Gravedona, Lake Como: the upper-lake village seen from the water
A Romanesque church right on the shore, a four-towered palace on the rocks, Piona and Monte Legnone across the water. Gravedona, as you see it from a water taxi.
Gravedona, Lake Como: this is the upper lake, where the west shore opens into a wide gravel plain left by the Liro stream. I bring guests up here when they want to go beyond Menaggio and Bellagio, and every time it strikes me the same way: the lake breathes differently up north. It opens out, and the mountains come closer.
Gravedona, Lake Como, from the water: what you see arriving by boat
Coming up from the south, the first thing you spot is Palazzo Gallio, perched on a rocky headland just north of the village, a tower at each corner. From the road it looks like a palace. From the water it still looks like a fortress, and that is not far off: its walls take in what was left of an old castle.
Then, almost at the water's edge, the striped pale and dark front of Santa Maria del Tiglio. I ease off the throttle, the surface flattens near the promenade, and behind you the whole opposite shore fills the view: the Piona peninsula and Monte Legnone, the last big peak of the lake before the Valtellina valley.
Gravedona has its own Navigazione Laghi ferry pier. With the water taxi we agree on board where to drop you off, depending on how the lake is that day. From there, the village is easy to explore on foot.
A short history of Gravedona
The name most likely comes from an ancient word for a gravelly shore, and one look from the boat tells you why. Gravedona stood on the Via Regina, the old road from Como to Chiavenna and the Alpine passes, and for centuries, together with Dongo and Sorico, it made up the Tre Pievi, the Three Parishes of the upper lake.
In 1580 Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio acquired the county of the Tre Pievi and had his palace built here. The stone tablet in the lakeside loggia bears the date 1586. In 1636, during the wars over the Valtellina, the Duke of Rohan tried to destroy it and burned the roof. The palace has been publicly owned since 1983 and now hosts exhibitions, concerts and events.
Things to see in Gravedona
- 01Santa Maria del Tiglio
Twelfth-century Como Romanesque a few steps from the water, built in white Musso marble and dark Olcio stone, with the bell tower rising straight out of the façade. Tradition says the name comes from a linden tree (tiglio) that grew on top of the tower. Inside there are fragments of frescoes and the old font: this was the parish baptistery.
- 02Palazzo Gallio
Square plan, four towers, open loggias facing the lake and the terraced garden. It is also known as the palace of the Four Towers. The garden is public; for the halls, check the exhibitions and events calendar on the town's official website before you go.
- 03The Castello quarter and the Prà Castello viewpoint
The oldest part of town: stone houses pressed together, shady lanes, steep steps between little squares. A plaque marks the house where Alessandro Volta stayed. At the top, the viewpoint looks over the promenade and the upper lake.
- 04San Vincenzo and Santa Maria delle Grazie
The parish church of San Vincenzo stands next to the Tiglio, with a Romanesque crypt beneath it. Santa Maria delle Grazie and the cloister of the former Augustinian convent are a short walk away.
When to visit Gravedona
From May to September the village is lively and the crossing is pleasant at any hour. I prefer mornings: calm water, clean light on the Tiglio façade, few people around. On summer afternoons the breva picks up over the upper lake, the southerly wind that sailors and windsurfers love between Domaso and Colico. On a boat you feel it, the water gets choppy, and we plan the ride back with that in mind.
Spring and early autumn have their own appeal: sharp mountains, fresh air, the lakefront almost to yourself. Always check the official websites for church, palace and ferry times before setting off.
Nearby places to pair by boat
Gravedona fits nicely into a day on the upper lake. Right next door is Dongo, the second of the Three Parishes. Across the water on the Lecco side is the Abbazia di Piona with its Romanesque cloister, and a little further up Colico, where the lake ends beneath the mountains. The easiest way to see them together is our full-day boat tour.
