Racing Tradition on Lake Como

On a still autumn morning Lake Como can look like glass. Then the engines start and the Centomiglia del Lario breaks the calm. For a few days each year the lake becomes a stage for one of Italy’s oldest and most compelling powerboat races.

First run in 1949 the Centomiglia has become part of the rhythm of Como. The course has changed over time but the essence is the same. Boats built for endurance and speed circle the lake before crowds that gather on terraces and promenades. It is both competition and ritual repeated each autumn with the same anticipation.

The appeal lies as much in the setting as in the race. Villas descend towards the water and mountains close in behind them. Boats tear past in bursts of spray and light while engines echo between the slopes. From a ferry in mid lake or a bench in Cernobbio the effect is the same. It feels immediate and unfiltered.

Some of the sport’s greatest names have competed here and records set on this course remain unbeaten. The boats are part of the theatre too. Some are cutting edge carbon machines, others are polished wooden racers that recall another age. All carry the skill of Italian boatyards where design and performance are treated with equal care.

The build up is just as absorbing as the race. Docks turn into workshops where mechanics tune engines and crews prepare hulls. Visitors are free to watch and wander and the atmosphere is open and welcoming.

The lake itself shapes the character of the event. In Como the race feels like a festival with music in the piazzas and people lining the waterfront. In smaller villages it is fleeting. Boats appear with sudden force and disappear just as quickly leaving behind only ripples. Both ways of seeing it have their own appeal.

For travellers the Centomiglia is a chance to see Lake Como in a different mood. After the finish you might dine in the old streets of Como on risotto with perch or slip into the quiet lanes of Torno or Blevio. The intensity of the race gives way to calm but the memory stays with the landscape.

The Centomiglia del Lario lasts because it has never been only about winning. It is a meeting of tradition and progress, a celebration of craft and community. Each autumn it shows that even on one of the world’s most serene lakes speed and elegance can share the same stage.