-shape and gouging their floors far below the level of the surrounding plains. When the glaciers retreated at the end of the last Ice Age, roughly 15,000 to 20,000 years ago, water filled the trench, held back in part by ridges of debris, called moraines, that the ice had left at its southern edge.

The lake's unusual shape comes from the way the ice flowed. A single northern arm runs south from Colico and splits at the promontory of Bellagio into two southern branches: the western branch ends at the city of Como and the eastern branch at Lecco. Only the Lecco branch has an outlet, where the Adda flows out on its way to join the Po. The western Como branch is a dead end, so water there is renewed slowly.

Depth and the Prealps

Lake Como is one of the deepest lakes in Europe. Most sources give a maximum depth of a little over 400 metres, though figures differ between surveys. Because the surface lies only about 200 metres above sea level, the deepest part of the lake bed is well below sea level, a sign of how deeply the glaciers cut. It is the third-largest lake in Italy by area, after Garda and Maggiore.

The mountains around the lake belong to the Prealps, the lower ranges between the high Alps and the Po plain. Many are built from limestone and dolomite laid down in ancient seas, which gives the Grigne group above the eastern shore its pale, jagged cliffs. Peaks around the lake rise to well over 2,000 metres, close enough to the water that snow-covered summits can be seen from lakeside palm gardens in spring.

A Mediterranean touch in the Alps

Although Lake Como lies at the edge of the Alps, its shores enjoy a mild climate. The large, deep body of water stores heat in summer and releases it slowly in winter, and the mountains shelter the lake from cold northern winds. Frost is relatively rare on the lower slopes, and winters are gentler than in the nearby Po plain, which is often foggy and cold.

This allows plants more typical of the Mediterranean to thrive. Olive trees grow on terraced slopes, especially on the sunny western shore, and the lake produces its own olive oil. Tall, dark cypresses mark gardens and churchyards, oleanders flower along the promenades in summer, and villa gardens are famous for camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons in spring, along with palms, citrus trees and exotic plants collected from around the world.

Villas, gardens and Bellagio

Villa del Balbianello stands at the tip of the wooded Lavedo promontory near Lenno, on the western shore. Its terraced gardens, loggia and climbing fig create one of the most photographed views on the lake, and it has appeared in films including Star Wars: Episode II and the James Bond film Casino Royale. It is now owned by FAI, the Italian National Trust. A short way north, at Tremezzo, Villa Carlotta is known for its neoclassical sculptures and for a large garden where azaleas and rhododendrons bloom in spring.

Bellagio sits on the point of land where the lake's three branches meet, with views along all of them. Its narrow stepped lanes climb from the waterfront, and its villas include Villa Melzi, with gardens along the shore, and Villa Serbelloni on the hill above the village. Other villages such as Varenna, Menaggio and Tremezzo face Bellagio across the water, forming the heart of the lake.

Ferries and the lake winds

For many visitors the best way to see the lake is by boat. Public ferries, fast hydrofoils and car ferries connect the towns, and in the central lake short crossings link Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio and Cadenabbia. Many villages were easier to reach by water than by land until roads were cut along the shore.

Lake Como has two famous regular winds. On fair days the tivano blows from the north in the night and early morning, as cool air drains down from the mountains. Around midday it dies away, and in the afternoon the breva blows from the south, up the lake from the warm plains. Sailors and windsurfers rely on these winds, which are especially reliable in the northern part of the lake.

Birds and fish

Great crested grebes, with their spiky head crests, dive for fish close to shore and are famous for their courtship dances in spring. Mute swans glide along the promenades, grey herons stand motionless at the water's edge, and coots, mallards and gulls are common. Cormorants dry their wings on rocks and buoys, and black kites can be seen circling over the lake in summer.

The lake's fish include perch, pike, whitefish and the agone, a freshwater shad that is traditionally salted and dried to make missoltini, a local speciality. Like many lakes near cities, Lake Como has had to deal with pollution, invasive species and changes in water level, and water quality has been an important concern for local authorities and scientists.

Surprising facts about Lake Como

The deepest part of Lake Como lies well below sea level, even though the lake surface is about 200 metres above it.
Only one of Lake Como's two southern branches has an outlet; the Como branch is a dead end.
Olive trees, oleanders and palms grow on the shores of a lake at the foot of the Alps.
Two regular winds, the tivano in the morning and the breva in the afternoon, blow in opposite directions on fine days.
Villa del Balbianello has appeared in both a Star Wars film and a James Bond film.
The Roman writer Pliny the Younger owned villas on the lake nearly 2,000 years ago.

Frequently asked questions

How was Lake Como formed?: It was carved by glaciers flowing south from the Alps during the Ice Ages. When the ice melted, water filled the deep trench the glaciers had cut.
How deep is Lake Como?: Its maximum depth is roughly 400 metres or a little more, depending on the survey, which makes it one of the deepest lakes in Europe.
Why do olive trees grow at Lake Como?: The deep lake stores heat and the mountains shelter its shores from cold northern winds, giving a mild climate in which Mediterranean plants can thrive.
What are the breva and tivano?: They are the lake's regular winds. The tivano blows from the north at night and in the morning, and the breva blows from the south in the afternoon.
Can I explore Lake Como in the app?: Yes. You can look out over a lakeshore modelled on Lake Como and explore its water, villas, gardens and mountains in interactive 3D.

Keep exploring

The landscapes in Ember’s Universe are procedural 3D scenes modelled on real places. The landforms, plants and light follow the real thing, but the details are generated, not mapped.

Sources