Nesso-Lake Como-Italy | Spectacular Gorge Above a Unique Waters Basin.


Nesso is a very pleasant resort on Lake Como in Italy highlighted by a spectacular gorge above a unique waters basin, a diamond called Lario which is one of the most desired destinations worldwide since a long time ago.

That municipality of Northern Lombardy is situated along the panoramic National Road 583 which starts in proximity of Piazza del Popolo in the city of Como leading to the pearl of the Lake Bellagio and along that scenic hallway you will have the chance to admire several magnificent fairytale places immediately outside of the capital of the province all to remember as an indelible image to to take with you forever.

During a picturesque and charming climb the first municipality you will meet is the charming Brunate, the famous Balcony of the Alps and immediately after other picturesque towns as Blevio and Torno  you will be in a geographic point in which that striking lake side stretch forms a captivating promontory facing the fascinating town of Moltrasio north of the famous resort of Cernobbio on the other coast of Lake Como highlighted by a superb bay with protagonist the luxury Hotel and former noble mansion Villa D' Este. (In the case you are interested I wrote a post about that place and Blevio too)
 
The Strada Statale continues crossing small wonderful centres as Faggeto Lario where the lake shows an ample bend forming a pretty large gulf before to reach Pognana Lario where it is narrower and with fantastic sights towards Carate Urio and Laglio before to enter in the boundaries of Nesso, a very picturesque site, a place situated in a small wild valley called Valle Nosè but also known as Val Nosee.

Often that area is unnoticed because many times the tourists who are travelling along that stunning road which leads straight from Como to Bellagio jump or ignore the presence of that magnificent place which apart its superb natural beauty and numerous attractions also boasts a considerable historic patrimony.

If the visitor wants to see something simply special and unique returning home with an unforgettable image of Lake Como imprinted in his memories, Nesso is of course the right place.

It is a site where the panoramic views are absolutely amazing in a sublime territory where a group of scenic mountains meet divine blue waters in a romantic embrace along an ascent highlighted by a multitude of sinuous curves and unforgettable corners of a stupendous scenery which could be a poster for every promotion spot of the tourism industry.

Situated in a stunning hilly area at 301,0 metres of altitude overlooking the lake, that small centre with a population  of approximately 1,300 inhabitants facing Brenno on the opposite shoreline of the Lario lies before a panoramic curve which leads to the charming town of Lezzeno, just after a spectacular bend just some minutes to approach the boundaries of the magnificent Bellagio just 15,0 kilometres away along that unforgettable journey.

Superb medieval art, impressive sights, an intact nature, the memories of significant historic events which took place in that land marvel of the globe are as melted in a sort of hymn to the most refined poetry, in a place which always and eternally enchanted eminent poets, writers, philosophers composers also film-makers in different periods and of a varied provenance.


It is not a case that place is in addition one of the favourite subject of many contemporary photographers and landscape painters who desire without hesitations to immortalise the silhouette of that paradise on the oriental coast of that idyllic waters basin with protagonist the Orrido di Nesso, a spectacular natural, dreaming deep gorge formed by two tiny valleys, the Tuf and Nosè and two wild torrents descending as a mesmerising mirage above an enchanting borgo arouse in the Middle Ages as a loyal partner of a scenery simply divine.

 Very kind and nice locals, a good number of accommodations as comfortable B&B in its municipal, an exquisite cuisine, the chance to practise different kinds of outdoor activities as a wide range of water sports, trekking and cycling are other great features just like an uncontaminated atmosphere which makes since a long time ago that wonder a desired climatic destination.

That land was inhabited since prehistoric times according to archaeological excavations with the finding of artifacts of notable value and later it was a well known Celtic settlement.

The former ancient inhabitants recorded as official settlers were the Insubri related to another proto-Celtic tribe, the Ligurians who also had different contacts with some Etruscans in Lombardy and in the nearest Swiss Canton of Ticino. 

 They probably assimilated other Celts, the Cauni, another ethnic group who lived in the current Porlezza on the slopes of high plateaus  between Lake Como and Lake Lugano.(I wrote a post about that resort).

The name Nesso is closely linked to that population and it derives from Ness linked to the famous word which gave popularity to a notorious Scottish lake, famous worldwide for an enigmatic and mysterious monster apart its marvellous beauty and in a traditional dialectal expression the town is called "Nesss" with a very long letter S as final.

Those former inhabitants, pagans, polytheist and believers of several divinities linked to nature when saw those two torrents called Tuf and Nosè forming that spectacular waterfall which took the famed denomination Orrido di Nesso immediately believed that the presence of those waters was related to something of magic as a donation of  Ness who was according to the Celtic faith the venerated God of the waters and since then born that myth of that spectacular rocky gorge emblematic symbol of the town and its name.

The Romans colonised all the area of the Lario and also that centre became a land of the powerful Imperial Rome after the conquest led by the General and Consul Marcus Claudius Marcellus in 200 BC.

The victorious operation of the Legions of that Empire  was not so easy, that Imperial Officer had considerable difficulties to tame those Celts characterised by a strong unity and perfectly knowing the territory and furthermore because the Insubrians found in the belligerent Gaesataes, a Gallic populations coming from the French Alps very good allies.

The victory of that General who was also famous later for his participation in the Punic wars against Hannibal and Carthage was sanctioned by a direct duel with the Gallic King Viridomarus who was in that time elevated as leader of that Gallic-Celtic coalition.

After that epic event started a slow Latinisation and Romanisation  of the locals culminated with the assimilation of all the former settlers.

The centre received the title of Civitas Viculis and Coloniae, a declared official town and colony of the Roman Empire and Nesso as other villages on the shores of Lake Como suffered after the fall of that influential Italic ruler several invasions by Goths and Lombards.

The first were mainly devoted to raids and incursions while the second Germanic tribe established  between 568 and 569 the basis of a notable Reign with the establishment of an organised defencive system. Including they developed on the trace of a former road established by the Romans the renowned Via Regina developed in honour of the regarded Queen Theodolinda from Ratisbona, the current Bavarian city of Regensburg who married the King Authari in 589.

The Lombard domain endured over two centuries until 774 when they were defeated and replaced by the Franks who under the Carolingian dynasties Christianized the entire land which also entered in the Holy Roman Empire.

In medieval times the current resort became an important centre of residence of Bishops and Archbishops and during that period due to that Nesso acquired a prominent position.

In that time many neighbouring villages were under administration of the current town which later became a target of conquest in a long war between the Duchies of Milan and Como with the victory of the first who found an alliance with Nesso against the capital of the Lario.

The town was also protagonist in 1531 of a famous battle between the Milanese Duke Francesco Sforza and Gian Giacomo Medici Duke of Marignano and Marquis of Lecco and Musso well known as the Medeghino with the total destruction of the former fortress of which  some rests of lookout towers are visible today.

After a short period of occupation by the French army landed in Italy to face the invasion of the Protestant Swiss League and a brief period of rule of the Spanish Aragonese House in Lombardy in a tumultuous period linked to the wars of succession, Lake Como and Nesso were later occupied by France once again with divisions led by Napoleon Bonaparte who managed a campaign to abolish the feudalism in the Italic Peninsula.

That leader used a notable number of soldiers all around the coasts of the Lario to face a possible attack by the House of Habsburg which was enlarging its domains in Northern Italy. In1815 after the Napoleonic fall the entire Lombardy entered in the domain of the powerful Austro-Hungarian Empire which founded the historic Regno Lombardo Veneto, a former Kingdom which consisted in the current region,Veneto,Trentino Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia.

The local history continued when that centre joined the Reign of Italy after the battle of San Fermo in proximity of Como which took place on 27th May 1859, an event in which the Kingdom of Sardinia and Piedmont incorporated all the Lario lands in the new Italian Kingdom in 1860 with the official proclamation in 1861 by the House of Savoy led in that time by King Victor Emmanuel II.

Before the advent of the modern tourism Nesso has always lived with its primary resources which were agriculture and fishing on the lake. Other small activities were concentrated mainly in small groups of artisans, extraction of stones from quarries located in the nearest mountains and production of starch and silk by the presence of several water mills established on local rivers and streams.

A sort of ancient tourism started anyway many centuries ago.The Romans loved that area of the Lario for its mild climate and the Empire sent there a colony of Greeks expert in the cultivation of vineyards with the viticulture occupying a position of extreme relevance.

Those activities generated that many Patrician families started to visit those places to see those impressive and scenic vines rows arranged in terraces on the local hills around that settlement.

Some centuries later the area was also often visited by prominent people of art and literature in different periods such as Virgilius, Leonardo da Vinci, Stendhal, Manzoni, Dumas,Wagner,Liszt,Lord Byron, Goethe,D´Annunzio and many other illustrious figures transited on that spectacular road to admire the beauty and the enchanting, scenic image of Lake Como in Nesso and its proximity.

The current town is the result of some former villages such as Careno, Scerio, Tronno,   Castello, Borgo,Onzanigo and Vico which all together form the current municipality.They are tiny agglomerations which have kept their old charming aspect, all them picturesque and historical places with their own identity.

The centre is arranged around its Municipio, the Town Hall along the Strada Provinciale 44 a road which starts as a branch of the National Road 583 forming a sort of ring from north to south leading to the area of the Vecchi Mulini, the old mills.

Nesso apart its scenic image also has a relevant historical and cultural patrimony and you can start the visit with the Chiesa di San Pietro e Paolo, the Parish Church dedicated to the Saints and Evangelists Peter and Paul situated in a charming square.

The current Baroque aspect of that Religious building is the result of a restoration and chronological architectural changes although that construction was erected in medieval times exactly in the 11th century.

That period is also when that Sacred Temple was consecrated by Pope Urbano II while the bell tower was rebuilt in the 17th century replacing a previous.

The main body of the Church started to have a change after a post medieval large restoration with a new re-arranged large facade having a central doorway flanked by two Neo Classic stoned columns.

On the sides were placed the statues of the two Saints patrons, Peter and Paul and a series of four square vertical columns integrated in the front side inserted on the sides of the sculptures. In the upper section you can see three windows and in the centre an arched one bigger than other two established on its flanks while on the top you can admire a large pediment with fresco topped by an iron cross.

The interior consists in a ample nave with a Baroque altar, beautiful frescoes and fine stuccoes dating back the 19th century and early 20th century. One of the most relevant highlights is the tomb with the relics of the Bishop Rainaldo of Como who lived for a long period in Nesso in the 11th century. 

The main building and the bell tower are totally in stone including the sloping roof of the structure and that is certainly a great attraction making it a very uniform and homogeneous construction.

The two structures are adjacent, the bell tower on the left is pretty sober highlighted by a circular white clock with big roman numbers. Erected on a square plan it is surmounted by a metallic cross, it has a wide curved window at the height of the belfry and in a corner adjacent to that imposing construction you can see a very picturesque narrow street.

The emblematic local symbol is undoubtedly the Orrido,  that beautiful masterpiece of nature,a magnificent waterfall in a rocky gorge descending next to some houses of the town.The Orrido is the confluence of two torrents called Tuf and Nosè flowing at the mouth of their respective valleys with the same name which form that unforgettable site to remember forever above that unique waters basin called Lake Como.

The Orrido di Nesso is considered one of the best places for photographers to show the beauty of the major attractions around the Lario, a unique and incomparable marvel of the extra basin.

The best site to admire that magnificent wonder is Piazza Castello, Castle Square while another one is  from the Ponte Romano, the Roman Bridge from where there is also another beautiful perspective of the Val Nosee.

That marvellous nature masterpiece was also according to historical documentations admired by the great Leonardo Da Vinci in a trip during the several years in which the Tuscan artist lived in Milan and that Genius cited the Orrido di Nesso in the Atlantic code.

Leonardo wrote : "Nesso, a land where a river falls with all its strength forming a huge slot in a mountain." Apart the admiration of that prominent figure other artists remained enchanted by that so scenic and unique view above the lake and he came back there in different occasions.

Including writers fell in love with that place and in the 19th century a notorious writer from Novara also famous to be a fervent patriot called Giambattista Bazzoni cited Nesso and its imposing and spectacular Orrido in some of his works such as the Guerra di Musso Falco della Rupe and the war of Musso,a town situated in the High Lario.

That work was written in 1829 and protagonist as main scene was Lake Como including Nesso and the image of its iconic Orrido conquered in that time the interest of other artists and ordinary people who started to flock very numerous to admire that wonder.

In other times that waterfall due to the power of that drop of waters was also used to produce energy for the local textile and paper factories and by the local mills which used that resource for their processes of productions.

Also the Film Industry could not resist to the fascination and appeal of that marvel and the British film-maker Alfred Hitchcock in 1925 chose that place for his work The Pleasure Garden based on a novel by Oliver Sandys starring Virginia Valli and Carmelita Gerachty produced by the German Bavaria Film and distributed by Wardour Film in the United Kingdom and Aymont Independent in U.S.A.

Some scenes were filmed in Lierna, a town in the province of Lecco and Nesso, with protagonist the iconic Ponte Roman , the scenic Roman bridge also called Ponte della Civera visible from the Antica Strada Regia,the famous Via Regina running along the coast of the lake.

It is reachable by the Orrido descending 340 stoned steps and  it was built to connect the Riva del Castello consisting in one side of the former fortress  to another side of the Val Nosè and as the Orrido is the most photographed place of the municipality for its historical value and for the spectacular image it offers with that spectacular waterfall above it.

In Careno,the neighbourhood on  shore of the lake you can admire the medieval Chiesa di San Martino dedicated to St.Martin. Generally it is closed but there is the opportunity to ask to open it at Nesso pier for a visit.

That Religious construction is a great work of the Middle Ages in the Como province dating back the 12th century and  it is definitely a masterpiece of Romanesque art in that corner of the Lario.

The nave with its original vaults is one of the main highlights with relevant frescoes of fine Lombard School among them the Annunciation of Jesus Christs and another one depicting the Crucifixion of Jesus with Saints. 

The building had some restorations and  it was partially remodelled in some occasions also in the interior and those superb works are visible in a mullioned loggia added many years later the construction of the former Temple. Very interesting is the stoned bell tower erected on a wide square plan which presents traditional curved windows of traditional Lombard school.

In a hilly plateau above that neighbourhood another must is an attraction you can not miss, the famous Grotta Masera. It is a marvellous cave which since the beginning of the 20th century became a favourite destination of local and foreign expert speleologists.

Situated at approximately 345,0 metres of altitude, it is a charming natural labyrinth containing a huge amount of beautiful and fascinating surprises such as meandering tunnels, small galleries of different size, several waterways, tiny water basins and small waterfalls. 

Masera Cave is considered one of the most beautiful discoveries in its kind on Lake Como connected to the water system of the surrounding mountains including the Piani del Tivano.

The presence of that marvel created a notable interest to discover much more  that underground wonder of great value and fascination which also includes a small natural channel of water directly ending into the lake.

In the street Via del Pero at Careno you can admire the Chiesa della Beata Vergine Dell´Assunta, a Church dedicated to the Virgin Mary of the Assumption.It is a fine Baroque Sacred construction dating back the 17th century with an attractive curved facade and a sober high bell tower elevated on its right side.

The facade consists in two blocks,the inferior includes a rectangular wooden doorway surrounded by a frame of stoned borders while the upper section presents a rectangular stained glass window and on the top was placed a metallic Christian cross.

The Church in its interior contains some interesting frescoes, one of them of considerable value depicting the Virgin of the Assumption and other attractions are relevant refined stuccoes dated the 17th century.

In the neighbourhood of Vico in the upper territory of the municipality you can admire a relevant example of Lombard Romanesque Art. Como and its province are very famous for stunning gems of architecture in stone and the Chiesa di Santa a Maria a Vico dedicated to St.Mary is a very significant artistic symbol of that kind of architectural style.

The main building and the bell tower were totally erected using that material and  including the sloping roof of the construction .The two buildings are adjacent, the bell tower was elevated on a square plan surmounted by a metallic cross and on its summit it is highlighted by the presence of an ample white circular clock.

The interior is very charming,with relevant Renaissance frescoes and absolutely beautiful is its nave covered by spectacular Romanesque vaults.

Nesso has a small picturesque pier and a pleasant promenade.A walk along that place is to enjoy the beautiful views of Lake Como,anytime, the view towards Brienno, Argegno and south in direction of Laglio in which the lake along the historical Via Regina forms a picturesque promontory on a gently curve is simply amazing.

Every time,morning or evening, spring,summer or winter ,Nesso is a great destination to spend holidays with great stays remembering for a long time that stupendous place.

The Strada Provinciale, the Provincial Road leads to Piani del Tivano a spectacular mountainous area at 1120,0 metres of altitude a splendid sitewhich was a former ski station some decades ago.

Today it is still famous for all those who love Nordic Ski withover 10,0 kilometres of slopes an ideal site to practise Ski Country but it is also in other seasons a special destination for trekkers and photography lovers and for all those who desire to admire beautiful landscapes from a fantastic view point overlooking the lake in a scenery composed by splendid mountains and wonderful forests all around that wonderful height.

The Val Nosee is since a long time ago a beloved destination for mountain bikers, crossing along trails a paradise of birches, beeches, broom and firs forests, spectacular changes of slopes moving from gently hills characterised by the presence of wild apple and cherry trees and some vines to rugged rockt sections over the 800,0 metres of altitude at the foothills of the majestic Alps, a territory simply created by nature for the lovers of that activity on two wheels.

The local gastronomy reflects the cuisine of Lake Como with excellent fish as the traditional Missoltini,the Lavarello,Alborelle and Pesce Persico, all them with other fish are also present in the Frittura Mista a combined plate of fried fish.The Pesce in Carpione is another traditional speciality which in its process is before fried and after marinated. 

The Pesce Persico, a delectable perch us also used in the risotto which is also cooked in different styles such as with cheeses, mushrooms and Luganighe, local pork sausages also combined with the classic local Polenta prepared in addition with cheese and butter.

The famous Polenta Uncia is another popular recipe cooked with sage, garlic, butter and cheese accompanying furthermore delicious beef stews such as Brasato and Spezzattini.

The Minestrone is another traditional plate prepared with different kinds of vegetables while the Filascetta, a sort of Focaccia prepared with red onions, butter and cheese is another old traditional local delight.

The local cheeses as Formaggelle, Gorgonzola, Taleggio,Semuda, Zincarlin are of high quality and they are also used apart with risotti and polenta as ingredients for sauces added to Gnocchi or other plates.

Notable is also the production of local Salami very similar as flavour to the famous Salame Milano and a famed Pancetta,  a kind of bacon of high quality. Other excellent plates which complete a great gastronomic offer are  venison,pheasant,wild boar and hare cooked in sauce,grilled, baked, in stews or in sauce.

Milan Malpensa Airport is situated at 73,0 kilometres of distance and in approximately one hour and some minutes via Como which is the exit to take along the Motorway A9 you will be at destination.

Nesso is one of some unforgettable places you can not miss during a visit or holidays in Italy on Lake Como with the opportunity to admire a spectacular place surrounded by a wonderful nature and with the view of that magnificent basin of waters called Lario.

Sometimes ignored but with that magnificent highlight that wonderful gorge the Orrido,Nesso is a splendid gem for history, culture and natural beauty.

Discovering and visiting that kind of  place is to know and learn a little bit more about the superb beauty of Lake Como with its endless patrimony and spectacular marvels will delight and impress you.


Francesco Mari



Recommended Accommodations in Nesso

B&B La Cascata
B&B Locanda Mose
Hotel Tre Rose

Recommended Restaurants in Nesso
.
Restaurant Locanda Tre Rose (at Hotel Tre Rose)
Trattoria il Porto


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