Lake Como

What are the must-try local dishes around Lake Como?

Lake Como sits between the mountains and the water. So you get fish from the lake and game from the hills. The signature dish is missoltino. That’s shad or agone (a local fish) salted, pressed, and sun-dried on stone slabs for 10 days. Then it’s grilled over embers, drizzled with olive oil, and served with polenta. Expect 12 to 15 EUR for a full plate in a proper trattoria.

Another classic is risotto con il pesce persico. That’s local perch fillets cooked in butter and sage, served over a creamy risotto made with bone broth from the fish frame. Price range: 14 to 18 EUR. Restaurants around Bellagio and Varenna do it well.

For something meaty, try cinghiale in umido (wild boar stewed with red wine, juniper, and herbs). Served with polenta. 15 to 20 EUR. And do not skip the local cheese, semuda. It’s a soft, aged cow’s milk cheese from Valtellina, best eaten with honey or on polenta.

Which local wines should you order?

Lake Como is in Lombardy, and the best wines come from the nearby Valtellina valley (30 minutes north by car). Order a Valtellina Superiore DOCG. It’s a Nebbiolo grown on steep terraces. Light, with red berry and earthy notes. A glass costs 6 to 8 EUR in a restaurant. A bottle in a shop costs 15 to 20 EUR.

In summer, drink a Lugana white from the southern end of Lake Garda. It’s local enough. A dry, mineral wine with notes of lemon and almond. 5 to 7 EUR a glass. For a sparkling option, get Franciacorta (the Italian méthode traditionnelle from Lombardy). A glass runs 8 to 12 EUR.

Skip the house wine at any tablecloth restaurant on the lakefront. They charge 6 EUR for bulk stuff. Instead, order a bottle of Sforzato di Valtellina (a passito red). It’s richer, pairs with cheese and game. 25 to 35 EUR a bottle.

Where to eat: recommended trattoria and a counteroption

Let’s compare two honest places and one big tourist trap.

Warning: at Barchetta Pizza (name changed to protect the guilty but you will recognize it by the cheap paper menus and a man standing outside waving), they charge 5 EUR for a small bottled water. The pizza costs 16 EUR and tastes like cardboard. Walk 200 meters inland to Pizzeria da Franco for a real 8 EUR margherita.

What tourist traps should you avoid?

First, the fixed menu “Lake Como Experience” for 35 EUR. It’s usually a sad plate of mixed fried fish (frozen, not fresh) and a limp salad. You can buy the same fresh fish at a market in Lecco for 6 EUR per kilo. Second, any restaurant that offers a “seafood plateau” 50 meters from the ferry terminal in Bellagio. That plateau is mostly mussels from Greece and prawns from Vietnam. They charge 40 EUR for something that costs 12 EUR to buy.

Third, aperitivo with a view. At Bar Milano in Como city center, an Aperol spritz costs 6 EUR. At Terrazza del Lago in Bellagio it costs 16 EUR. Same drink, same size. The view is nice but not worth 10 EUR extra.

Is it easy to find good food for under 20 EUR?

Yes. Avoid lakeside restaurants that seat 200 people. Go inland. In any town, walk up the street away from the water for 3 minutes. You find small places run by families. A plate of pasta (pizzoccheri, buckwheat pasta with cheese and cabbage) costs 11 to 14 EUR. A glass of local wine 5 EUR. Coffee 1.20 EUR. Many trattorias do a 12 EUR lunch set (primo + acqua + coffee). At Il Cantuccio in Varenna, that set is served Monday to Friday 12 to 2 PM. No booking needed.

Pro tip: buy cheese and salami from La Bottega del Formaggio in Menaggio on Via Calvi. They sell sliced local bresaola (dried beef) for 3.50 EUR per 100 grams and semuda cheese for 4 EUR per 150 grams. Pick up a loaf of pane di Como (rustic bread with buckwheat) for 3 EUR and eat on a bench overlooking the lake. Dinner for two under 10 EUR.

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