Como is an Italian town of 85 915 inhabitants, capital of the
province of the same name, in Lombardy. A city in the center of the
Lombardy region of lakes, Como attracts international tourism linked
to the natural scenery, and is an industrial center based on the
silk industry (a typically Como activity).
The city center is
located on the lakefront, around the Piazza del Duomo, one of the
largest cathedrals in northern Italy. The historic core still has
the appearance of the original Roman castrum, with well-preserved
medieval walls and large lookout towers (Porta Torre, Torre Gattoni,
San Vitale). Noteworthy are the churches of S. Abbondio and S.
Fedele, the heart of the walled city, while the rationalist
buildings erected by Giuseppe Terragni from Como are of artistic
value: the Casa del Fascio, the War Memorial, the Sant'Elia Asylum
and the Novocomum. Nearby, the Volta Temple houses some relics of
the scientist Alessandro Volta, another illustrious Como, inventor
of the electric battery. Villa Olmo is home to high-level art
exhibitions while the funicular that connects the city to the
Brunate mountain completes the itinerary of the visit. Boat trips on
the lake are classic.
How to orient yourself
Neighborhoods
Administratively, the
districts of Como are divided into 9 districts:
Albate - Muggiò -
Acquanera
Time
Prestino - Camerlata - Breccia - Rebbio
Camnago
Volta
Como Center - Como West
Como Borghi
North Como - East
Como
Monte Olimpino - Chiasso Bridge - Sagnino - Tavernola
Garzola
- Civiglio
The capital of Lake Como is the city of Lake Como, of silk, of Pliny
the Younger, of Alessandro Volta, of Giuseppe Terragni and Antonio
Sant'Elia. It was an important medieval municipality and rivaled Milan
for a long time. The walls, the Castel Baradello (of which the tower and
little else survives) and various Romanesque churches remain as evidence
of that era, among which the Basilica of Sant'Abbondio stands out. Also
from the Middle Ages are the Broletto and the adjacent Duomo with the
dome by Filippo Juvara, one of the main Gothic cathedrals in Upper
Italy. Even more recent history has left significant evidence, such as
the monuments of Italian Rationalism (Casa del Fascio, War Memorial,
Novocomum), the neoclassical Villa Olmo and the Volta Temple (museum
dedicated to Alessandro Volta). Furthermore, Como, lying at the
south-western end of the homonymous lake, is the ideal starting point
for visiting the lake and is itself a remarkable scenic location.
1 Castel Baradello, Via Castel Baradello (on the homonymous hill
overlooking the city of Como), ☎ +39 031 592805. The best preserved part
of the complex is the square Romanesque tower. The total height of the
tower was 28 meters of which today only the battlements are missing.
Despite the few and disparate news on the very ancient origins of the
castle, its construction was recognized as the work of Federico
Barbarossa in 1158.
2 The Life Electric, Piero Caldirola breakwater.
The Life Electric is a sculpture by Daniel Libeskind created in 2015 for
the inauguration of EXPO Milano 2015.
The master dedicated this work
to the engineer and physicist Alessandro Volta.
Weighing 29 tons and
more than 14 meters high, the work redevelops the breakwater, giving the
city a new masterpiece.
3 Terme di Como Romana, Viale Lecco,
apretipervoi.como@volontaritouring.it. free. Remains of the thermal
complex of the city of Como, in use from the second half of the 1st
century AD. until the end of the 3rd century AD, which can be visited
via a path of raised walkways.
4 Broletto di Como, Piazza Duomo, ☎
+39 031 252352. This is the ancient medieval town hall (1215), built
next to the cathedral, to signify the strong link between the civil
power of the municipality and that of the Church.
5 Walls of Como.
6 Monument to the European Resistance.
7 Duomo di Como (Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta), via Maestri
comacini 6, ☎ +39 031 3312275. Mon-Fri 09:30-17:30, Sat 10:45-16:30, Sun
and public holidays 1:00- 4.30pm. Main religious building of the city
and seat of the Diocese of Como. In late Gothic and Renaissance style,
the beginning of its construction dates back to 1396, while the end of
the works is dated 1770. The cathedral is composed of a Latin cross
plan, three naves and a transept surmounted by a dome.
8 Basilica of
Sant'Abbondio, Via Regina Teodolinda 35, Como. Romanesque basilica
dedicated to the patron saint (and third bishop of the diocese) of Como,
built in the 11th century; inside there are some 13th century frescoes.
The basilica was built on the site of a 5th-century early Christian
basilica, dedicated to the holy apostles Peter and Paul. Consecrated in
1095 by Pope Urban II, it is one of the Romanesque masterpieces of the
Comacini masters. In the 16th century the basilica underwent profound
restorations, assuming a classical appearance, while the construction of
the grandiose cloister also began. In 1834 the buildings, now in a
serious state of decay, were partly demolished and rebuilt. From 1863
the basilica was restored in its Romanesque aspect; during the works,
the foundations of the early Christian building and those of the
external narthex, demolished during the 16th century, were also
discovered. The current facade is based on what was once the porch. In
1928 Antonio Giussani carried out a new restoration of the church,
replacing all the glass in the windows, redoing the roofs of the naves,
apses and choir, plastering the walls and vaults again and
reconstructing the high altar and the altars placed in Musso marble. In
1968 the transfer of the Episcopal Seminary to Muggiò once again caused
the abandonment and rapid deterioration of what had been the seat of the
monastery. It was purchased in 1974 by the Municipality of Como, which
oversaw its restoration and redevelopment. It is currently the seat of
the Faculty of Law of the University of Insubria. Of great importance is
the cycle of fourteenth-century frescoes that decorate the apse, in the
Giotto style.
9 Basilica of San Carpoforo. Church dating back to the
4th century. It was the first basilica of the diocese of Como, and its
first cathedral.
10 Basilica of San Fedele.
The city of Como has several valuable buildings that fall within the
style of Italian Rationalism.
11 Casa del Fascio, Piazza del
Popolo 4, ☎ +39 031 2521. The Casa del Fascio is a building designed in
1932 by Giuseppe Terragni. Finished building in 1936, it is considered
one of the best examples of Italian rationalist architecture. It has the
shape of a parallelepiped in which full and empty spaces alternate,
creating plays of chiaroscuro and transparency.
It is currently the
headquarters of the provincial command of the Guardia di Finanza.
12 War Memorial, Viale Giancarlo Puecher. The War Memorial
inaugurated on November 4, 1933 is inspired by a sketch by Antonio
Sant'Elia (Italian futurist who lived from 1888 to 1916) and created by
Giuseppe Terragni.
On the monument, 30 meters high, the names of 650
fallen of the First Great War are engraved, facing the lake, the phrase
is engraved: "TONIGHT WE SLEEP IN TRIESTE OR IN PARADISE WITH THE
HEROES", On the back, however, there is a phrase by Sant 'Elijah
reciting: "WITH THE STONES OF THE CARSO THE CITY EXALTS THE GLORY OF ITS
CHILDREN".
13 Novocomum, Viale Giuseppe Sinigaglia. It is a building
built from 1928 to 1929 on a project by Giuseppe Terragni, it represents
one of the first examples of modern architecture in Italy. What makes
the Novocomum so important is instead the external architectural
appearance, made up of pure and simple volumes interpenetrating with
each other, and highlighted by the different material and chromatic
treatments.
14 Camerlata Fountain, Piazzale Camerlata. It is a
monumental fountain located in Piazzale Camerlata, the work of Cesare
Cattaneo and Mario Radice and built between 1934-1935. The same authors
have defined it: «Work of pure decoration, exaltation of beautiful
shapes obtained with geometric perfection ... without pretensions of
literary symbolic content or functional destination».
15 Sant'Elia
kindergarten.
16 Casa Pedraglio. It is a building by Giuseppe
Terragni.
17 Volta Temple, Viale Guglielmo Marconi 1, ☎ +39 031 574705. €2 (Oct
2017). Tue-Sun 10am-6pm. Scientific museum dedicated to Alessandro Volta
by the architect Federico Frigerio and inaugurated in 1928. It is the
most visited museum in Como, with a reinforced concrete framework, its
style is close to the Palladian. It collects originals and
reconstructions of Volta's scientific instruments together with
documents and materials relating to his life.
18 Silk Museum, Via
Castelnuovo 9, ☎ +39 031 303180, fax: +39 031 303180,
info@museosetacomo.com. Single entry €10. Tue-Fri 10:00-13:00 - Sat
10:00-13:00 - Sun by reservation. The Silk Museum of Como illustrates
the history of the complete manufacturing cycle of this precious fabric.
The museum collects a remarkable heritage of machines, equipment, and
documentation that tell not only the silk manufacturing process but also
the economic, social and urban development of the city of Como and its
surroundings.
19 Paolo Giovio Archaeological Museum.
20 Giuseppe
Garibaldi Historical Museum.
21 Pinacoteca di Palazzo Volpi
(Pinacoteca Civica).
22 Villa Olmo, Via Simone Cantoni, 1, ☎ +39 031 252352, +39 031
252472, +39 031 252443, infocultura@comune.como.it. Free (Oct 2017).
Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00 (Villa Olmo), From 1st Oct to 4th Apr. Mon-Sun
07:00-19:00 From 5th April to 30th Sept. Mon-Sun 07:00-23:00 (park).
Villa Olmo is a neoclassical building in Como designed by the architect
Simone Cantoni from 1782 to 1797. Among the illustrious guests of the
villa we find Napoleon Bonaparte and Ugo Foscolo. This villa is the most
famous and sumptuous of the Como villas. Built by Innocenzo Odescalchi
to a design by Simone Cantoni on the site of a large elm tree, although
modified and enlarged, it retains the original neoclassical structure.
Inside, among other things, there is a vast hall with eighteenth-century
frescoes, smaller rooms and a small theater with 92 seats, frescoed by
Fontana. From the Odescalchis, the villa passed to the Raimondi, the
Visconti di Modrone and finally in 1924 to the Municipality which It has
been used as a venue for cultural events, conferences and art
exhibitions. The "A. Volta" Scientific Culture Center has been located
there since 1982, which organizes conferences, courses, lectures and
exhibitions in the scientific and technical fields at international
level. The Centre, made up of local and Lombard territorial entities, is
connected with the universities of Milan, Pavia, Brescia and with the
Milan Polytechnic.
23 Villa Geno, Viale Geno, 12.
24 Villa Gallia
(Villa Crespi), Via Borgovico, 154.
25 Villa Saporiti (Villa Resta
Pallavicini or La Rotonda).
26 Villa del Grumello (Villa Celesia),
Via per Cernobbio, 11. The villa can be visited.
27 Villa Flori, Via
per Cernobbio, 12.
28 Villa Dozzio, Via per Cernobbio, 28.
29
Villa Parravicini Revel, Via Museo Giovio, 6, ☎ +39 3383053323. Noble
villa with a private dock used for weddings and receptions.
Other
30 Monument to the European Resistance, Lungolago Mafalda di Savoia.
Palio del Baradello. August. Historical re-enactment of Barbarossa's
landing in Como through challenges in medieval costume among the various
villages of the city.
City of Toys. From the beginning of December
until the day of the Epiphany, the center of Como becomes a large
Christmas village every year, with projections that illuminate the
Cathedral and many other buildings in the center, markets, crib
exhibitions, and numerous events dedicated to families including the
arrival of Santa Claus and the Epiphany with gifts for all the children.
Sant'Abbondio Fair. The Patron Saint of Como, Sant'Abbondio, is
celebrated on August 31st, and on this occasion, between the end of
August and the beginning of September, the traditional Fair is organized
which includes various events including guided tours of the
thousand-year-old Basilica dedicated to the Saint, markets with local
handicrafts and restaurant with typical Larian products.
Miniartextil, Largo Spallino, 1 (Ex. Church of San Francesco),
artearte@miniartextil.it. Tue-Sun 11am-7pm. 'Miniartextil' is an annual
review of contemporary art. The exhibition offers the best international
artistic production in the field of Textile Art or Fiber Art, that
sector of contemporary art that takes up ancient textile notions,
however revolutionizing their patterns and materials.
Orticolario,
Largo Luchino Visconti, 4, 22012 Cernobbio CO (Villa Erba), ☎ +39 031
3347503, fax: +39 031 340358, artearte@miniartextil.it. the first
Friday, Saturday, Sunday of October - horticultural event in the
prestigious Villa Erba in Cernobbio
Le Primavere de La Provincia (The
exhibition takes place in various locations in the city.), ☎ +39 031
582420, leprimavere@laprovincia.it. free. Le Primavera de La Provincia
is a cultural review, which reached its eighth edition in 2018, which
involves prestigious speakers in comparison with the public of Lecco and
Como. Each year the review is built around a different theme.
Walk on the lakefront. Como is a pleasant place for a stroll along
the lake. The walk includes the Tempio Voltiano, the monument to the
memory of the Second World War, from beautiful villas and ice cream
parlors.
Visit the Roman Stones and the Strada Regia. Torno, one of
the most picturesque villages on this lake shore, is the starting point
for the Piazzaga itinerary. Following the red arrows for the "strada
regia" and following the signs for Molina, Piazzaga/Massi avelli you
will walk along a path along a mule track along which you can admire the
lake views, a Roman stone arch and abundant wildlife. You will come to a
stone bridge over a stream which, keeping to the left, will head towards
the boulders avelli, the erratic boulders where there are tombs. Then
continue towards Piazzaga, take a nice break and eat a typical and
traditional dish and enjoy the impressive view over the whole lake. Then
head slowly towards Montepiatto and visit the Pietra Pendula and return
to Torno.
Beaches. Discover all the cities around Lake Como where you
can spend a pleasant day on the lake with the possibility of swimming in
the clear waters to spend a day of relaxation and fun. Lake Como is full
of beaches, so a tan is guaranteed.
Mountain ranges. Lake Como is
surrounded by some imposing peaks which are reflected in its waters and
make the landscape unique. The valleys surrounding Lake Como are some of
the most beautiful areas of the Pre-Alps, rich in vegetation and
populated by numerous species of animals. It is a homogeneous area from
which numerous excursions depart along old military roads and paths
towards pastures and mountain refuges. Grigna, Resegone and Legnone are
important mountain ranges, but San Primo and Pizzo di Gino, which
surround the lake, become particularly atmospheric and unforgettable
during the long summer sunsets and in the warm autumn light that
surrounds their contours. The mountains and valleys include the entire
area surrounding the lake, with hills and mountain ranges rising from
the plain and enclosing the countryside, villages, hills and woods:
Valsassina, Valvarrone, Valle San Martino and Val d'Esino, Val d
Intelvi, Val Menaggio, Val Cavargna, Val Solda and the valleys of
Western Upper Lario. The mountain ranges of Lake Como offer endless
opportunities for hiking and trekking.
The Medeghino. Private boat
tour. From one of the piers in the municipality you can rent a boat with
a captain and visit the most beautiful points of the lake.
Aero Club,
Viale Massenzio Masia, 44. Take flying lessons.
Rent a bike
Rent Bike, Via Puecher (Tempio Voltiano area), ☎ +39 393 1866717, +39
331 1899110. From April to October.
Run & Bike, Via Borgovico 161, ☎
+39 0314896050. Closed on Sundays and Monday mornings.
Cicli Ferca,
Via Dottesio 8, ☎ +39 031300160, +39 3341173306. Mon-Fri.
BIKE&CO -
Bicincittà, ☎ 800 032 330, info@bicincitta.com. Shared bikes by
registering on the site at the stations and main road junctions in the
city centre.
By plane
Como does not have its own airport but is connected with
the three main airports of nearby Milan and with the Lugano-Agno airport
in the Canton of Ticino.
Milan-Malpensa
Milan-Malpensa (MXP).
Approximately 50 km in the province of Varese and in the city of
Gallarate, Malpensa is the second Italian hub after Rome Fiumicino.
Terminal 2 (built before the larger Terminal 1) is mainly dedicated to
low-cost national and international flights.
Connections with the
Como city are ensured by:
Public transport
By train: to reach
Como, for the total price of €9.80, you need to take an express train to
Milan (Malpensa Express) which stops in Saronno. From here, take the
regional train (Trenord) to Como Lago, which also stops in Como Borghi,
Camerlata and Grandate-Breccia.
By bus:
"Giosy Tours" line
(Bellinzona - Chiasso - Malpensa) at a cost of € 20 (€ 34 return), with
seven trips a day, stops at Chiasso FFS.
Taxi Taxis with fares from
€80.
Milan-Linate
Milan-Linate. Located about 70 km south, in
the province of Milan, in the municipality of Segrate, Linate airport
(whose official name is "Enrico Forlanini") is fourth in the ranking of
the busiest Italian airports. edit
Connections with Como are ensured
by:
Public transport (connections with this airport are not
direct. It is therefore necessary to reach the main stations of Milan
and then reach the lakeside city by train):
For direct trains to Como
San Giovanni departing from Milano Centrale station, use the ATM Air Bus
service, in collaboration with AirPullman, at the price of €5. The
ticket to Como on the TILO regional trains costs €4.80.
For trains
going to Como Lago (with stops also in Grandate-Breccia, Camerlata and
Como Borghi), departing from Milan Cadorna station, use the 73 bus (or
the X73) to San Babila and from here take the M1 line from the
underground in the direction of Bisceglie/Molino Dorino at the price of
€1.50. The cost of the train ticket is €4.80.
Taxi Taxis with fares
from €90.
Bergamo-Orio al Serio
Bergamo-Orio al Serio Airport
(il Caravaggio), via Aeroporto, 13, Orio al Serio, ☎ +39 035 326323.
Located about 90 km south-east, in the province of Bergamo, in the
municipality of Orio al Serio, the Orio al Serio airport (whose official
name is "Caravaggio") hosts low-cost domestic and international flights,
as well as being an important cargo hub.
Connections with Como
are ensured by:
Public transport (connections with this airport are
not direct. It is therefore necessary to reach the Milano Centrale
station to then reach Como):
Arriving at the Milano Centrale station,
reachable thanks to the various bus services, in general, at a cost of €
5, the regional bus for Bellinzona stops in Como San Giovanni.
Taxi
Taxis with fares from €120.
Lugano-Agno
Lugano-Agno Airport,
Via Aeroporto, 6982 Agno, Switzerland. Located about 30 km north, in the
Canton of Ticino, in the municipality of Agno, the Agno airport is a
small airport that hosts Swiss domestic flights, and only seasonally
some flights from Italy.
By car
Como can be reached by taking
the A8/A9 motorway that connects Milan to Como which reaches the Canton
of Ticino. Furthermore, from Milan you can also arrive with the
provincial road ex dei Giovi.
From Varese through the and from
Lecco through the SS583.
From Chiasso in Switzerland the urban
boundary is at via Bellinzona.
On boat
Below is the map of
connections with Lake Como.
Ferries (Como airport), Lungo Lario
Trieste, ☎ 800 551801, infocomo@navigazionelaghi.it. Connections with
the coastal towns on Lake Como through the company Gestione Governativa
Navigazione Laghi.
On the train
Como is connected with many
Italian cities such as Milan and Varese or foreign cities such as Lugano
and Bellinzona, through various railway stations:
Like San
Giovanni. Como main station. It is part of the railway lines:
Chiasso-Milan and Como-Lecco. From Milan Central Station there is a
train every hour and it takes about 40 minutes on average to Como S.
Giovanni station. Inside the station there is a 24-hour left luggage
service. Trenitalia and the Swiss Railways for Switzerland operate
there.
Like Camerlata. This secondary station is located on the
Saronno-Como route. Trenord operates there.
Como Borghi. It is a
secondary station of Como along the Saronno-Como route. Trenord operates
there.
Como Lago Station. Only North Trains operate in this station
along the Saronno–Como route.
Albate-Trecallo station. The stop is
served by Trenord regional trains on the Como-Molteno route.
Grandate-Breccia station. Station on the Saronno-Como route. Trenord
operates there.
From Milano Nord Cadorna Station to Como Nord
Camerlata Station Como Nord Borghi and Como Nord Lago with trains
approximately every half hour and journey time one hour.
By bus
From the border beyond Chiasso (in Italian territory) there is the stop
for urban bus 1 in via Bellinzona and it arrives near the station and in
Piazza Cavour.
Como's local public transport service is managed by "ASF Autolinee"
whose terminus is located in Piazza Giacomo Matteotti.
Within the
municipality of Como, these vehicles travel with a ticket at the urban
rate. The Regional () and Suburban () railway service managed by
"Trenord", on the other hand, connects Como to the rest of Lombardy and
to the Canton of Ticino.
By public transport
Como has 10 urban
bus lines and a funicular. The timetables can be consulted here:
1 Chiasso FFS - Nuovo Ponte Chiasso Hospital - Villa Olmo - San
Rocchetto - Piazza Cavour - Piazza Vittoria - Camerlata - Rebbio - San
Fermo ASF Bus lines Daily
3 Lora - Grandate Camerlata - Rebbio ASF
Bus School
4 Monumental Cemetery - Campora San Giovanni Station -
Piazza Cavour - Val Duce Hospital - Camnago Volta ASF Bus lines Daily
5 San Giovanni - Civiglio station outward journey: Piazza Vittoria - Via
per Brunate - Garzola; return: Garzola - Via per Brunate - Lago station
- Piazza Cavour ASF Autolinee Daily
6 Maslianico - Breccia Tavernola
- Cernobbio - Villa Olmo - San Rocchetto - Piazza Cavour - Lake Station
- Piazza Vittoria - San Giuseppe - Muggiò - Camerlata - Rebbio ASF Bus
lines Daily
7 Sagnino - Lora Monte Olimpino - San Rocchetto - Piazza
Cavour - Lake Station - Piazza Vittoria - ASF Bus University Daily
8
San Giovanni Station - Casnate Monumental Cemetery (one way) - Piazza
Vittoria (return) - Camerlata - Albate Station - Bernate ASF Autolinee
Daily
11 Ponte Chiasso - Bassone Sagnino - Tavernola - Villa Olmo -
San Rocchetto - Piazza Cavour - Lake Station - Piazza Vittoria - San
Giuseppe - Muggiò - Albate ASF Autolinee Daily
12 Camerlata -
Tavernola Grandate-Breccia station - New Sant'Anna hospital - San Fermo
- Monte Olimpino ASF Bus line Scolastico
Travel titles
The
Como bus service consists of both exclusively urban lines (lines 3, 4,
5, 7, 9, 11 and T3) and urban lines serving areas outside the
municipality (line 1 from Leno to San Fermo, the 6 from Tavernola to
Maslianico, the 8 from Guzza to Casnate, the 12 within the municipality
of San Fermo della Battaglia). Furthermore, for line 1, in the section
from Ponte Chiasso to Chiasso, it is necessary to purchase an
international one-way ticket.
Rates
There are various types of
tickets, which can be purchased at various prices, according to your
needs. Single urban tickets cost €1.30 and are valid for 75 minutes
(however, if purchased on board, the ticket costs €2.50 and is valid for
90 minutes). To travel on one of the lines indicated above which have a
route outside the municipality of Como, you need to purchase an
integrated ticket (fare B) at €1.70, which is valid for 90 minutes. It
is possible to buy a booklet of 11 tickets, each valid for 75 minutes,
for €13.- (€17.-€ for integrated tickets - fare B).
There are
various types of passes including daily (€ 3,-) and weekly (€ 11.50, €
14,- for rate B).
An international one-way ticket costs €1.70,
while weekly urban passes are valid.
By taxi
Radio Taxi Como,
☎ +39 031261515.
Radio Taxi Lario 2000, ☎ +39 031272000.
Radio
Taxi, ☎ 800 012 380.
By bike
Bike&CO, ☎ 800 032 330,
info@bicincitta.com. First half hour free, €0.50 from the second.
Subscriptions: daily "4forYOU": €8 including 4 hours of use of the bike
in the 24 hours of validity, annual: €35 including €5 top-up, monthly:
€10 including €2 top-up and weekly: €5 inclusive €1 top-up. Bike sharing
service.
By funicular
Funicular (Como-Brunate Funicular),
Piazza De Gasperi 4, ☎ +39 031 303608, info@funicolarecomo.it. Single
ticket €3, return €5.50, reduced €2, reduced return €3.20. Sun-Fri
06:00-22:30, Sat 06:00-24:00. Summer: Mon-Sun 06:00-24:00. This
funicular connects the center of Como with Brunate, a small village with
less than 2,000 inhabitants, on a mountain 715 meters above sea level.
The journey takes about 7 minutes and the view is worth the trip: it can
also be the starting point for a walk on the mountains such as Monte
Bollettone (1,204 m) and Monte Palanzone (1,436 m).
Covered market, Via Mentana, 5. Tues and Thurs 8:00-13:00, Fri-Sat
8:00-19:00.
Carrefour Market - Como Recchi, Via Fratelli Recchi. Open
24 hours. Supermarket.
Shows
Social Theater. Theater with an interesting theater season.
Night clubs
Among the areas of youthful nightlife where there are
several clubs is Piazza Alessandro Volta.
Modest prices
1 Restaurant Pizzeria in... Borgovico, Via Borgovico
79, ☎ +39 031 573603, in.borgovico@alice.it.
2 Pizzeria da Quinto (Da
Quinto), Via Milano 17, ☎ +39 031 263143. €12. Wed-Mon 10:00-15:00,
17:30-22:30.
3 Pasticceria Dolciamo, Via Borgo Vico, 104. This pastry
shop is also a bar with a good choice of croissants for breakfast.
Average prices
4 Roadhouse Como Lipomo, Via Oltrecolle ang.
provincial road for Lecco.
5 the ideal Contemporary Pizza & Bistrot,
Piazza Giovanni Paolo II. Nice place, good pizza. Less choice of pasta
and second courses.
6 All i Oli, Via Borgo Vico, 88. Restaurant with
Catalan cuisine. Paella on request.
High prices
7 Numeronove,
Piazza Giuseppe Mazzini, 5, ☎ +39 031272858, info@numeronovecomo.it.
Quite cozy atmosphere.
Modest prices
1 Hotel Borgovico, Via Borgovico, 91, ☎ +39 031
570107, info@hotelborgovico.it.
High prices
2 Hotel Terminus,
Lungo Lario Trieste, 14, ☎ +39 031 329 111, info@albergoterminus.it.
Housed in an early 20th century Art Nouveau building, this four-star
hotel offers, among others, restaurant service, sauna, gym and, in
summer, breakfast on the terrace overlooking the lake.
Internet
There are two good wi-fi hotspots: the Como bar on via
Volta (eight-minute walk southeast of the water taxi) and the sushi bar
on via Bargovico (well hidden, but worth it; taxi d' waterfall).
The Province of Como Newspaper
TV TV expansion
CiaoComo Radio
Radio FM 89.4 in Como and surroundings
Como is located on the southern end of the western
branch of Lake Como, in a small basin surrounded by wooded morainic
hills. As the würmian glacier retreated, the plain, now occupied by
the city center, was progressively filled in by sediments brought by
the Cosia stream. This short watercourse originates from the reliefs
south of the Larian Triangle, from surrounding the city to the south
and mainly covered west, and flows into the Pràa Pasquée, an ancient
marshy and pasture area (from Lombard "pasquerium"), then reclaimed
between the eighteenth century and Nineteenth century.
It
borders directly with Switzerland, in particular with the Canton of
Ticino, the district of Mendrisio and the municipality of Chiasso
with which it constitutes a unique urban area, and is about 40 km
from Milan.
The Como winter is relatively affected by the mitigating influence of the lake water mass. The minimum temperatures of November, December, January, February and, sometimes, March can normally drop below freezing and are usually accompanied by high humidity. On the other hand, the fog that characterizes nearby Brianza and the Po valley is completely absent, already partly present beyond the hills south of the so-called "convalle", or the city center. Snow is quite frequent, although discontinuous depending on the winter, with average annual snow values that rise from the valley (about 20/30 cm per year) towards the peripheral districts (about 40/50 cm per year). The last snowfalls of some importance date back to 24 and 25 February 2013, 13, 14 and 15 December 2012, 31 January, 1 and 2 February 2012, 17 December 2010, 21-22 December 2009, 2 February and January 6-7, 2009, to January 26-27-28, 2006. In February 2012, the snow remained on the ground longer due to the very low temperatures recorded, with maximum values below zero even in the center for almost a week. Summer is relatively hot, although the period of maximum alcohol content is rather short (no later than two consecutive weeks). On some occasions it can reach 35/36 ° C. The rainfall is quite high, with an average of around 1,500 mm per year and higher in the northernmost districts. The area has a marked tendency to thunderstorms. In the municipal area there are some differences in the minimum night values between the districts, depending on whether or not they are exposed to night breezes. Often in the summer season during the morning the lakeside locations record lower temperatures than the hinterland due to the lake breeze, only to become uniform in the afternoon thanks to the rotation of the wind.
Como conquered by the Romans in 196 BC it is called by Tito Livio Comum oppidum. Gaius Julius Caesar will refound the city in 59 BC. naming it Novum Comum. The toponym Comum (сомvм) is the Latin form of the original Comm used by the local Comenses population and maintained to this day in the Como dialect. It comes from the Celtic root Koimo which means "inhabited". In the late fifteenth century the exonym in German language, Kam, is also attested, which in turn derives directly from Comm.
Classical authors, starting with Pliny the Elder who reports the
words of Origines, a work by Cato the Censor that has been lost,
attribute the foundation of Como to the Orobi lineage. There are
numerous archaeological evidences that have come to light since the 19th
century. They attest us in the first millennium B.C. the flourishing of
a civilization, called the Golasecca culture, which places the
proto-urban district of Como, especially from the mid-seventh century
BC. until the Gallic invasions of the 4th century BC, as the center of a
vast, culturally uniform territory, extending from Bergamo to
Ticino[13]. In these centuries Como, which was not located in its
current location, but further south, where today the fraction of
Prestino is located, developed a civilization that is called Comense or
della Ca' morta, from the name of the Como necropolis, where Como finds
the its role of commercial and cultural intermediation between the
Villanovan civilization and the Celtic civilizations beyond the Alps
(Hallstatt culture).
In Roman times, Como was one of the two
terminals of the Via Novaria-Comum, a Roman road that connected the
municipalities of Novaria (Novara) and Comum (Como) passing through
Sibrium (Castel Seprio). Via Regina also passed through Como, a Roman
road that connected the river port of Cremona (modern Cremona) with
Clavenna (Chiavenna) passing through Mediolanum (Milan).
From the
4th century BC. the town of Como became depopulated and its necropolis
exhausted. With the arrival of the Gauls, who undermined the
pre-existing system, Como lost its importance and entered a period of
decline. The problem of the location of the Comum oppidum remains
unsolved, the center of Como conquered by the Romans in 196 BC. It is
possible that, although reduced in size, it was limited to occupying an
area on the hills that gravitate around Prestino on the slopes of Monte
Croce.
In 196 BC. Cisalpine Gaul was definitively conquered by
the consul Marco Claudio Marcello who stipulated a foedus aequum to bind
the vanquished to Rome in an alliance, granting the ius Latii. Following
a terrible invasion by the Rhaetians, in 89 BC, the ancient oppidum was
rebuilt at the behest of Pompeo Strabone, respecting the previous
location on the hills, and administratively reorganized, like the rest
of the region, through the Lex Pompeia de Transpadanis.
In 77 BC.
3,000 settlers were settled in the village on the initiative of Gaius
Scipio, perhaps soldiers intended to prevent the raids of the
barbarians. In 59 BC. Caesar, in view of a probable transalpine
expansion and considering the Comense territory strategically important
for the defense of the peninsula, had the Lex Vatinia launched, with
which he obtained authorization to found a colony. Cesare then had the
area overlooking the lake reclaimed by diverting the Cosia, Valduce and
Fiume Aperto streams and settled 5,000 settlers there, including 500
Greeks who also obtained Roman citizenship, to whom the etymological
origin of places like Corenno can be attributed ( Corinth), Lennos and
Lemna (Lemnos), Nessos (Nasso). Today's Coloniola district would have
been one of the first areas subject to colonization, which until 1127
constituted a fortified village in its own right.
In 49 BC. Como
became a municipium. During the 1st century AD the city's growth was
aided by the donations of Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger, both
from Como, who had a library and a spa area erected, as well as two
villas on the lake that no longer exist. In 354 the future emperor
Flavius Claudius Julianus was exiled to Lario. Two Roman roads ended in
Como, the via Bergomum-Comum, which came from Bergamo and the via
Novaria-Comum, which connected Novaria (Novara) with Como passing
through Sibrium (Castelseprio).
The Lake Como area – thanks to
its proximity to Milan, already marked by the Christian presence in the
apostolic era, to the presence of ancient urban centers such as Como
itself and Licini Forum and to the presence of lively communication
routes – was evangelized very quickly. In fact, it is believed that St.
Faithful of Como, killed near Sorico (CO), is the oldest non-bishop
martyr in the whole of Transpadana Italy; and the diocese of Como,
officially founded in 386, soon had native bishops, not only of the city
but also of the surrounding places, a sign of a now well-rooted
Christianity.
Como was actively affected by the Tricapitoline
schism or schism of the Three Chapters (in ancient Greek τρία κεφάλαια,
trîa kephálaia), a division within the Church that occurred between the
6th and 7th centuries, caused by a large group of bishops, mostly
Western , who broke off relations with the other bishops and with the
pope, rejecting the decisions of the Second Council of Constantinople in
553. The separation lasted about a century and a half and involved a
vast territory, including Northern Italy, Dalmatia and Illyricum. Many
bishops of northern Italy, of Gaul and of Noricum, did not accept the
imposition of the council wanted by Justinian, also because already
during the council of Chalcedon, in 451, the Antiochene theologians had
been readmitted to their sees and the matter had to be closed.
Therefore, these bishops no longer considered themselves in communion
with the other bishops who had passively accepted the imperial decision.
Among these "rebels" against imperial and conciliar authority were the
bishops Ausanus and Macedonio, respectively heads of the ecclesiastical
provinces of Milan and Aquileia. Their dissent was further exacerbated
at the time of Pope Vigilius' successor, Pope Pelagius I (556 - 561),
who, after attempts at clarification and persuasion, invited Narses to
reduce the schism by force. However, Narses did not want to obey the
pope's request. Meanwhile, the Church of Aquileia had become
hierarchically independent and its bishop Paulinus I (557 -569) was
appointed Patriarch by his suffragans (568: autonomous patriarchate) to
underline its autonomy. The other dioceses dependent on the metropolitan
of Aquileia (of the two, the one that had its seat in Lombard Aquileia)
remained schismatic. In particular, the diocese of Como, whose bishop
Sant'Abbondio had played an important diplomatic role precisely during
the preparation of the council of Chalcedon, severed the relationship of
dependence on the archdiocese of Milan and Como became a suffragan of
Aquileia. The diocese of Comense still venerates, with the title of
saint, a bishop, Agrippino (bishop from 607 to 617), who remained
intransigently on schismatic positions in opposition also to the Roman
see. The Diocese of Como remained a suffragan of the Patriarchate of
Aquileia until 1789.
During the High Middle Ages Como was first invaded by the Goths and then by the Longobards; in 951 the emperor Otto I descended into Italy and among his supporters there was also Gualdone, bishop of Como. During the communal period, Como was disputed between the rival families of the Rusca (or Rusconi) and the Vitani. Following the ten-year war (1118-1127) between Como and Milan, on 27 August 1127 Como was besieged by the Milanese forces, the walls and houses destroyed, the inhabitants dispersed.
Como was not part of the Lombard League against the Holy Roman
Empire. Indeed, it was thanks to the alliance with the Germans that the
city was able to aspire to the lost hegemony. With the help of Emperor
Frederick I Barbarossa, in 1158, the Municipality rebuilt the city
destroyed by the Milanese on 27 August 1127, rebuilt and expanded the
defense walls with its imposing towers of Porta Torre, San Vitale and
Porta Nuova (or Gattoni Tower). He then restored Castel Baradello,
enhancing it with the construction of the mighty tower and other
structures. In 1159 it hosted Barbarossa himself with his wife Beatrice
of Burgundy, passing through the Lario.
In these years Como had
its revenge by participating in the destruction of Milan in 1162 and of
Isola Comacina in 1169, a small lakeside stronghold allied with the
Milanese in the ten-year war.
With a diploma dated 25 October
1167, Federico Barbarossa donated to the Church and the Community of
Como - as a reward for their loyalty - Castel Baradello and the Tower of
Olonio in Sorico.
Visconti period
With Azzone Visconti Como
definitively entered the Visconti orbit. When Gian Galeazzo Visconti
died in 1402, Franchino II Rusca attempted to establish a personal
lordship in Como. A period of devastation and massacres followed until
1416 when Como surrendered to Filippo Maria Visconti. Upon the latter's
death (1447) Como experienced a brief period of independence with its
"Republic of Sant'Abbondio", which however lasted only until 1450, when
the city submitted to Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan.
In October 1525 Como was occupied by don Pedro Arias, sent by Antonio
de Leyva, with 200 Spaniards, who dismantled among other things Castel
Baradello. In 1694 the Jesuit Giovanni Girolamo Saccheri, father of
non-Euclidean geometries, was ordained a priest in Como. Since then Como
followed the fortunes of the Duchy of Milan and the Kingdom of
Lombardy-Venetia.
In 1768 the physicist Giulio Cesare Gattoni
erected the first Italian lightning rod in the city. In 1797 Napoleon
arrived, who announced the establishment of the Cisalpine Republic at
Villa Saporiti, while on 24 December 1837, the daughter of Franz Liszt,
Cosima, future wife of Richard Wagner, was born. On 27 May 1859,
following the battle of San Fermo, Giuseppe Garibaldi in command of the
Cacciatori delle Alpi freed the city from Austrian occupation.
In
1899 Como hosted a large Voltiana Exhibition to celebrate the 1st
centenary of the invention of the battery by Alessandro Volta
(1745-1827), its most illustrious citizen.
On the occasion of the
1st centenary of Alessandro Volta's death, the 1927 International
Congress of Physicists was organized in Como, which officially opened
the era of quantum mechanics in the international scientific community.
It was the last time the city hosted a global event. Six years later,
Albert Einstein arrived in the city to visit the Voltiano museum.
During the Second World War Como was spared from bombing.
In
April 1945 the city was the scene of the escape and of the events
related to the arrest and shooting of Benito Mussolini and the epilogue
of the fascist regime.
In the summer of 1949 a conference was
held in the city in which Enrico Fermi also participated (in 1954 Fermi
himself held his last public session on the lake, at Villa Monastero in
Varenna).
The fifties and sixties are remembered for the work of
the mayor Lino Gelpi, who did everything to beautify the city,
dismantling the freight yard of the State Railways, building a lakeside
park in its place and creating the Villa Olmo promenade. He also covered
the Cosia stream with a high-speed road - the so-called "ring road" - to
try to free the center from the grip of traffic.
In 1981, to
prevent the construction of the Bassone prison, the "worker brigades",
during the so-called "night of fires", disseminated the city with bombs
which were defused by the bomb technician Luigi Carluccio, who lost his
life with the explosion of the last bomb. A plaque commemorates his
sacrifice at the site of the explosion.
The flag of Como is a white cross on a red field (heraldically speaking, red with a silver cross). It is a flag common to many Ghibelline cities in northern Italy, but its origins are to be found in the very ancient blutfahne (lit. "blood flag"), a flag of the same shape that has always been used by the Roman-Germanic emperors on the battlefields .