Valmadrera, Lake Como: A Town Between the Water and the Peaks

The Rocca di Valmadrera above the Lecco arm of Lake Como with mountains behind — The wooded Rocca promontory at Valmadrera rising above the Lecco arm of Lake Como at dusk. Photo: Claloca / Wikimedia Commons – CC BY-SA 4.0.

Some Lake Como towns live for the view; Valmadrera lives beneath it. This working town sits at the southern end of the Lecco arm, on the western side, ringed by mountains that rise straight from its rooftops — the Corno Birone and Monte Rai at its back, the quiet lower lake in front.

It is not a resort, and it does not pretend to be. Valmadrera is a real Lombard town with the lake at its feet and the mountains at its door.

A brief history

Valmadrera grew where the Lecco arm of the lake narrows toward the River Adda, a working community of farmers, craftsmen and, later, small industry. Its story is bound up with nearby Lecco and the mountains that hem it in, and it keeps the solid, lived-in character of a town that has always earned its living rather than posed for the camera.

Where Valmadrera sits on the lake

Valmadrera lies on the western side of the Lecco arm, a few minutes west of Lecco, just beyond Malgrate, at the point where the lake narrows toward the Adda. Behind it rise the Corno Birone and Monte Rai; across the valley to the southeast, the Parco Monte Barro overlooks the smaller basins where the lake gives way to the river.

Summit cross at Sasso di Preguda above Valmadrera with Lake Como and Monte Barro below — The summit cross at Sasso di Preguda on the hiking paths above Valmadrera, looking down over the lake and Monte Barro. Photo: Mario Falcetti / Wikimedia Commons – CC BY 4.0.

The best things to see in Valmadrera

1. The lakefront

Valmadrera’s waterfront looks out over a quiet, narrow stretch of the Lecco arm — a calm, largely local promenade for a walk by the water, with the mountains of the far shore reflected in it.

2. The climb to the Corno Birone

The great draw for many is the mountain above the town. Paths climb steeply from the San Martino sanctuary above the town toward the rocky Corno Birone and on toward Monte Rai, rewarding walkers with a superb outlook over the lake and the mountains around Lecco. Our Lake Como hiking guide covers walking in this area.

3. The town and its church

Valmadrera’s centre is a genuine Lombard town, with the parish church of Sant’Antonio Abate, everyday shops and cafés, and none of the resort polish of the tourist villages. It is a window onto ordinary life at the foot of the lake.

Planning your visit

Getting there. Valmadrera sits just west of Lecco, easily reached by road and bus from the city, which is itself well connected by train from Milan; see our Lake Como ferry guide for the boats that run from Lecco.

Best for. Walkers and travellers who want a real town and a mountain base rather than a resort.

When to go. Late spring to early autumn for the trails and the lakefront.

Nearby. The city of Lecco is minutes away across the arm, a natural pairing for a day here.

Valmadrera is a town to use rather than to gaze at — a quiet lakefront, a serious mountain, and the everyday life of the lake going on beneath the peaks.