A Tour of Italy’s Lake Como Region – Domaso to Dongo

In this part of our series of articles about car hire holidays in the Lake Como area of Italy, we look at the route from Domaso, on the west shore of the lake, to Dongo.

It will only take you about ten minutes to drive from Domaso to Dongo in your hire car, but there is plenty to see in both of these villages and you can stop off in the town of Gravedona on the way, so you can spend a whole day exploring this section of the lakeside.

Domaso is an old fishing village and is now known for its historic buildings and as a great place for sports enthusiasts to visit. Architectural highlights include the 19th century Villa Camilla, which is now used as the Town Hall and is set in a large and attactive park, and the Church of S. Bartolomeo, where you can see a number of frescoes.

If you prefer something more active than sightseeing, you can try windsurfing on Lake Como, hire a motorboat or take sailing lessons. You can also take a lakeside stroll or stop off for a meal – make sure that you try the locally produced wine!

On leaving Domaso, head south in your rental car on the SS340dir, which will take you to the town of Gravedona. It will only take you about five minutes to drive from Domaso to Gravedona in your hire car.

Gravedona’s lakeside promenade is particularly attractive and is lined with hotels, shops and restaurants, and it’s worth taking a break from your hire car to explore the cobbled streets of the Old Town area.

If you are interested in history, you’ll enjoy visiting Gravedona’s many churches, which include: the Romanesque Church of Santa Maria del Tiglio; the 15th century Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, the cloister of which is decorated with 17th century frescoes; and the 13th century Church of SS. Gusemo and Matteo.

You can also see the Palazzo Gallio, which was designed by Pelligrino Tibaldi for Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio in 1586, although it wasn’t completed until 1607, the year in which Gallio died. The building is now owned by the Comunita Montana Alto Lario Occidentale and is used as offices, although concerts and exhibitions are sometimes held in the central hall.

There are bars and clubs in Gravedona, and there are also a number of festivals there throughout the year, including the annual “Lake Feast”, which is held on the 14th of August and culminates with a lakeside firework display.

Once you’ve explored Gravedona, head south in your rental car on the SS340dir again. This will take you to the village of Dongo and it will only take you about five minutes to get there from Gravedona. In the next post in this series, we’ll take a look at what Dongo has to offer and explore the next stage in our car rental holiday itinerary, the route from Dongo to the popular tourist destination of Menaggio.

Tags: car hire, car rental, Domaso, Dongo, Gravedona, Italy, Italy holidays, Lake Como