Visit Como Italy...
Urban Charm overlooking Lake Como
Como Italy is the largest town right next to Lake Como with a population of over 80000 people. Como is an ideal place to visit for tourists who enjoy exciting urban environments but still cherish the "small-town" feeling of less-crowded places. Whether you are visiting Como for business or for pleasure, you can enjoy moonlit walks while strolling lazily around the lakeside promenade or go back in time and explore the wood-beamed houses and narrow streets of the Medieval Quarter. And those with a real sense of adventure can learn how to fly a seaplane at Lake Como's only Seaplane Flying School...while the rest of us can just watch! Como Italy is particularly famous for its production of fine silk products...you will see silk everywhere and in everything...from designer scarves to pocket handkerchiefs. After experiencing large competition from China's mass production of silk, Como decided to focus more on quality than quantity thereby pleasing its smart shoppers.
Getting Here
By train: The Malpensa Express can take you right from the airport to the Como Nord Lago station right by the ferry harbor. There are also direct trains from Milan to Como's S. Giovanni station.
From Bergamo, there are infrequent buses that go directly to Como, or you can take a train with a change in Monza.
How to get here by car
Printable maps of Como
Things To Do
Como Italy is a wonderful base from which you can quickly get to other parts of Lake Como thanks to the wonderful public transportation services available from three train stations, plenty of buses and ferries - all within walking distance.
Over 2000 years of bloody history and a continuous shift of powers between Roman, French, Austrian and the Spanish rulers have left Como with many historic churches and monuments, museums and other fine relics.
Two such museums are the Museum of Archaeology and of Art as well as the Giuseppe Garibaldi Museum which house artifacts dating all the way from 1200 B.C. to WWII!
You can also take a funicular up to the small mountain community of Brunate from which you can get splendid panoramic views of Lake Como and surrounding areas.
Places to Stay
Como Italy has many hotels to suit business and pleasure travelers ranging from large-chain hotels like the Best Western to smaller and more intimate family-run locales.
Most tourists stay at one of the elegant Como hotels which overlook the lake such as the popular Metropole Suisse Au Lac.
Como Hotels and apartments become much cheaper as you go away from the lake and closer to the S. Giovanni train station, but the neigborhoods also become more dull.
For a list of all Como hotels, check out our hotel directory.
Places to Eat and Drink
In Como Italy, the bars located by the lake are great locations to grab a morning capuccino or enjoy a sip of local wine for lunch. But for real meals, you should check out the delicious pizzerias scattered over town.
The Ristorante Hosterietta in the Piazza Volta Square meets our guidelines for a memorable dining experience. They serve delicious homemade pastas and a variety of seafood.
Try the Trattoria Le Catene for the best pizza in Como. It's about a 5 minute walk from the lake on Via Borsieri.
Suggested Walking Itineraries Through Como's Hotspots
Como Italy has an interesting location as the lake's southernmost city and seemingly hovers around the tip of Lake Como's western leg with its lovely lakeside promenade and opulent villas.
Itinerary #1 - Lakeside walks
As you walk along Como's lakeside promenade you will pass by the the Nord Lago train station, the lively Piazza Cavour (Como's central square), as well as many interesting monuments such as the Monument to European Resistance and the Monument to the Fallen. You will eventually reach the charming gardens which house the Tempio Voltano, a museum built to honour the world-class physicist Alessandro Volta.
Continue walking on Via Puecher, where you will pass by the Sinigallia Stadium, built to blend in harmoniously with the area and can fit 10,000 spectators, and the Seaplane Flying School, the only one in all of Lake Como Italy.
At this point you will reach a new lakeside promenade which will take you passed the Provincial Government's headquarters all the way to the opulent Villa Olmo with its beautiful interior frescoes and outside marble fountain.
Itinerary #2 - Historic Center
The entire town of Como still retains its ancient walls which fortified it against enemies. At the heart of these enclosed walls is the looming Duomo which took four centuries to build.
Close to the Duomo you will encounter the Broletto, a 13th century town council, the Teatro Sociale which once replaced the damaged La Scala of Milan and the Casa del Fascio (The Fascist Party House), an example of rationalist architecture.
As you walk south of the Duomo on Como's main street Via Vittorio Emanuele II you will reach the medieval quarter which houses the Basilica of San Fedele.
About a 1km walk southwest of here on Viale Roosevelt, you will reach the most stunning church of Como - the Basilica of Sant'Abbondio, a Romanesque masterpiece from the 11th century with great 14th-century frescoes.
It's a bit of a walk and not a very exciting neighborhood but truly worth the visit!
Como Italy by night...
Learn about some of our other Favorite Towns in Lake Como Italy
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