Orrido di Bellano
Looking for the most unique things to do in Lake Como? Escape the crowds of Bellagio and Varenna to explore the breathtaking Orrido di Bellano, a dramatic natural gorge carved into the lake's eastern shore. This incredible natural wonder takes you deep inside the canyon on suspended walkways, where you'll witness cascading waterfalls, turquoise pools, and sheer canyon walls—an unforgettable, short, and thrilling adventure that is one of the best-kept tourist attractions around Lake Como!Explore Lake Como's Orrido di Bellano
Accessing the Orrido di Bellano is straightforward. Find the small, time-limited visitor parking area at the end of Via Roma, situated beneath the beautiful historic church, the Chiesa Prepositurale dei Santi Nazaro e Celso. Ascend the nearby staircase and proceed through the right-hand doorway to the ticket office. Purchase your entrance ticket (€7.50, September 2025 pricing) here before stepping into the canyon for the start of the dramatic gorge walk.The Gorge Experience & Waterfalls
After purchasing your entrance ticket, the trail leads up a series of stairs before it passes ironworks that once used the gorge's water to power a cotton mill. Follow the stone archways as they run alongside a large metal pipe, likely used for modern day hydroelectric power generation, as the path leads you into the heart of Orrido di Bellano. Along the way, you'll pass views of a scenic stone arch bridge with turquoise pools of water below your feet.Once you're in the heart of Orrido di Bellano, the suspended walkway passes several large, plummeting waterfalls that roar and reverberate through the canyon's walls. These waterfalls are hard to miss as they spill over the gorge's bedrock to form tall cascades of rushing water, some reaching heights of about 15 m (50 feet) in height. As you pass these waterfalls, look for more vibrant turquoise pools of water in the gorge below.
After passing three large waterfalls, Orrido di Bellano opens up from the narrow rock canyon to reach a more open, lush grotto where the suspended trail runs along the outside of the gorge. Here, visitors will find Instagram-worthy photo opportunities with turquoise pools, the suspended metal trail, and a large waterfall at the end of the path. Following the suspended trail around the outside of the gorge's walls, you'll find different perspectives of the turquoise pools, lush fern-filled gorge walls, and eventually you'll reach the large waterfall. The southern most viewpoint along the suspended trail stops at the large tumbling waterfall that cascades into the gorge from high above. This waterfall is approximately 20m (65 feet) tall and is one of the most scenic spots within the entire gorge of Orrido di Bellano.
The walk continues along the east and north side of the gorge as it heads back toward the trailhead entrance. Along the way, visitors will find more stunning views of Orrido di Bellano, it's suspended trail, turquoise pools, and the large 20m tall waterfall cascading in the background. The suspended trail eventually reaches a stone pathway that leads visitors to the exit of the gorge.
