Lombardia · Como
Menaggio
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.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Menaggio is on our list
It holds Bandiera Arancione.
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Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 1 h 29 min from Milan
- Population
- 3,014
- J10°
- F13°
- M14°
- A17°
- M21°
- J26°
- J28°
- A28°
- S23°
- O19°
- N14°
- D11°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Menaggio sits on the western shore of Lake Como at the mouth of the river Senagra, the point where the lake narrows enough for ferries to fork toward Bellagio and Varenna on the opposite shore. Prehistoric finds in the territory go back to before the Gallic tribes that settled here in the fourth century BC; the Romans absorbed them and built the Via Regina, the lakeside road from Como north toward the Splügen. The medieval castle above the Senagra torrent dates to the 10th century and was destroyed in 1523 by the Grigioni, leaving only the towers, the walls and the bridge.
The Chiesa di San Carlo was built on its ruins between 1612 and 1614. The town's later identity is the 19th-century summer resort: a mild climate, lake views across to the Grigne, and villas like Mylius-Vigoni in the Loveno hamlet, now run as a German-Italian center for European dialogue.
How to get there
From Milan Bergamo (BGY), about 1 h 39 min by car.
Turin (TRN) is about 2 h 39 min away.
By car from the center of Brescia 2 h 19 min.
Coming by train into Monza? Menaggio is about 1 h 28 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Milan Bergamo airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Piazza Garibaldi
The main lakefront square, café tables under arcades, ferry pier on one side and the medieval center rising behind.
Resti del Castello di Menaggio
10th-century castle remains, destroyed in 1523, leaving the two towers, sections of wall and a bridge over the Senagra.
Chiesa di San Carlo
Built 1612 to 1614 by Cinzio Calvi on the ruins of the destroyed castle, in the hamlet of Castello above the torrent.
Villa Mylius-Vigoni
Early 19th-century villa in Loveno, built by Heinrich Mylius, now seat of the German-Italian Center for European Dialogue.
Lungolago di Menaggio
Lakeside promenade from the ferry pier south toward the public gardens, with the Grigne ridge visible across the water.
From the guides
Where to 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.
Grand Hotel VictoriaHotel
Grand Hotel Victoria holds two Michelin Keys and a La Liste score of 91.
Living here
Could you live here?
Menaggio is at the end of the road.
- A village of 3,014. The nearest town of 5,000 people, Mandello del Lario, is 41 min away: past our 15-minute rule, which makes this the end of the road.
- Como, a city of 83,135, is 50 min by car. Inside our 30 to 60 minutes: close for the services, far enough to keep its own life.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 3,014, down 4.8% since 2015
- Nearest city Como, 50 min drive
- A national health service hospital in the comune · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €1,150 to €2,200 per m² to buy, €4.10 to €8.70 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- In-between
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 2% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 4, very low hazard
- Milan Malpensa airport (MXP), 1 h 28 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Milan, 1 h 29 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
10% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Peru, Russia and Romania, against 9% across Italy. 57 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly the United Kingdom, the United States and France. There are 296 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 53% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Como province ranks 25th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
There is an emergency room in the comune. The nearest major one is in Lecco, 23 km away. The nearest children's emergency room is in Gravedona ed Uniti, 15 km away. The nearest IB school is International School of Como, 33 km as the crow flies.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 0.86% a year in property tax, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds 0.7% to your income tax, with nothing due on income under €15,000. 7% pensioner tax: this town is not in a qualifying area.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Lombardia spends about €2,410 a month, €510 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €415 a year for water, on the Lombardia average.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone E, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from October 15 to April 15, up to 14 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. 2% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, 5% in a high or medium one. 2% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
FERRY CROSSING
Three-way ferry hub at the lake's centro lago, the standard crossing between Menaggio, Bellagio and Varenna.
VILLA MYLIUS-VIGONI
Heinrich Mylius's 19th-century villa in Loveno, now the German-Italian Center for European Dialogue.
VIA REGINA
Old Roman lake road from Como to the Splügen pass, still traced along Menaggio's lakeside.
Common questions
- What is Menaggio known for?
- 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.
- Where is Menaggio?
- Menaggio is a comune in the province of Como, in Lombardia, at 203 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Menaggio?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Milan Malpensa (MXP), about 1 h 28 min by car.
- How long is the drive from Brescia to Menaggio?
- About 2 h 19 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Menaggio?
- Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 28 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 18 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Menaggio?
- Bellagio, Tremezzina and Angera.
- How many people live in Menaggio?
- 3,014 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Menaggio a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Menaggio is at the end of the road: the nearest town of 5,000 people, Mandello del Lario, is 41 min away. The nearest city, Como, is 50 min away by car. There is a national health service hospital in the comune. Full fibre reaches 2% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 203 m
- Population: 3,014
- Surface area: 11.77 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Menaggio appears in
- The 8 best lake towns within 90 minutes of MonzaNear Monzalakewithin 90 min8 towns · smallest 666 residents · closest 55 min away
- The 8 best lake towns worth staying overnight in LombardiaLombardialakeworth staying overnight8 towns · smallest 1,041 residents
- The 8 best small towns worth staying overnight in LombardiaLombardiaworth staying overnightsmall8 towns · smallest 1,041 residents
Similar
Towns like Menaggio
What all six share with Menaggio: lake towns · between 3,000 and 10,000 people · hill towns
The letter
Menaggio is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter: the photo, what is worth eating, and when to turn up. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Menaggio comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Turin.
The nearest town we have written up is Camogli, 186 km away. Read its letter →
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.