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At the tip of the Ogliasca peninsula sits this Benedictine abbey, cloaked in silence. The abbey was founded in the 9th century, and the little church has Romanesque carvings decorating the water stoups and the capitals and bases of the columns in the quiet cloister. The monks distil – and sell – some potent liqueurs too.

On Piazza S. Giorgio sits the black-and-white striped façade of Santi Nazaro e Celso. A steep street leads to the entrance of the dramatic Orrido gorge.

The classic journey to this hillside village is to take a short boat ride from Como’s harbour to the funicular station, then ride the cog-train up to Bru-nate. You’re rewarded with vistas over Como and the lake, and the starting point of many trails into the surrounding hills (the tourist office has maps).

On tiny Lake Annone in the Brianza triangle between Como and Lecco, Civate is the access point to San Pietro al Monte, a wonderful 11th-century monastic complex.

Italy’s silk capital was founded by the Romans and has a spectacular cathedral (see Duomo, Como), a handful of modest museums, lots of boutiques and two ancient churches.

The town has two excellent medieval churches: Santa Maria del Tiglio and, up on the hillside, Santa Maria delle Grazie.

The capital of the lake’s southeastern arm is famous for sights related to native writer Alessandro Manzoni, who set parts of his I Promessi Sposi (see I Promessi Sposi (The Betrothed)) in the suburban hamlet of Olate.