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Golf guide • Italy • Lombardy

Golf on Lake Como: century-old fairways among villas and the Pre-Alps

Lake Como, in Lombardy, gathers three clubs no more than twenty minutes or so from the town of Como: Villa d'Este (1926), record holder for Italian Opens, the 36 holes of Monticello, and Carimate, plus the Menaggio & Cadenabbia Golf Club, founded in 1907 above the lake. Golfers come to play tree-lined courses steeped in history by day and sleep in a lakeside villa, ideally from April to June and in September and October.

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Golf came to Lake Como with the British. In 1907 four British gentlemen founded Italy's second-oldest club at Menaggio; in 1926 Peter Gannon designed Villa d'Este in the hills of Montorfano. Half a century later, Billy Casper won the 1975 Italian Open at Monticello. These three clubs, plus Carimate, opened in 1962, make up a trip in which the history of Italian golf can be played in a few days, three of them no more than twenty minutes or so from Como.

The courses do not run along the lake: they occupy the hills south of Como, beneath pines, chestnuts and birches. Play here is about precision more than length, with narrow fairways, well-defended greens and little respite. Menaggio is the exception, on rolling ground above the western shore, with the mountains as a backdrop.

The trip is best organised around two bases. Como and Cernobbio, at the southern tip of the lake, put Villa d'Este, Monticello and Carimate within easy reach. The western shore, around Menaggio and Tremezzo, offers the postcard lake and the oldest course. Three to five nights allow all four to be played without rushing, with an afternoon kept for the boat.

The courses

Straight fairway lined with pines and birches, hills and Pre-Alpine peaks in the haze beyond

Golf Club Villa d'Este

  • Architect: Peter Gannon
  • Opened 1926
  • 18 holes
  • Par 69

Designed in 1926 by Peter Gannon at Montorfano, about twenty minutes from Como, Villa d'Este holds the Italian record for Italian Opens hosted: twelve editions, from 1928 to 1972. The course, a par 69 over 5,760 metres, threads its way between more than 30,000 trees, pines, chestnuts and birches, with glimpses of little Lake Montorfano and the Pre-Alps. Six par 3s, tight fairways and subtle greens: short on the card, demanding in reality, for players who like to place the ball.

Signature hole. The 15th, a par 4 of 464 yards from the championship tees, is the longest hole on the card: the fairway slopes from right to left towards a green guarded by a bunker at the front left.

Official website

Golf Club Monticello – Percorso Rosso

  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

At Cassina Rizzardi, ten minutes from Como, Monticello lays out two 18-hole courses on a residential estate. The Red course, a par 72 over 6,410 metres, hosted seven Italian Opens between 1975 and 1992, won among others by Billy Casper, Sam Torrance, Greg Norman and Sandy Lyle; Norman also shares the course record, 63, with Costantino Rocca. The Blue, more wooded, plays between cypresses and pines with water in play on the 4th, 13th and 14th. Two 18-hole courses in one place: ideal for a group.

Signature hole. On the Red course, the club presents the 16th as one of the most beautiful and most difficult holes in Italy, and the 7th as one of the country's most fearsome par 3s.

Official website

Golf Club Carimate

  • Architect: Piero Mancinelli
  • Opened 1962
  • 18 holes
  • Par 71

Opened in 1962 in the 60 hectares of the park of Carimate castle, about twenty minutes from Como, the par 71 course by the Roman engineer Piero Mancinelli comes with a clubhouse by Vico Magistretti and Guido Veneziani, a long way from the English cottage. The front nine is the hillier, the back nine longer, and every hole bears the name of a tree in the park: Himalayan pine, lime, oak, walnut. A club on a human scale, open all year, pleasant for a round without ceremony.

Signature hole. The 16th, "Acero Americano", is reputed to be the most technical hole: a dog-leg left to a raised fairway, lined with trees on both sides and well defended by bunkers.

Official website

Menaggio & Cadenabbia Golf Club

  • Opened 1907
  • 18 holes
  • Par 70

Founded on 10 January 1907 at the Hotel Victoria in Menaggio by Britons led by the banker Henry John Mylius, it is Italy's second-oldest club. The original nine holes became eighteen in 1919, before John Harris entirely redesigned the course in 1965 in an English spirit. A par 70 over 5,482 metres, it climbs above the western shore, its fairways narrowed by trees that have grown tall. The club's motto, "Far and Sure", sums up what it asks of you.

Official website

Where to stay

Villa d'Este

Built between 1565 and 1570 by Pellegrino Tibaldi for Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio, the villa became a hotel in 1873, having been the residence of Caroline of Brunswick from 1815. At Cernobbio, on the edge of Como, its 151 rooms are divided between the Cardinal building and the Queen's Pavilion, around lakeside gardens and a floating pool. The golf course that bears its name is about twenty minutes away.

Palazzo Albricci Peregrini

A 15th-century palazzo on Via Rovelli, within Como's medieval walls, which the Galli family has turned into a guesthouse. Two choices: the four Privè rooms on the piano nobile, with frescoed ceilings and whirlpool baths, or the six suites in the quieter wing overlooking the Italian garden. The cathedral, the boat landings and the Brunate funicular are all within walking distance, and Monticello is ten minutes by road.

Filario Hotel & Residences

On the eastern shore of the Como branch, at Lezzeno, contemporary architecture at the water's edge: 13 rooms facing the lake and 22 residences. Infinity pool, the Filo restaurant and a private beach where you can swim, a rarity on the lake. The hotel has no shuttle: for the courses, hire a small car, as the lake roads are narrow, and skip the ferry with luggage, since boarding involves a staircase.

Ochre villa terrace with a stone balustrade, potted lemon trees and a wrought-iron table facing the lake at sunset

Where to dine

Ristorante Sociale

Born in 1813 alongside the Teatro Sociale, this family restaurant has occupied part of Palazzo Odescalchi since 2008, fifty metres from the cathedral, under the same management since 1990. Fireplace, frescoes, brick vaults and a small courtyard facing the church of San Giacomo. Order the ossobuco with saffron risotto, or the tortelli filled with lavarello, the lake's whitefish. Closed on Tuesdays and at Wednesday lunch.

Materia

In Cernobbio, Davide Caranchini's restaurant, opened in 2016 and holding a Michelin star, favours creativity over tradition. The guide singles out the "Latte & Miele" dessert in particular. Opening days vary with the season: book early, all the more so as the Villa d'Este hotel is in the same village.

Beyond golf

Villa del Balbianello

On the tip of the Dosso d'Avedo at Lenno, Cardinal Angelo Maria Durini turned a former Franciscan convent into a summer villa from 1785; its two bell towers still stand. Bequeathed in 1988 to the FAI, Italy's heritage trust, by the explorer Guido Monzino, it served as a setting for Casino Royale and Star Wars: Episode II. The terraced gardens are best approached by boat.

The Brunate funicular

Since 1894 the funicular has climbed in seven minutes from the Como waterfront to Brunate, 496 metres higher. From the top, the view takes in the town and the first branch of the lake. One for late afternoon, after a round at Monticello, before heading back down to dine in town.

The lake by boat

Navigazione Laghi boats and hydrofoils link Como with the lake villages. A day off the course is happily spent on the water: Cernobbio, Tremezzo, Bellagio, Varenna, from one landing stage to the next, with lunch on a terrace. It is also the most pleasant way to reach Menaggio from the centre of the lake.

Wooden boats moored along a stone quay, yellow and pink façades with green shutters at the foot of the mountains

When to go

April, May, June, September and October are the best months: mild temperatures, green courses and every club open. July rises to 30°C and is played early in the morning. Spring is the wettest season in a region that gets plenty of rain, around 1,600 mm a year. Winter is cool, often close to freezing in the morning; Menaggio closes until mid-March, while Carimate stays open all year.

Getting there

Milan Malpensa airport (MXP) is about fifty minutes by road from Como; Linate and Bergamo are alternatives. Como is linked to Milan by the A9 motorway and by Trenord regional trains, and Como San Giovanni station is served by EuroCity trains to Zurich. A car remains useful for the golf courses, all in the hinterland except Menaggio, an hour's drive from Como.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best golf course on Lake Como?

Villa d'Este at Montorfano, designed by Peter Gannon in 1926. It holds the Italian record with twelve Italian Opens hosted and ranks among the country's highest-rated courses.

How many golf courses are there around Lake Como?

Around Como, three clubs no more than twenty minutes or so away: Villa d'Este, Monticello (two 18-hole courses) and Carimate. The Menaggio & Cadenabbia Golf Club, on the western shore, is an hour's drive from Como.

When is the best time to play golf on Lake Como?

From April to June and in September and October. July is hot, up to 30°C, and Menaggio closes in winter until mid-March.

Where should you stay for a golf trip to Lake Como?

In Como or Cernobbio for Villa d'Este, Monticello and Carimate, all no more than twenty minutes or so away. The western shore, around Menaggio and Tremezzo, suits those who want to play the Menaggio course.

Which airport is best for a golf trip to Lake Como?

Milan Malpensa (MXP), about fifty minutes by road from Como. Linate and Bergamo are alternatives depending on flights.

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