Lake Como’s 10 Most Iconic Climbs

It’s time to identify the 10 most iconic climbs in the Lake Como area (within 15 km of its shores, to be precise!). Obviously, there’s little to debate about the number-one spot, and overall there’s not much to debate about the podium either! The other climbs are included for their historical importance in professional cycling races (Il Lombardia and the Giro d’Italia above all). The list follows. (If you’d like more detail on each climb, subscribe to our newsletter.)

1. Madonna del Ghisallo

Ghisallo is the signature climb of cycling on Lake Como: a name that, in the racing world, is immediately associated with Il Lombardia, a must-see moment in every Il Lombardia.

2. Muro di Sormano

After Ghisallo, the Muro is the most common pass when talking about cycling on the lake. It’s a steep climb, with gradients of 18% up to 25% in one part, with the altitude painted meter by meter.

3. Civiglio

As of recent years, Civiglio is the true “classic” finale when Il Lombardia finishes in Como. A tough climb, almost constantly around double-digit gradients, and just a few kilometers from the finish.

4. La Valfresca (San Fermo)

Even though it’s a fairly short climb and not particularly hard, the Valfresca/San Fermo della Battaglia ramp has been decisive more than once in recent years during Il Lombardia with a Como finish.

5. La Nesso (Colma di Sormano from Nesso

The ascent to Colma di Sormano is a new entry into Il Lombardia from the Bellagio side, we’re talking about 13 demanding kilometers of persistent climbing. Try your own climbing time and let’s see how you do.

6. Piani Resinelli

This was a tourist hub for Milanese visitors in the 1960s during the economic boom, but today it is a benchmark climb for cyclists, with fairly regular gradients and plenty of numbered hairpins that are a real pleasure to ride.

7. Valico di Valcava

A climb just south of Lecco and a link to the Bergamo area, it was an important feature of Il Lombardia in the mid/late 1980s.

8. Passo San Marco

Though not exactly on the lake (starting in Morbegno, about 15 km north of the lake), this is still a famous climb for the area. It’s a must-ride if you’re spending a few days on Lake Como and hungry for a long alpine climb.

9. Villa Vergano ('Strappo dell'Alpino')

A short ascent, but a real mini-Muro (with very steep sections up to 19%), that decided the Il Lombardia finale no fewer than three times, from 2011 to 2013.

10. Colle Brianza and Lissolo

For several years, they were the two decisive climbs when Il Lombardia finished in Milan and Monza. Today they’re less decisive for Il Lombardia, but still key features of the “Brianza classic.” In recent editions, the route regularly includes Colle Brianza in the final circuits—a symbolic climb of Brianza in the Lecco area and beyond.