It lies in a valley scoured out by the ancient Adda glacier and is unusually shaped like an upside-down Y, with three branches running from Colico in the north, Como in the south west and Lecco in the south east.
The climate is generally mild and the lakeside vegetation is luxuriant - rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias and olive groves flourish, and lemon trees, date palms and other subtropical plants grow in sheltered areas. Its combination of wild rugged scenery, grand villas and gardens were a major inspiration to Verdi, Stendhal, Ciaikovskij and Goethe. Since the antiquity, the lake affected all its visitors, among many Virgil once called it the "greatest lake".
Como, enclosed between the wonderful banks of its lake, represents a perfect example of a sweet cohabitation between nature and civilisation.
