Abbadia Lariana, Lake Como: beaches, the old silk mill and the Wayfarer's Path seen from the boat
The first village north of Lecco on the eastern shore, with the Grigne behind it, two kilometres of beaches and a 19th-century silk mill. Here it is the way I see it: from the water.
Abbadia Lariana, Lake Como: the first village you reach heading north from Lecco along the eastern shore of the Lecco branch. From the road it looks like somewhere you drive through. From the water it is a different story: long, low beaches, the bell tower of San Lorenzo close to the shore, and behind it the pale cliffs of the Grigne mountains that seem to drop straight onto the rooftops.
Abbadia Lariana, Lake Como: what you see arriving by boat
When I leave Lecco and point the bow north, Abbadia is the first place that opens up on the right. The mountains are very close here, and the village sits on a small plain built up by the Zerbo stream as it comes down from the Grignetta. That is why it has far more flat, green shoreline than the villages further north.
On a calm morning the water near the shore is clear, almost white over the gravel, then turns deep green where it mirrors the mountains. A boardwalk runs along the water for nearly two kilometres, so from the boat you see people strolling just above the lake and kayaks sliding out from the beaches.
How to get to Abbadia Lariana by boat
There is a landing stage in the centre of the village, served by the Navigazione Laghi ferries on the Lecco-Bellagio line. Timetables change with the seasons, so check the official website before you set off. Abbadia also has its own station on the Lecco-Tirano railway. With our water taxi we follow the shore slowly and stop wherever you like.
Next to the landing stage stands an old mulberry tree, possibly the oldest tree in the village. That is no coincidence: mulberry leaves fed the silkworms, and for a century this place lived on silk.
A short history of Abbadia Lariana
The name comes from an ancient Benedictine abbey. In the 13th century the Servite friars built a church on its remains; in the 18th century it was dedicated to San Lorenzo, and in 1888 it was enlarged. The abbey cloister is still there beside it. Today's municipality dates from 1928, when Abbadia sopra Adda merged with Linzanico and the hamlets above it.
Then came silk. In 1818 the silk merchant Pietro Monti turned a 15th-century building, once a mill, into a silk-throwing mill driven by water from the old mill race. The reeling works closed in 1903, the throwing mill in 1934. The town bought it in 1978 and opened it as a museum in 1998.
Things to do in Abbadia Lariana
- 01Civico Museo Setificio Monti
A real 19th-century silk mill, a short walk from the landing stage. Its heart is the circular throwing machine of 1818, one of the oldest surviving in Italy, restored to working order.
- 02San Lorenzo church and the cloister
On the lakefront, built on the remains of the abbey that gave the village its name. Inside are frescoes painted in 1915 by Luigi Tagliaferri, with the martyrdom of Saint Lawrence in the centre of the vault.
- 03The boardwalk and the beaches
About two kilometres of beaches, free and serviced, with kayak hire. The boardwalk over the water links almost all of them.
- 04The Sentiero del Viandante
The old footpath of the eastern shore starts right here and runs to Piantedo, about 45 kilometres north. The first stage, to Lierna, takes around three and a half hours, and you can ride the train back.
- 05Cenghen waterfall
The Zerbo stream drops about 50 metres into a rocky gorge. It is roughly an hour's easy walk, fine for children too, passing through the hamlet of Calech.
Best time to visit Abbadia Lariana
May to September is beach and swimming season. Spring and autumn are the right time for the Sentiero del Viandante and the waterfall, with cooler air and fewer people. The museum keeps different summer and winter hours, so always check the website first.
Places near Abbadia Lariana
To the south is Lecco, with Malgrate facing the town from the other shore. Heading north you reach Mandello del Lario, then the branch opens towards the central lake, with Bellagio on its point and Varenna just beyond.
