Visit Como Italy…
Urban Charm Overlooking Lake Como
Whether you are visiting Como Italy 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!
Imagine idyllic surroundings coupled with exceptional sightseeing attractions, this area of the lake has served as a superb choice for virtually anybody who needs a base from which to explore other areas. It is not too quiet and not too bustling!
Lake Como can provide a special setting in which you can get pleasure at almost anytime of year, thanks to the normally tempered climate. However, some people get pleasure from the skiing or hiking opportunities found in the nearby mountain tops, as well as from several other open-air activities. There are also those tourists who favor the water and go paragliding, sailing, and wind-surfing. Fans of bikes and motorbikes can also be seen in various locations.
One thing that Como is particularly famous for is 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 Italy decided to focus more on quality than quantity thereby pleasing its smart shoppers.
Getting To Como Italy
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.
Como Video
Things To Do
Como Italy is a wonderful base from which you can quickly get to other parts of this magical region 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 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 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 lakeside 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 Via Borsieri.
Suggested Walking Itineraries Through The City’s Hotspots
Como Italy has an interesting location as the southernmost city and seemingly hovers around the tip of the lake’s western leg with its lovely lakeside promenade and opulent villas.
Itinerary #1 – Lakeside walks
As you walk along the city’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 Lake Como.
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 is a nice town with Gothic architectural monuments and other historic relics. The verdant gardens and also the lovely view of the lake add to the appeal of this splendid and beautiful township. If you find Como to be too peaceful of a town, you should be aware that the level of ‘excitement’ only goes downhill from here as you go North and explore the other towns on the lake.
Important monuments provide a remarkable dash and attractiveness to this special cosmopolitan town that tourists cherish. Definitely pay a visit to the Como Cathedral, before getting a glimpse of the Volta Temple. Along with striking Gothic architecture, you can take a funicular up to the charming village of Brunate to get panoramic views of the Swiss and Italian mountains, making Como vacation packages an ideal opportunity for lovers of nature intertwined with culture. For fans of the outdoors, the hilly area makes for excellent hiking, and Lake Como is always ideal for a refreshing swim and yachting.
Como itself is a historic walled city, with narrow roads and primarily made of three-storey buildings. It’s situated in the base of Lake Como and astonishingly there isn’t any real lakefront beach or shoreline. The information center verified that the southern parts of the lake in general aren’t great places for swimming.
At the Como city lakefront, you’ll find the foundation for charter seaplanes, the moorings for the numerous boats along with the docks for passenger ferries. The outdated buildings of the city centre are quite astounding, but nonetheless, it is in fact overshadowed by the grand villas scattered throughout the lakefront.
How to Get To Como Italy and How to Get Around
A primary railway system, runs trains direct from Milano. It is likewise linked by train from many other important Italian cities. The eastern towns of the lake are also connected by train. Flights, too, can take one to this destination using anyone of the nearby Milan airports – Linate, Malpensa or Bergamo. For excursions within and across the city you have a great choice of buses, cabs, and even a tram. To get to other towns in Lake Como you can use the ferries or the C10 bus.
Rental cars are only possible in Como and Gravedona. It’s worth getting one, since there is so much to explore beyond the lakeside roads. Research shows Lake Como to have among the most varied landscapes in Europe.
Several little, outlying hamlets, the lake, city Como, and the Alps are found inside an hour’s journey by automobile. While most vacationers to the lake are mainly Italian, that only makes your visit all the more real when compared to visits in other Italian cities, which cater mostly to international voyagers.
Como would not be Como without Mention of Its Silk Factory
After encountering substantial rivalry from China’s mass-production of silk, Como Italy made a decision to concentrate more on quality than volume, thus pleasing its more refined shoppers.
Where to Stay in Como Italy
Como, Italy has several resorts to satisfy company and leisurely travelers including big-chain resorts to smaller and much more cozy family-operate locales. Como apartments and other hotels become substantially more economical as you-go away from your lake and nearer to the S. Giovanni train-station, but the neigborhoods additionally become much more dense and less charming in Como Italy.
Learn about some of our other Favorite Towns
Originally posted 2015-02-08 04:21:22. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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