Como

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Buildings alongside Lake Como at Piazza Cavour, Como, Lombardy, Italy

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Overview

Sitting in a lush if crowded basin at the southern tip of its namesake lake, Como is a self-confident and historic town, established by Julius Caesar as an Alpine garrison and Roman holiday resort in the 1st century BC. Philosophers Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger were born here, and Virgil thought Como, with its narrow profile and soaring Alpine amphitheatre, the greatest Italian lake. The town’s medieval watchtowers were built by Frederick Barbarossa and its three impressive Romanesque basilicas rise from the remains of once-rich convents and are layered with priceless artworks.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Duomo

Como

Como’s awesome marble-clad cathedral is one of the most important buildings on the lake, incorporating a variety of styles – Romanesque, Renaissance and…

Brunate

Como

Como is flanked to the east and west by steep and thickly wooded hills (scarred in part by the spread of residential housing). Northeast along the…

Basilica di San Fedele

Como

Hemmed in by houses these days and enclosing one side of what was once a medieval grain market, this Lombard Romanesque basilica dates back to the 7th…

Basilica di Sant'Abbondio

Como

About 500m south of Como’s city walls is this austere 11th-century Romanesque church, once the seat of a bishopric built on the orders of St Amantius of…

Museo della Seta

Como

Far from being a flashy collection of silk scarves, this highly educational study of Como’s long-standing textile industry explains the full silk-making…

Villa Sucota

Como

A grand villa overlooking the lake, northwest of the centre, Villa Sucota was built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It has been home to various…

Passeggiata Lino Gelpi

Como

One of Como's most charming walks is the lakeside stroll west from Piazza Cavour. Passeggiata Lino Gelpi leads past the Monumento ai Caduti, a 1931…

Villa del Grumello

Como

This picturesque villa with extensive gardens is generally open only for special events (conferences, weddings and the like). The grounds, however, open…

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