Blevio, Lake Como: The Villa Shore of the Opera Divas

Villas and wooded shoreline at Blevio on the eastern shore of Lake Como — Villas and gardens line the wooded eastern shore at Blevio. Photo: Ray Swi-hymn / Wikimedia Commons – CC BY-SA 2.0.

Some Lake Como villages made their name in stone; Blevio made its in song. This quiet village on the eastern shore, just across the water from Como and Cernobbio, was once the summer refuge of the stars of the nineteenth-century stage — and its villas still line the shore beneath the wooded hills.

There is no bustling centre here, only a scatter of hamlets, gardens and small coves. Blevio is a village to admire from the water and to visit for its calm.

A brief history

From the late eighteenth century onward, Blevio’s sheltered shore drew the stars of the European stage. The celebrated soprano Giuditta Pasta — for whom Bellini wrote Norma — kept a villa here from 1827, and the actress Adelaide Ristori, the ballerina Maria Taglioni and wealthy Milanese followed, building the lakeside houses that still define the village.

Before that operatic age, Blevio was a modest fishing community strung along the steep eastern bank, its hamlets strung up the steep bank. Both layers survive: the grand villas at the water, the old lanes above.

Where Blevio sits on the lake

Blevio lies on the eastern shore of the Como arm, immediately north of the city of Como and almost directly opposite Cernobbio. The wooded flank of the Triangolo Lariano rises steeply behind it toward Monte Boletto, and the village is really a series of small hamlets and coves rather than a single centre.

Quiet cove and lakeside villa garden at Blevio on Lake Como — A quiet cove and villa garden on the Blevio shoreline. Photo: Phyrexian / Wikimedia Commons – CC BY-SA 4.0.

The best things to see in Blevio

1. The villa shoreline

Blevio’s great pleasure is its waterfront of nineteenth-century villas and gardens, many tied to the singers and gentry who summered here. Most are private, so the shore is best appreciated from a boat or the ferry — a slow glide past garden walls, cypresses and boathouses.

2. The coves and the shoreline

The shore here is mostly private villa frontage, but a few small pebble coves are tucked between the walls, catching the afternoon light with the city and Cernobbio in view across the water.

3. The old hamlets and lanes

Above the villas, Blevio’s original hamlets survive as clusters of stone houses linked by steep, stepped paths. A short climb rewards you with quiet lanes, a small hamlet church and long views back over the lower lake.

Planning your visit

Getting there. Blevio is minutes from Como by road, bus or a short boat hop; see our Lake Como ferry guide for routes.

Best for. Travellers who want a quiet, villa-lined shore within reach of the city; one of the lake’s hidden gems.

When to go. Late spring through early autumn, for warm water and open gardens.

Nearby. Torno lies just up the eastern shore, with the city of Como and Cernobbio close by across the water.

Blevio keeps a low profile today, but its shore still carries a touch of the theatre — a quiet, elegant corner of the lake best met slowly, from the water.