A Mysterious Natural Place near Lake Como in North Italy

Have you ever been to Lombardy, in North Italy? Maybe you heard about this Italian region because of the well-known city of Milan, but hey! Beyond the main cities there are a lot of beautiful natural places to visit in Lombardy. Indeed, you can choose between lakes surrounded by amazing snow-blanched mountains and many other naturalistic areas.

In this post I want to talk about a very interesting place to visit near Lake Como, a non-conventional destination for this lake’s visitors, who usually go for a walk on the lakeside. The place I suggest is called Orrido (which is the Italian for gorge but also for horrible/monstrous) and it is a 15 million years rocky gorge near the City of Bellano, originated by the erosion activity of Pioverna, a little river. The Pioverna River has opened, year after year, a 50 m deep passage among the rock faces, creating spectacular waterfalls.

The name of this place is due to the Italian poet Sigismondo Boldoni who said it is an “horrendous horror of horrorness.” There’s an old legend linked to the Orrido of Bellano which makes it a mysterious place: the legend says that in this place lies the body of the so brave warrior Taino, buried with his precious treasure.
When you reach the entrance of the gorge you find a little kiosk where to buy the cheap ticket (3 € per adult) to get in. One of the first things you can see is Ca’ del Diavolo, a little tower built in 1.600 near the Pioverna River, whose name is linked to mythological creatures.

Once you begin this walk you see yourself surrounded by waterfalls and rocks looking like natural hideouts, walking on narrow bridges. At the end of this walk between rocks and waterfalls, your sight will get more and wider until you arrive into a big green valley with benches. Then, if you go back to the kiosk there’s a nice pic-nic area where you can have a rest.

If you want to have another trip in the surroundings of the Orrido of Bellano, you can move to the City of Como. Go and explore this wonderful area of North Italy!

If your trip lasts more than one day and you want to find a hotel where to stay at night, I suggest you Moom, an eco-hotel near Lake Como immersed in a quiet green area where you can have a very relaxing stay after the day spent at the Orrido.

The Orrido of Bellano is only one of the many unconventional destinations you can choose if you go to Lombardy, as I said at the beginning of this post. Hope you’ll enjoy this place, and discover its surroundings with the perspective of a curious explorer of the world!

This is a contribution from one of our contributing writers.

FOLLOW MY ADVENTURES ON YOUTUBE @PinoyAdventurista

Thank You For Sharing!