During check-in the guests, as soon as they arrive, always ask me where it is possible to go to Dervio. My first tip is a nice walk along the cycle and pedestrian path that surrounds the Village. It is practicable at all hours and you can enjoy fantastic views at all times of the day. The cycle and pedestrian path runs along the lake and is also used to choose the beach you prefer to stop for sunbathing and swimming.

Here the link  where you will find the complete article and photos

During the walk you will meet bars and restaurants where you can stop to rest, sipping a good glass of wine or a refreshing cocktail with friends and a splendid view. Below is the list of those you can find during the journey and the link to the Map of Dervio with their phone numbers

Il Bar Pontile : excellent sandwiches, cold dishes and abundant aperitifs.

Ristorante Pizzeria Urban Fish:aperitifs, pizza and dishes also based on lake fish

Lo Spuntino Errante (or Brian and his van): Street food gourmet of Fish and Chips of lake fish served in front of the Pesotti fish shop via alla Darsena 7 in Dervio, or, other times in the parking lot of the port of Santa Cecilia. Look for it because it will give sure satisfactions to those who like quality street food

Ristorante Pizzeria Le Vele : It offers both Bar and restaurant service, traditional dishes but also pizza, all seasoned with abundant Lake view.

D-Luonge : Local open late to listen to music and enjoy fantastic cocktails on the beach. It also offers cold dishes and aperitifs and from 2019 it also manages the first equipped beach of Dervio, with its chiringuito.

The territory of Dervio opens like a fan on Lake Como, thanks to the Varrone river that has formed it over the years: in this way a narrowing of the lake mirror, called the canal, has been created which, due to a known phenomenon physical, increases the wind speed in this area. It is for this reason that numerous sailing sports fans gather here and many sporting events take place: regattas from all over the world but not only. During the weekends the kiters fill the sky with their kites and the sailing boats speed along the whole canal.

For those who want to learn, beginners, there is no lack of quieter and more sheltered areas from the wind: this is the reason why there are numerous sailing schools (cabin cruisers and sailing dinghies), kite surfing and wind surfing.

I list the most popular ones. 

KITE SURF

MC4SEASON friend Maurilio based in the port of Santa Cecilia offers group courses and private lessons. At the following link you can find his references and the proposal for a kite course + accommodation package at our really convenient facilities. You will only have to choose the one that best suits you.

MC4season di Maurilio +39 339-7859743 

Sito web: www.mc4season.it

BORDERLINE KITE SURF: dfor many years present in the panorama of Kite schools, we also offer accommodation to their students at discounted prices. Their school does group courses, private lessons and lifts.

BORDERLINE KITE SURF di Paolo +39 3492437089 e Maia +39 347 7109135 

web: www.borderlinesurfschool.com

FUNSURF CENTER: is the windsurfing school of Dervio di Upali, one of the first windsurfing instructors on Lake Como. The historic school has opened on the lakefront of Dervio for over 30 years now and I am always very pleased to talk about it because I also took my first course in 1995 !!

FUNSURF CENTER di Upali +39 3388148719 

web: www.funsurfcenter.com 

SAILING COURSES

ORZA CHARTER SCUOLA VELA: It organizes courses and campuses on different types of sailing boats. At them it is also possible to rent a day with and without an instructor. The headquarters with the secretariat is in Monza, but they have a base in Dervio, at the port of Santa Cecilia.

ORZA CHARTER SCUOLA VELA: +39 039 328301

Web : www.orzaminore.com

Orza Minore: It organizes courses and campuses on their fleet of cabin cruisers (Orza6) and dinghies. At them it is also possible to rent a day with and without an instructor. The headquarters with the secretariat is in Monza, but you can also find them in Dervio, at the port of Santa Cecilia

Orza Minore: +39 039.23.02.256 

e-mail: info@orzaminore.eu

web : www.orzaminore.eu/it

Lega Navale Italiana – sez. di Milano: institution at national level with bases throughout Italy, they have a large one in the port of Santa Cecilia. The headquarters with the secretariat is in Milan and organize courses for adults and children.

Lega Navale Italiana – sez. di Milano: +39 02 58314058

sito web: www.leganavale.mi.it

Centro Vela Dervio: CVD, the historic sailing club of Dervio, organize courses on sailing dinghies and catamarans. Always committed to sports, they are at the forefront of organizing international regattas worldwide, of which crews from all over the world are pleasant and always welcome guests of our facilities.

CVD: +39 0341.850626

web: www.centroveladervio.it

As we always tell our guests the best prospect to see the lake is from the lake. In fact, all the most famous ancient villas were built with the main access from the lake, so that both the owners and their guests, coming from the lake, not from the streets, much more impervious and uncomfortable, they could be welcomed worthily in those magnificent residences. So what better idea than to rent a boat and relive the lake in the manner of the ancient Italian nobility? In addition, without queuing and having fun admiring the panorama of those mountains that crown the most famous body of water in the world. And then, why not, stop on the piers set up in the various locations to have a coffee, eat an ice cream or enjoy a good aperitif … and then on, back as great immortalized forever in memory of a day lived in that magnificent and incredible postcard called Lake Como!

A tip: after visiting the beautiful places why not stop in one of the beaches accessible only by boat to the lake to cool off by taking a nice swim.

Here are some contacts.

MOTOR BOAT RENTAL: To rent motor boats, the Cargasacchi shipyard is located in Dervio: it is located in via Marconi 47 and offers boats that can carry from 5 to 7 people.

TAXI BOAT – TOUR WITH DRIVER MOTOR BOATS In collaboration with your friend Luca from the Taxi Boat, you can start from the Dervio pier at the old port and take a ride on the lake following 10 different itineraries, to discover its most suggestive places.

TAXI BOAT:  Luca 393 664 6707

sito web: https://www.taxiboatcolico.com/

Orza Charter (See Above): Rent sailing boats both independently and with instructor is based in Monza and the operational base in Dervio 

Tel. 039.328301

Orza Minore (See Above):Rent sailing boats both independently and with instructor have the base of operations in Dervio 039 230 2256

Como Lake Enjoy Experience : With Anna and Eugenio you can explore the lake aboard sailing boats, you can try to steer and driven by the wind you can see the most beautiful places on the lake accompanied by the staff who will be able to tell you the most curious anecdotes.

At this link the complete article and under the contacts to book Annalisa +39 3479489232 Eugenio +39 3485761532

Dervio can boast almost 3 km of coastline, a variety of terrains where you can spend a few hours sunbathing or walking. My favorite beaches are La Foppa, a pebble beach that looks north from the lake and the port of Santa Cecilia, grassy beaches which, with their southern exposure, controlled by the sun until late in the afternoon.

Also on the Lungolago di Dervio near the Old Port is the Boldona playground, managed by the Municipality, equipped with games for children who can let off steam, climbing, sliding and swinging in complete safety and overlooking the lake.

DAYTRIP TO MAI 

If you are tired of being in the sun and doing beach life, you can venture out on an easy trip to the most panoramic point a few steps from Dervio: the location is called NEVER. It is a beautiful walk, to be done in boots or tennis shoes, all uphill and that in a short time, at most half an hour, takes you to a beautiful village near the ruins of a medieval castle, of which unfortunately now remains a small part of the wall. At the following link the complete article on our website (www.bbcstone.com) and the gps track.

DAYTRIP TO CORENNO PLINIO 

Corenno Plinio is a small and suggestive medieval village a few minutes from Dervio, of which it is a fraction.

It is an enchanted place and represents a real gem of Lake Como: walking through the narrow streets of the center and along the stairs that lead from the castle to the lake it is impossible not to be fascinated by this small village that transpires history in every corner.

History of distant times that we find in its name, thanks to the Roman consul Caio Plinio il Vecchio, born in Como and invested with public office by the emperor Vespasiano, who loved this small village that is reflected in Lake Como.

You can reach it by car in a few minutes, or you can reach it on foot, in half an hour, starting from Casa Sul Sasso and covering a small part of the famous Sentiero Del Viandante: you will find all the indications along the path, really well signposted, or in the our dedicated article on our website (www.bbcstone.com).

OREZIA TOWER

Orezia Castle stands on a cliff overlooking Dervio. The origin of the name of Orezia is not known, but with this denomination the place was already mentioned in the XII century. The first documentary sources that speak of the presence of a fortification date back to the year 1040, when the castle underwent a long siege.

Orezia Castle was built in the 14th century to block the Valvarrone road, which at the time played an important strategic link with Valsassina. Sources report that the Castle of Orezia was connected by secret passages, which led to the Castle of Corenno.

You can reach the castle, as well as from the Valvarrone road, even with a characteristic walk, which starts from the foot of the cliff below and which was most likely the ancient communication route between the Castello di Dervio and the inhabited center. The path winds through the ancient houses of the old village of Dervio, where you will find La Casa Sul Sasso, to testify to their medieval origin.

Near the tower of the Castle of Orezia stands the Church of San Leonardo.

In summer, the Tower can be visited thanks to the volunteers of the Pro Loco of Dervio: for opening times and days, do not hesitate to ask at the Check-In Point of Casa Sul Sasso.

In the part of Lake bordered by the Foppa beach north of Dervio, where the cycle / pedestrian track begins, there is an area bordered at about 20 meters from the buoys, to protect swimmers: starting from the turret in the lake that you find at the beginning of the cycle / pedestrian , and along the beach, you can swim for more than 100 meters  within this demarcated area, and therefore safely.

For the more enterprising, you can go along the shores of the lake and go north passing the hydroelectric plant, you can go to Corenno Plinio and return. But in this case, for swimming in open water we remind you that it is mandatory to bring with you a signal buoy tied at the waist, to have an appropriate wetsuit that helps us to float and protects us from the cold, because, even if it is summer and the weather is hot, we are always in an alpine lake and after a while it still feels cold: Marco’s word! Better still if, as I do, you are accompanied by a friend in a canoe: so if you don’t have it, better to stay inside the buoys and swim in complete safety.

Here are the 10 things you can do in Dervio.

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From the village of Dervio you can go to Valvarrone are about 7 km uphill to get to the village of Vestreno, the first track that comes to mind is: the Agro Pasorale road that passes by the Madonna di Bondo ask and then arrives up to the hamlet of Posallo, where you can decide to go back, or you can get off and back from the main road.

Continuing inside the Valvarrone there are numerous other trips for all abilities, in other articles we will explore a route at a time, La Pro Loco di dervio created a map with numerous routes for the more experienced.

At this link the complete Map of all available routes