Aperitivo on the waterfront

Aperitivo is the pause at the end of the day: a drink, with or without alcohol, served with something to eat.

It usually starts at around six in the evening and lasts until dinner time. On the lake, in fine weather, it is taken outdoors, at tables in the squares and along the waterfronts. In Como you start from Piazza Cavour, open to the lake in front of the boat pier: until the nineteenth century it was the town's harbour. From here the waterfront leads one way to the Tempio Voltiano and the breakwater with Life Electric, the other way to the funicular for Brunate. In Cernobbio, a quarter of an hour by boat from Como, Piazza Risorgimento, with its Art Nouveau pier, opens onto the lake. In Lecco, on the other branch of the lake, the lungolario runs past Piazza Cermenati and Piazza Stoppani, below the Basilica of San Nicolò. Off Piazza Stoppani the saint's gilded statue rises from the water, and on the far shore you see Malgrate and Monte Barro. Each of the three waterfronts can be reached without a car; with the walk and the stop, allow a couple of hours.

1. 01In Como, the walled town begins behind Piazza Cavour. Pompeo Marchesi's statue of Alessandro Volta has stood in Piazza Volta since 1838, with the streets of the old centre around it. Como Nord Lago station, with trains from Milano Cadorna, is two hundred metres from the waterfront.
2. 02From Piazza Cavour it is a quarter of an hour on foot to the tip of the breakwater, where Daniel Libeskind's Life Electric stands. The sun sets behind the hills opposite. To see the town from above, the funicular climbs from Piazza De Gasperi to Brunate in seven minutes.
3. 03You can reach Cernobbio from Como by boat or bus. On foot, the route from Villa Olmo follows Via per Cernobbio. For a walk through the parks, the Chilometro della Conoscenza links Villa Olmo, Villa del Grumello and Villa Sucota: check access arrangements for each park.
4. 04In Lecco, behind the lungolario, are Piazza XX Settembre, with the Torre Viscontea, and Piazza Garibaldi. The station is ten minutes' walk from the lake and about forty minutes by train from Milano Centrale.
5. 05With what comes with the drink, a Lombard aperitivo often takes the place of a light dinner.
6. 06For the evening return, check the last boat, bus or train beforehand. Boat timetables change with the season.

WhereComo · Cernobbio · Lecco