3 Mysterious Legends of Lake Como That Make It Even Cooler
October means Halloween, which in turn means mysteries and scary stories.
In short, it’s a good excuse to tell you about some of the most interesting legends of Lake Como.
Yes, because you should know that there are actually SO MANY anecdotes about our region; and all, to different extents, have left a groove in our collective memory.
You could say that at Lake Como we have a great imagination: true, absolutely true. But that’s also part of the magic of our place: every corner hides a story related to our roots, a mystery, a fun fact that will make you smile… and sometimes shiver!
Today we present you 3 legends that are somehow the “pillars” of our collective imagination: in other words, you absolutely have to know them. Right now. Immediately.
Ready? Here we go!
Fiumelatte, the river that appears and disappears like a ghost
Did you know that Lake Como hosts the shortest river of Italy? It’s located near Varenna and it’s called Fiumelatte, a name that was probably inspired by the whitish and foamy appearance of its water (due to the steep path that the water itself has to cross).
Image by Paolo Bosca
Believe it or not, no geologist has ever managed to identify the source of this river. As a result, no one can explain its mysterious intermittency.
As all locals confirm, Fiumelatte starts running on March 25 every year and stop on October 7. Basically, this odd river behaves exactly as it wants, like a little ghost.
Image by Paolo Bosca
It goes without saying that such a strange phenomenon has generated over the years a long series of legends. The most famous one tells of a beautiful girl who had tons of sweethearts: uncertain about who to choose, in the end she decided to marry only to the one who’d have revealed the mystery of the source of Fiumelatte. Three young men entered the river cave, but all came out shocked and couldn’t find the words to explain the horrors seen inside. One of the three even remained silent forever.
Image by Paolo Bosca
The Holy Grail on Isola Comacina
Did you know that Isola Comacina, the only one island on Lake Como, had the ancient name of Cristopoli, i.e. "city of Christ"? According to a legend, it seems that the Holy Grail found a temporary refuge on this island, from 589 to 603.
Isola Comacina in an old postcard - Brogi Carlo (1850-1925)
Due to the invasion of Como by foreign troops in the VI century AD, the prior of the island's abbey decided to move the Holy Grail to Varenna: it seems that from there the relic was dispersed (or hidden?) in Val Codrera, near the famous “Saas Carlasch”, one of the most evocative and panoramic places in the Valley. Here, there’s a square stone that looks like an altar.
Image via Geocashing
Still today, many believe the Holy Grail is hidden right there.
Larrie, the infamous monster
Larrie (nickname for Lariosaurus) was a carnivorous marine reptile who apparently lived in Lake Como waters about 245 million years ago.
According to the latest studies, Larrie was between 60 centimeters and 1.30 meters in length; it was long and slender in shape with an elongated neck that ended in a flattened skull. The front legs were finned, while the back ones had 5 toes.
The first discovery dates back to 1839, when the fossil remains of a similar reptile, 60 centimeters long, were found in the Perledo area.
But the real legend about Larrie actually started in 1946, when two hunters in Pian di Spagna reserve (north Lake Como) said they had seen a 10-12 meters animal covered with reddish scales.
Eight years later there was another sighting, this time in Argegno: a father and his son would have seen an animal about 90 cm long, with legs similar to those of a duck.
Other appearances happened from August 1957, between Dongo and Musso, until 2003, when a group of fishermen in Lecco claimed to have seen an animal about 10 meters long, with the appearance of a huge eel.
We can’t really say how much truth lies in these stories, but… just for your info, a room in the Natural History Museum in Lecco has been fully dedicated to Larrie. A proof of how much impact some legends can have on local culture!
Article by Laura Zanotta
Source for the illustration in the header of this article: jump here
Other source of this article has been Giovanni Galli: The Island - The enigmatic story of the Holy Grail on Lake Como.
Looking for a property in one of the locations mentioned in this article?