A view over Italy: Griante (Lago Di Como)

For this month's View Over Italy, we return to Lago di Como and the small town of Griante, on the western shore. 

Notes from Luca Lanari

Griante (Lago di Como) - Giugno 2022 - Ripresa Aerea con Drone Mavic Air 2 - Music: Cydelix (ft Fotis Kostopulos-Shelter) - Tobacco Juice - Edit: Da Vinci Resolve

From Wikipedia

Griante is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Como in the Italian region Lombardy, located on the western shore of Lake Como about 25 kilometres (16 mi) northeast of Como between Menaggio (to the north) and Tremezzo. Griante also borders the communes of Bellagio and Varenna on the other side of the lake. The commune of Griante itself is situated some 50 metres above lake level, on a wide plateau. The portion of the commune sitting on the lake, where the community's tourist industry is situated, is known as Cadenabbia di Griante.

In 1853, Giulio Ricordi built a mansion, Villa Margherita Ricordi, in Cadenabbia di Griante on the shore of Lake Como where Verdi visited and is thought to have composed some parts of La Traviata.

Tourism Info for Griante (from Mylakecomo.co)

The village of Griante is located in a wide plain within the central area of Lake Como, opposite to the Bellagio promontory and with the Grigne Dolomite range as a background.

Thanks to its privileged location, which grants the town a temperate climate, Griante area is full of villas. The majority of these villas are located near the lakeshore and were built between the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, when tourism steeply increased in Tremezzina and Griante began to attract British and German tourists. The villas hosted distinguished personalities: Giuseppe Verdi composed the most beautiful arias of La Traviata surrounded by the quiet of Villa Margherita (also called Villa Ricordi). The Chartreuse de Parme, Stendhal’s masterpiece, was mainly set in Griante. H. W. Longfellow dedicated some marvellous lines to Cadenabbia.
​
Furthermore, among the personalities who stayed in Griante, feature: Queen Victoria of England, Nicholas II of Russia, the German Emperor Wilhelm II, the Prince Umberto II di Savoia (before becoming the last king of Italy), pope Pius XI as well as chancellor Konrad Adenauer, one of the European Union’s founding fathers, who used to describe Griante as his “second home.”

Griante’s beautiful villas, surrounded by gardens and parks hosting precious tree species, present a fascinating path stretching from Cadenabbia to Menaggio, along the Greenway.

Worth a visit: the Anglican Church of Ascension, the church of Santi Nabore e Felice and the church of San Martino, with its panoramic trail.

​Find out more at the Lake Como Tourism Website.

The nearest major airport to Griante is Malpensa Airport in Milan.