Lake Como: Under-the-radar Stuff I'd Tell My Friends to Do if They Were Here This Week
Recs from a local (me!) to have a blast while avoiding the tourist crush
Ciao friends,
Are you travelling to Como this summer? Are you here now? I consider you brave as high season in Como has taken on a new meaning in the last couple years and overtourism is the word on all locals’ lips. Never fear! I’ve got you.
If you’re here already, and can’t follow my first top tip, which is COME OFF SEASON, then follow my second tip, which is wake up early and experience the lake and city before 9:30am, linger over a caffè and brioche at a bar with the locals before the other tourists get out of bed.
Then follow my quick and dirty guide below to under-the-radar experiences on Lake Como below that also happen to be sustainable travel choices, not I heart Como t-shirts; these choices which will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside as well as making very special Lake Como memories. These are all local activities I have done or plan to do in 2024, so we might see each other there!
Activities in English and Italiano:
AperARTivo
PaperCrane Arts Italian nibbles + wine (a.k.a. aperitivo) + producing your very own piece of iconic Lake Como art to bring home with you = AperARTivo! Sarah Aller, a charismatic born and bred New Yorker, trained artist and teacher, leads art workshops using transfer techniques allowing even absolute beginner artist to produce works of art which double as visual souvenirs of your stay. What could be better?
Upcoming AperARTivos: Saturdays June 8 and June 15: 7:00pm and Wednesday June 15th: 7:00pm
Castel Baradello Night Tour
The medieval stone tower of Castello Baradello dominates the high hill at the south end of Como. Everyone wants to know if they can go there and yes, you can! Slow Lake Como runs a guided night tour to the tower; below is the view of the lake, city, and surrounding pre-Alpi mountains at night. To be honest, I don’t know if the tour is offered in English as well as Italian, but I don’t believe it really matters because you are having the hiking experience and, then, The View - both of which surpass need for words.
The tour is booked through Slow Lake Como. Click Experiences > Night Tours > Castel Baradello. Let me know if you enjoyed it as much as we did!
Upcoming tours: Saturdays 9:30pm
Urban Sketchers Lake Como
This is the brand NEW Lake Como chapter of the global Urban Sketchers organization. Guided walk and sketching with local artist Rebecca Prosino of Studio Prosino offers, a free monthly sketch walk in Como and quaint neighboring lake villages. You might be familiar with the global organization that encourages creating art while you travel as a memory. Take this special opportunity to draw while getting to know local environs and bringing home a special experience and memory.
Next sketch walk: Sunday June 8, 2024 11:00am Chiesa Parrocchia (in front of Bar Al Centrale) in Moltrasio
Lake Como Wellness
Want to chill like a local? Need your pilates, yoga, or dance fix while on holiday? LCW is a small, inclusive studio with a variety of classes in both English and Italian. My ride or die pilates teacher, Bea, is pictured below. Bea trained and taught in Paris and brings the muscle-burning fire and energy to every brilliantly-efficient class she leads. They also offer vinyasa and yin yoga, pre and post natal strengthening, and aerobic dance, all with certified instructors.
Como’s Covered Market and Grocery Stores
As you’ve seen in my monthly market foodletters, experiencing the current season’s bounty at the market is one of my greatest joys in life! It’s a free, wonderful, true local experience, and supports smaller, local farmers. Gillian Longworth McGuire explains the importance of seasonal eating in Italy in her wonderful How Do You Eat interview with Alicia Kennedy, “Eating seasonally is enforced here. There is not a choice.” This means we eat seasonally in Italy, food travels less, and tastes better… in fact, it tastes better than better!
Giulia Scarpeleggia describes the intensity of in-season flavors perfectly:
“if we want to look at seasonality with a hedonistic approach, eating seasonally means getting fruit and vegetables at their peak of flavor, coloring our tables with the best that Nature has to offer in any season, from sun-ripened peaches to a bunch of sweeter cavolo nero, softened by the frosty winter mornings.
The covered market offers stands for everything from fruits, vegetables, nuts, flowers, meat, poultry, fish, bread, plants, honey, olives, baccalà, and both fresh and dried herbs. Pick up ingredients for a private aperitivo on your hotel balcony or airbnb terrace! Plus there’s a Napolitano coffee bar inside in case you need an espresso cup-sized sustenance to keep you going. There are also many little fruttivendoli (fruit and veggie stands) in Como center and the surrounding villages as well.
Como Mercato Coperto Hours:
Tuesday 8-13
Thursday 8-13
Friday 8-19 (optional day; not all stands open )
Saturday 8-19 (though many stands close at mid-day)
Another great place to find food-centric souvineers is in Italian alimentari, grovery stores, and super markets. Tips on buying and packing Italian food souvenirs from my Pasta Carbonara post.
Some of the best Made in Italy souvenirs are edible. I always recommend that my visiting friends stop at the mercato or any supermarket during their stay. Head to the deli counter. Ask for hard cheese, pancetta, guanciale, etc. ‘sottovuoto’ which means vacuum packed. At Esselunga, my macellaio guarantees my parmiggiano reggiano and pecorino sardo fiore to last for 10 days out of the refrigerator “as long as you don’t leave it out on the balcony in the sun!” ha ha ha Grazie. More thoughts on artisanal, edible Italian souvenirs here.
Activities in Italiano:
Foraging Experience in the hills above Como:
Hello Lolly’s 2024 bucket list! Forage for seasonal goodies in the forest with Chef Mirko Gatti, chef of the Radici Restaurant. Spend the morning searching for wild herbs, roots, berries, and mushrooms in the forest with Chef Mirko and then return to the restaurant to cook them, ending with a three-course tasting menu including beverage pairings.
Hope you enjoyed this very special issue of Weeknight Pasta and savor every moment in Como and on the lake! Feel free to bookmark and share!
Un abbraccio,
x Lolly
x Lolly
These are great ideas. I can’t wait to check out the market!
Thanks for the tips! Doing a yoga or pilates class overlooking the lake sounds divine