- between the gorges of a natural canyon -

Orrido di Bellano

The Orrido di Bellano is the main tourist attraction of the town and one of the most important of Lake Como.

This is a natural gorge created 15 million years ago by the erosion of the River Pioverna and the Adda glacier which, over the centuries, have shaped the rock into gigantic potholes, dark ravines and suggestive caves.

The narrow canyon can be visited thanks to a system of footbridges anchored on the high walls overlooking the water, perfectly illuminated in the evening where the charm of the place takes on different nuances, and that recently have been extended to reach the large waterfall located further upstream.

PRICES

Full Admission: Euro 6,00

Children (4 to 12 years old): Euro 4,00

Groups of more than 12 members: Euro 5,00 cad.

Residents (in possession of identity card issued by the Municipality of Bellano): free entrance

Children up to 4 years of age: free admission

VISIT INFORMATION

The route is very simple and suitable for everyone.

The presence of stairs and narrow passages are the only things to take into consideration.

All dogs allowed.

Reservations only for groups and large groups and guided tour request

CONTACTS

Orrido di Bellano

Piazza S. Giorgio, 23822 Bellano

Tel. +39 0341 1812535

Information: info@orridobellano.it

Reservartion for groups: gruppi@orridobellano.it

Facebook @orridobellano

Instagram @orrido_bellano

BUY TICKET ONLINE

OPENING TIMES

OCTOBER

From Monday to Friday 9 am to 6 pm

Saturday and Sunday 9 am to 7 pm

FROM 28TH OCTOBER TO END OF NOVEMBER

From 10 am to 5 pm

Last entrance: 20 minutes before closing time

The narrow spaces, the particular play of light reflected on the rocky walls and on the water, the vegetation that recalls more tropical environments and the noise of the waterfalls crashing on the stone have always inspired many writers who have told of its beauty or have created some legends such as that of Taino or those linked to the Cà del Diavol.

It happened to Stendhal who mentioned it in his Italian Journey, it happened to Johann Jakob Wetzel who described it as “a theatre of beauty and frights, [from which] one hears a noise similar to that of thunder” and it happened again to the Bellano poet Sigismondo Boldoni who defined it as “Gorge of a horrendous hideousness”.

Bellano has always been linked to water: not only to the water of the lake but also to that of the Orrido because, with its power, it has guaranteed the necessary strength to move the machines in its numerous factories and consequently to guarantee work and well-being to its citizens for centuries. From the primitive system of canals and tunnels to the more modern system of penstocks, in fact, the waters of the Pioverna were first exploited by the ironworks, the spinning mills and the cotton mill and then by the more recent hydroelectric power station; all these activities have in common the place where they arise or were born: the mouth of the Orrido, the best point to exploit the natural waterfall.

Cà del Diavol

Cà del Diavol

At the entrance to the site, there is also a three-storey pentagonal tower perched on a rock overlooking the river, already known in the early seventeenth century, present in all publications that refer to the gorge, but the origins of which are unknown. Nowadays it is known as Cà del Diavol because of the frescoes in the upper part where the devil and other mythological figures can be seen , but also because of the legends that have arisen and that indicate it as the site of numerous satanic rites, parties and orgiastic meetings.

An unconfirmed story, but certainly more plausible than the legends handed down, is the one in which, during Austrian domination, the house was a point of access to numerous tunnels that branched off under the old town in which the Bellanesi people hid to avoid the patrols during the curfew.

Work is currently underway on its complete recovery and its transformation into a very modern multimedia museum which, thanks to special technological devices, will present visitors with stories and legends linked to the area, as well as historical and naturalistic information and some suggestions for excursions to discover the lake and mountains.

Footbridges anchored on the high walls overlooking the water

Galleria fotografica

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