Location
Blevio lies on the Como branch of the lake, the first municipality after Como along the eastern road towards Bellagio, about 15 minutes by car from Como.
History
The earliest records of the village date back to the 11th century; for a long time its closeness to Como made it a kind of suburb without statutes of its own. In 1497 Lucrezia Crivelli was named its feudal lady; in the 16th century the municipality became part of the Contado delle Tre Pievi. Blevio’s villas hosted illustrious figures between the 18th and 19th centuries, including the opera singer Giuditta Pasta (buried in the town cemetery), for whom Vincenzo Bellini composed “Norma”.
What to see
- Villa Troubetzkoy (formerly Villa Pozzi): visible almost only from the lake, linked to the upper village by a lift.
- Villa Ferranti: where Giuditta Pasta lived.
- Villa Usuelli: stayed in by Joseph II of Austria.
- Church of Santi Gordiano ed Epimaco: 15th century (rebuilt in 1762), with a 17th-century canvas attributed to Nuvolone.
- Parco Mosaici: since 2016, artistic paths with mosaic works created with academies and art schools, running from the lake up towards the village.
What to do
From the hamlet of Mezzovico a mule track climbs towards Monte Piatto, passing the area’s “erratic boulders”: notably the Pietra Nairola, a seven-metre granite boulder at 750 metres of elevation.
Getting there
The Navigazione ferry, on the Primo Bacino route (Cernobbio, Moltrasio, Carate Urio), connects Blevio to Como in about 21 minutes. By car the journey from the city takes about 15 minutes along the provincial road to Bellagio.
Festivities
10 May — Saints Gordian and Epimachus, patron saints of Blevio.