Lombardy · Como
Tremezzina
The 2014 merger of four Lake Como villages that holds Villa Carlotta, Isola Comacina and the UNESCO Sacro Monte di Ossuccio.
Known for
VILLA CARLOTTA
Seventeen acres of gardens around a late-1600s villa, with the largest rhododendron and azalea collection in the central lake.
ISOLA COMACINA
Lake Como's only island, the wealthiest place on the lake before Como destroyed it in 1169, untouched since.
SACRO MONTE
Fourteen Baroque chapels above Ossuccio, inscribed by UNESCO in 2003 alongside eight other Sacri Monti in Lombardy and Piedmont.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Oct
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Why come
Tremezzina was created on 25 May 2014 from the merger of Lenno, Mezzegra, Ossuccio and Tremezzo, four villages along the central western shore of Lake Como facing Bellagio. The new comune holds Villa Carlotta, built in the late 1600s for the Marquis Giorgio Clerici and later named for Princess Carlotta who received it in 1850, with seventeen acres of gardens and one of the great rhododendron collections in Italy. Isola Comacina, the lake's only island, was the wealthiest place on the lake before Como's destruction of it in 1169; nothing has been built there since, and it is now an archaeological site.
The Sacro Monte di Ossuccio is one of nine Lombard and Piedmontese Sacri Monti inscribed by UNESCO in 2003: fourteen Baroque chapels built between 1635 and 1710, climbing the prealpine slope two hundred meters above the lake to a sanctuary of 1532. Mussolini was captured in Dongo north of here and shot in Giulino di Mezzegra on 28 April 1945; the black cross by the road still marks the spot.
The Sunday letter
We haven’t written Tremezzina’s letter yet.
One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.
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What to see
Villa Carlotta
Late seventeenth-century villa built for the Marquis Giorgio Clerici, with seventeen acres of gardens, more than 150 rhododendron and azalea species, and a sculpture collection.
Isola Comacina
Lake Como's only island, the wealthiest medieval settlement on the lake until its destruction by Como in 1169, now an archaeological site.
Sacro Monte di Ossuccio
UNESCO site of fourteen Baroque chapels built 1635-1710, climbing two hundred meters above the lake to the Beata Vergine del Soccorso sanctuary of 1532.
Abbazia dell'Acquafredda
Cistercian abbey above Lenno, founded in the twelfth century, with a small church and cloister set in the woods on the slope above the lake.
Greenway del Lago di Como
Ten-kilometer walking route between Colonno and Cadenabbia, passing through all four founding villages of Tremezzina along the western shore.
The slow-trip planner
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We recommend
Where to eat and stay
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to — a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
La Terrazza Gualtiero Marchesi del Grand Hotel TremezzoRistorante
La Terrazza Gualtiero Marchesi del Grand Hotel Tremezzo has a Gambero Rosso listing to its name.
Grand Hotel TremezzoHotel
Two Michelin Keys for Grand Hotel Tremezzo, along with a La Liste score of 97 and a place on Italy's historic-locali register.
Living here
- Population 4,993
- In-betweeni
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Nearest airport Milan, 1 h 52 min drive
- Regional capital Milano, 1 h 24 min drive
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 209 m
- Population: 4,993
- Surface area: 29.41 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
Close by
More towns near Tremezzina
Menaggio
Province: Como
On the western shore of Lake Como at the mouth of the Senagra, the lake's old Roman crossing point between Como, Bellagio and the Valtellina.
Bellagio
Province: Como
On the promontory where Lake Como splits into three arms, with Villa Serbelloni on the high ground and Villa Melzi on the western shore.
Varenna
Province: Lecco
A fishing village founded in 769 on the Lecco arm of Lake Como, with a steep grid of streets falling into the water.
Cernobbio
Province: Como
On the southwest shore of Lake Como at the foot of Monte Bisbino, the town where Villa d'Este has been a luxury hotel since 1873.
Bellano
Province: Lecco
An eastern Lake Como town where the Pioverna cut a gorge through fifteen million years of rock before reaching the lake.
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