Faggeto Lario, Lake Como: A Quiet Shore Beneath the Mountains

Lakeside hamlet and shoreline of Faggeto Lario on the eastern side of Lake Como — The shoreline of Faggeto Lario seen from the water on the eastern side of Lake Como. Photo: Ray Swi-hymn / Wikimedia Commons – CC BY-SA 2.0.

Some Lake Como villages face outward to the water; Faggeto Lario looks two ways at once — down to its quiet coves, and up to the mountains at its back. It is not one village but several small hamlets strung along the eastern shore, beneath the green wall of the Triangolo Lariano.

Few visitors stop here, which is exactly its appeal. Faggeto Lario is a place for swimming, walking and quiet, rather than sightseeing.

A brief history

Faggeto Lario is a modern comune formed from a group of older lakeside and hillside hamlets — Molina, Palanzo, Riva and Lemna among them — each with its own church and character. For centuries they lived from fishing, and farming the terraced slopes, linked to one another and to Como by the lake and by the Strada Regia, the old mid-slope route from Como to Bellagio.

Where Faggeto Lario sits on the lake

Faggeto Lario lies on the eastern shore of the Como arm, a short way north of Torno and Blevio. Behind it rise the peaks of the Triangolo Lariano — Monte Bolettone and Monte Palanzone — which makes the village as much a mountain gateway as a lakeside stop.

Wooded footpath climbing into the Triangolo Lariano above Faggeto Lario, Lake Como — A beech-shaded footpath climbing into the Triangolo Lariano above Faggeto Lario. Photo: Luca Casartelli / Wikimedia Commons – CC BY-SA 3.0.

The best things to see in Faggeto Lario

1. The lakeside hamlets and beaches

The waterfront hamlets, chief among them Molina, offer quiet pebble beaches and small landing places with open views across the lake. This is a genuinely local stretch of shore, good for an unhurried swim well away from the crowds of the central lake.

2. The trails into the Triangolo Lariano

Faggeto Lario is a doorway to the mountains. Paths climb from the lake through chestnut and beech woods toward the ridges of Monte Bolettone and Monte Palanzone, opening long views over the lower lake. Our hiking and outdoor guide covers walking in this area.

3. The hillside villages and churches

Above the shore, the older hamlets of Palanzo and Lemna keep their stone houses, small squares and village churches. A short drive or climb up from the water rewards you with quiet lanes and a sense of the lake’s farming past.

Planning your visit

Getting there. Faggeto Lario sits on the eastern-shore road north of Como; the nearest regular boat services are at Torno and Nesso. See our Lake Como ferry guide for routes.

Best for. Walkers and swimmers who want the quiet eastern shore and easy access to the mountains; one of the lake’s hidden gems.

When to go. Late spring to early autumn, for both swimming and walking.

Nearby. Torno lies just south and Pognana Lario just north along the same shore, with Nesso and its gorge a little further on.

Faggeto Lario rewards the traveller who likes to swim in the morning and walk in the afternoon — a quiet hinge between the lake and the hills.