Two Cultural Festivals Enliven Lake Como: Zelbio Cult and Il Bello dell'Orrido

Journalist Armando Besio, former cultural pages editor at La Repubblica in Milan, founded the Zelbio Cult festival in 2006 with childhood friends. The event brings books, literature, and authors to the Triangolo Lariano area of Lake Como. In 2019, a sister festival, Il Bello dell'Orrido, launched in Bellano, organized off-season from September to May, with film screenings tied to book presentations. The festival is part of the broader BAC (Bellano Arte e Cultura) program coordinated by Chiara Gatti, also director of MAN Nuoro, aiming to boost local cultural tourism. The Vitali family—Sara, Paola, and artist Velasco Vitali—initiated the Bellano event, inspired by the Zelbio model. The Orrido di Bellano saw visitor numbers rise from 20,000 to 220,000 annually over seven years. Besio highlights a memorable performance by actress Arianna Scommegna of Testori's 'Cleopatràs' in Zelbio, noting the emotional response from the mayor of Sormano. He seeks to feature lesser-known talents with high quality. A museum dedicated to painter Giancarlo Vitali recently opened in Bellano.