Nesso, Lake Como: The Waterfall Village That Falls Into the Lake
Most Lake Como villages meet the water gently. Nesso arrives at it the hard way — a cascade of stone houses pinned to a near-vertical slope, dropping in tight switchbacks and stepped lanes toward a gorge where two mountain streams fall as one straight into the lake.
It is one of the lake’s most photographed corners and one of its least walked. Many visitors catch a glimpse of Nesso from a passing ferry or a lay-by on the road above, then carry on. The village rewards the ones who climb down.
A brief history
Nesso is old — older than most of the villas that made this lake famous. The slopes here were settled in Celtic and then Roman times, and for centuries the community lived by two things the mountain gave it freely: fish from the lake below, and water from the streams above, which turned mills and small workshops on their way down to the shore.
That same rushing water caught the eye of Leonardo da Vinci, who noted the Nesso falls in his notebooks. Across the gorge the villagers threw a single stone bridge, the Ponte della Civera, once part of the old mule track along the shore. Around the two torrents the houses stacked upward, one roof above the next, into the vertical village you see today.
Where Nesso sits on the lake
Nesso lies on the eastern shore of the Como branch, roughly halfway between Como and Bellagio, where the Triangolo Lariano falls steeply to the water. The SS583 threads along the hillside above the rooftops; the village itself tumbles below it, ending at a tiny harbour barely wider than a few boats.
A short way along the same shore, still within the comune, is the frazione of Careno — a triangle of old houses and stepped lanes above its own small landing, watched over by the Romanesque church of San Martino. Both places are best reached on foot, once you have left the car above or stepped off the boat below.
The 5 best things to see in Nesso
1. The Orrido di Nesso
The Orrido is why most people come. Two streams, the Tuf and the Nosè, meet in a narrow rock cleft at the heart of the village and drop through it as a single waterfall, straight into the lake. Seen from the water it is theatrical; seen from the bridge above it is dizzying. It runs hardest in spring and after heavy rain, when the whole gorge seems to breathe spray.
2. The Ponte della Civera
Spanning the mouth of the gorge is the Ponte della Civera, an old arched stone bridge with a steep, humped back. It once carried the shore path across the torrent, and it still frames the classic composition — the pale arch, the falling water beneath it, the lake stretching away. Stand at its centre and you feel the cool of the water on your face.
3. The staircase to the harbour
To reach the waterfall and the little fishing hamlet at the water’s edge, you follow a long stone staircase down through the houses — around 340 steps, worn smooth by generations of feet. At the bottom wait a handful of boats, a slip of shingle and one of the most photographed views on the lake. Remember that every step down is a step you will climb back up.
4. The viewpoints on the SS583
Not everyone wants the full descent, and the road above rewards those who don’t. Several lay-bys and terraces along the SS583 look straight down over Nesso’s roofs to the gorge and the water — the postcard angle, taken in comfort. They make an easy stop if you are driving the eastern shore between Como and Bellagio.
5. The lanes of Careno
A little further along the shore, the frazione of Careno is Nesso in miniature: no cars, only steep stepped alleys threading between stone houses down to a quiet landing. At the top stands the church of San Martino, its bell tower built into the façade. It takes twenty unhurried minutes to walk through, and almost no one does.
Planning your visit
Getting there. Nesso is a scheduled stop for the lake boats, and arriving by water gives you the waterfall head-on; see our Lake Como ferry guide for routes and timetables. By car, follow the SS583 from Como or Bellagio and park above the village — the descent is on foot from there.
Best for. Photographers, walkers and anyone hunting the quieter side of the lake. Nesso is a classic entry on any list of Lake Como’s hidden gems, and its stepped lanes tie into the wider network in our hiking and outdoors guide.
When to go. Spring and early autumn are ideal, when the waterfall is full and the steps are cool. Summer brings crowds to the harbour viewpoint by midday, so go early. Winter is quiet and dramatic, though some cafés close.
Nearby. Combine Nesso with its eastern-shore neighbours Lezzeno and Pognana Lario, or continue up the shore to grand Bellagio. All three sit within easy reach on the same run.
Nesso will not detain you a whole day, and it does not try to. Give it a morning — the climb down, the roar of the gorge, a coffee by the water, the long climb back up — and it will lodge in your memory far longer than villages three times its size.