Water quality in Italian lakes??

For lake Como
https://comocompanion.com/tag/pollution/

I didn’t check for the other lakes but there are definitely some issues.

I’m not going to say the water is so good you can drink it, but if is not safe for swimming there will be posted signs all over the place. Just do what other people do.

Considering that Lake Garda is the European capital of windsurfing, I would take it with a grain of salt, and remember they are big lakes. There are a lot more cities and industry in the south end of Lake Garda.

Any information on current conditions wont really tell you what it will be like a year from now. And this is usually a localized problem so generalizations are not very useful.

We live on Lago Maggiore and I’m amazed at how clear the lake is. We are in the lake daily and can clearly see rocks in 4 feet deep water. Recommend bringing water shoes as beaches might be rocks or pebbles once you are in the water. Hard on bare feet.

Grazie mille, Folks! I feel reassured after hearing from you all. Now the big question...which lake?? LOL!

I had 2 swims in Lake Como this week. I am accustomed to public parks with maintained beaches, maybe a dock, designated swimming area, you get the picture, in the US.

It’s quite different here. Como has rocky tiny beaches and most without a designated safe water area. And lots of boat and ferry traffic to keep your eye on. The lake is HUGE and as you go north of Varenna it is filled with sailboats and windsurfers. It is very windy and choppy. Unpleasant for all but powerful swimmers.

Rick Steves’ book mentions the beach in Varenna at the end of the path from the train station, but NOT for families!! The “beach” was a walled in box of gritty sand with a dock that swayed so much it was difficult to walk on from wind and waves. The old boat ramp with a gradual approach was boxed in with concrete walls that looked dangerous with the velocity of the waves coming in. I may have just hit a very windy day, but I was there for a week and it was a cloudless pleasant day like the rest.

I liked the very tiny beach in front of the Victorian Hotel which is also gritty sand, but protected from the wind and with a buoy that seemed to define where boats were not to go. A very small beach area with no services whatsoever. Not even a bench.

I explored 2 additional swimming areas, one in Lecco near Porto Nuovo called Malgrate Beach. Small and rocky with some boat traffic, no one swimming but there were sunbathers, no beach fees and a couple of restaurants and some do not walk on grass. Another a short distance north of Lecco, maybe 2 train stops, called Abbadia Lariana that had the lounge and umbrella thing going on so it is likely a private beach for a fee. It looked somewhat protected but I did not stop there.

Also took a day trip to Lugano in Switzerland where there was a large public park with a lot of people swimming and kids playing in the water. It’s a quick and easy train ride. I did not see showers or changing rooms there. Take the stairs or funicular down from the train station and turn left at the lake.