Lezzeno, Lake Como: The Village of the Blue Grotto

Shoreline of Lezzeno on Lake Como with the central lake and Bellagio in the distance — The long shoreline of Lezzeno with the central basin of Lake Como opening beyond. Photo: Maurizio Moro5153 / Wikimedia Commons – CC BY-SA 4.0.

Some Lake Como villages gather around a harbour; Lezzeno stretches out along the shore. It is a long, low village on the eastern side of the lake, just south of Bellagio, strung for kilometres beneath steep cliffs — and it hides one of the lake’s quieter curiosities in the rock at the water’s edge.

Without a headline monument, Lezzeno trades on water and light: its grotto, its coves and open views toward the point where the lake divides.

A brief history

Lezzeno grew as a scattered fishing community along this shadowed eastern shore, its hamlets strung out beneath the cliffs; locals still say the village goes without sun in winter and without moon in summer. Life here was tied to the lake — boats, nets and the narrow shore — and the village kept the strung-out, unshowy shape of that fishing past.

Where Lezzeno sits on the lake

Lezzeno lies on the eastern shore of the Como arm, immediately south of Bellagio, facing the central basin where the lake’s arms meet. Steep cliffs rise directly behind the village, and the shore looks west and north toward the Bellagio promontory and the villas of the Tremezzina across the water.

Traditional Lucia rowing boat moored on the Lezzeno shore of Lake Como — A traditional Lucia rowing boat moored along the Lezzeno shore. Photo: Marimari52 / Wikimedia Commons – CC BY-SA 4.0.

The best things to see in Lezzeno

1. The Blue Grotto and boat caves

Lezzeno’s best-known feature lies in the rock at the shore: the Grotta dei Bulberi, better known as the Grotta Azzurra, where in the right light the water glows a deep blue. Boat trips reach it from Bellagio and the nearby shore, the natural way to see this quiet stretch of cliff and cave.

2. The pebble beaches and swimming

The Lezzeno shore has some of the quietest swimming on the central lake — small pebble beaches and coves, largely local, with the great view across to Bellagio. It is a fine place to spend an unhurried afternoon in the water.

3. The views toward Bellagio

Because it faces the meeting point of the lake’s arms, Lezzeno enjoys a wide, changing panorama — the wooded Bellagio promontory, the boats crossing between the shores, the light shifting on the far mountains. It is reason enough to linger by the water.

Planning your visit

Getting there. Lezzeno sits on the eastern-shore road just before Bellagio and has landing points on the lake; boat trips to the caves run locally. See our Lake Como ferry guide.

Best for. Swimmers and boaters after a quiet shore near Bellagio; one of the lake’s hidden gems.

When to go. Summer for warm water and the best light in the grottoes; late spring and early autumn for quiet.

Nearby. Bellagio is a short hop north, with Nesso and its gorge down the shore to the south.

Lezzeno keeps its pleasures low-key — a boat into the caves, a swim off the pebbles, a long look at Bellagio across the water — the quiet neighbour of the lake’s most famous village.