Loppia is an ancient hamlet of Bellagio ,the ideal place for those looking for an oasis of tranquility, good food, art and characteristic views overlooking the lake.
The hamlet of Loppia is a place full of the little jewels in the Pearl of Lake Como: from the beautiful Gardens of Villa Melzi, to the dock with its characteristic Lucie, historical fishing boats.
From the dock you can admire the impressive Lucie, historical boats rowing and / or small sailing, either use by fishermen of Lake Como for the transport of fish and passengers. It 's the most famous of the boats on Lake Como, so as to become the very symbol of the lake.
Historic private in the town of Bellagio. Family owned Melzi d'Eril today of its branch Gallarati Scotti, the villa has been proclaimed a national monument. Landscaped gardens, filled with sculptures, were designed by the architect Luigi Canonica and botanist Luigi Villoresi, both responsible for the layout of the park of Villa Reale in Monza.
The Church of S. Maria di Loppia
The church of S. Maria di Loppia has characters of considerable antiquity: the shape of the windows of the apse and the lack of decoration and material execution support the hypothesis that the construction has taken place in the last quarter of the tenth century. The church became the property of the Benedictine nuns who performed some changes, soffittando the nave and building a small monastery near the church.
Steps Loppia
A stone staircase, the Scalotta, which at the docks of Loppia next to Villa Melzi, leads the other side of the Lake. Surrounded by greenery is a monument that integrates seamlessly with the hills and meadows that surround it.
In 59 B.C. Caesar considered Lario a crossroads of strategic importance for Italy and therefore decided to re-found the Gallic Comum oppidum in Nova Comum and to give importance to the main road which extended northwards, the Lario. As a precaution, since the Lario was not entirely under Roman control, he wanted to build two Castra, exactly mirroring each other, at Lemnos (today's Lenno) and at Bilacus (today's Bellagio). These two settlements were born for military purposes and saw the passage of troops until the first imperial period, later becoming two residential areas, civil, in which the Greek and Latin colonies, settled by Caesar at the end of his military campaigns in Gaul, proliferated until the late empire.
The Plinii family, originally from Nova Comum, used to linger for long periods of the year on the shores of the lake, especially Plinio il Giovane who owned a beautiful villa in Bellagio called Tragoedia.
In the Middle Ages the village was officially included in the municipality of Bellagio and since then has been part of it.
In the 19th century Duke Francesco Melzi D'Eril decided to have the majestic neoclassical residence known today as Villa Melzi d'Eril built on his properties. The architect Giocondo Albertolli wanted to create a historical residence for his illustrious client which would recall the splendour of the past, but at the same time the elegance and sobriety of the Neoclassical style.
The village is within walking distance from the center of Bellagio Villa Melzi in 15 minutes through or from the main road.
By car or bus you can follow the signs which lead from the village to Loppia.
Or you can reach it with the characteristic train "Trombetta Express"
