This morning we drove from Bellagio to Nesso on the western arm of Lake Como.  The road is narrow with lots of twists and turns, but was somehow a less stressful drive than the road into Bellagio. Perhaps because it was only a short drive…

The town is split in two by the Orrido di Nesso, a deep gorge created by the confluence of the Tuf and Nosee streams.

Leonardo Da Vinci mentions the town of Nesso, and specifically the Orrido di Nesso in his Codex Atlanticus, the largest collection of his drawings and writings.  In it he writes “Nesso, a land where a river falls with great impulse, for a very large mountain fissure”. 

It was about 300 short stone steps from the central Piazza Castello down to the lakeside to a beautiful viewpoint.

The Ponte della Civera spans the lower end of the Orrido di Nesso. The bridge is of Roman origin; the stone arch was rebuilt in the middle ages. 

The bridge is a popular place for adventure-seekers to jump into the lake.

Back up the many stairs, a local signora directed us higher in town to the origin of the Tuf stream. This is the water supply for the town.

On the way back to Bellagio, we managed to tuck in behind a city bus, which made the crazy drive a bit more manageable!

On our last night in Bellagio, we had a lovely dinner lakeside and made one more trek up the long, steep hill to the agriturismo.