ORRIDO OF BELLANO

The Orrido of Bellano is the main tourist attraction of the country and among the most important attractions of Lake Como. It is a natural gorge created 15 million years ago by the erosion of the Pioverna stream and partly also of the Adda Glacier that, over the centuries, have shaped the rock. The narrow canyon can be visited thanks to a system of walkways anchored on the high peaks overlooking the water and that have recently been extended to reach the great waterfall on the uphill side.                                                      

The origins of the Orrido di Bellano are quite ancient: its formation began about 15 million years ago, when the passage of the Pioverna stream began to erode the rock along its route that led from Taceno to Lake Como. The groove gradually deepened with the passing of the years creating an increasingly accentuated gorge. During the period of the glaciations,  there was another totally frozen lake above Bellano, but during the thaw its waters began to flow downwards towards the Lario through the Orrido. If at first the difference in altitude had caused a waterfall that connected the two lakes, over the years the jet of the waterfall gradually eroded the rock and reduced the position of the waterfall to what we can see now. The nature of this environment has always inspired many writers who have depicted the beauty of the landscape or have invented several legends such as the one of Taino or those related to Ca’ del Diavol. In fact, it is said that a valorous warrior named Taino is buried in the gorge, together with his treasure.

 

The many mysterious tunnels that connect Orrido with Bellano were also used under the Austrian occupation to avoid patrols during the curfew. The name Ca’ del Diavol is linked mainly to the presence of some decorations depicting mythological characters on the facade of the top floor of a building overlooking Orrido.   The handed down traditions tell that satanic rites took place in this house and that it was a satyr who decorated the top floor of this tower. Water has always been a crucial element for Bellano’s industrial development. The sources of the lake and of the Orrido have been used to move the machines present in the numerous factories and consequently to guarantee the citizens work and well-being.  The waters of Pioverna were exploited first by ironworks, mills and cotton mill and then by the most recent hydroelectric power plant. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries this energy was used for the processing of iron, extracted not far from Bellano. In the eighteenth century the entrance to the Orrido was embellished by a large marble staircase and then by the entrance door in Art Nouveau style. In the nineteenth century the energy produced in the Orrido of Bellano was used to feed the cotton mill Cantoni that in 1870 opened a production plant here.

PRICES:

Full price ticket: 5,00€

children up to 6: free entrance 

children between 6 and 12 years: 3,00€

groups of more than 15 members: 4,00 € each 

residents (with identity card released from Comune di Bellano): free entrance 

health workers (with badge): free entrance 

OPENING TIMES:

JANUARY 2022: 

until 9th January every day from 10a.m. to 8 p.m. with Orrido Magic Christmas Lights

FEBRUARY 2022:

On Fridays from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. 

On Saturdays and Sundays from 10a.m. to 8 p.m.

*SPECIAL OPENING* Monday 14th February from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.)

MARCH 2022

Open every day – Timetables to be defined