Como City guidebook
BAR & RESTAURANTS
Vittoria Bistrot
32 Piazza VittoriaJust around the corner ....Ideal for a sweet breakfast or aperitif!
Just in front of the house!
Typical and characteristic historical place frequented by the Como people.You can eat pizza, pasta or lasagna.Large portions and cheap prices.Local and friendly staff.
Not suitable for those on a diet!
Book in advance for a table!
6 lokalkjente anbefaler
Pizzeria Da Quinto
17 Via MilanoJust in front of the house!
Typical and characteristic historical place frequented by the Como people.You can eat pizza, pasta or lasagna.Large portions and cheap prices.Local and friendly staff.
Not suitable for those on a diet!
Book in advance for a table!
Gran Bar S.r.l.
27 Via Milano
A wide selection of croissants for breakfast!
Excellent aperitifs
Elegant restaurant in one of the most exclusive areas of Como directly on the lakefront
16 lokalkjente anbefaler
Villa Geno
12 Viale GenoElegant restaurant in one of the most exclusive areas of Como directly on the lakefront
Il Solito Posto
9 Via LambertenghiWell known restaurant in the historic center
Il Pinzimonio
24 Via BonanomiOx Pub and Grill Como
6 Piazza Alcide de Gasperinext to the Funicular
Terrazza Olmo
2 Via Per CernobbioDininig with lake view!
Locanda Barbarossa
10 Via OdescalchiFeel Como
54 Via Armando DiazIf you want to dine by the lake with your feet in the water, this restaurant is for you.
47 lokalkjente anbefaler
Ristorante Momi
Frazione GirolaIf you want to dine by the lake with your feet in the water, this restaurant is for you.
Very good restaurant!
typical Lombard cuisine of excellent quality just a few minutes far from Como by car.
Great choice if you have a car!
La Costa
19 Via Feliciano NinguardaVery good restaurant!
typical Lombard cuisine of excellent quality just a few minutes far from Como by car.
Great choice if you have a car!
La vita è bella
4 Piazza Domenico CroggiVery good salads
Sushi City Como
Close to the apartment
Very nice interior and very good sushi
All you can eat menu
This is a restaurant for locals with a very good and thin pizza on tagliere and cheaper prices.
The location is not panoramic but the pizza is very good
La Pizzaccia
11 Viale Franklin Delano RooseveltThis is a restaurant for locals with a very good and thin pizza on tagliere and cheaper prices.
The location is not panoramic but the pizza is very good
Rossopomodoro Como
Ristorante Pizzeria Napule E' lago
10 Piazza Domenico CroggiLa Svolta Pizzeria Piadineria
L’Antica Trattoria
26 Via Luigi CadornaL’Antica Trattoria
26 Via Luigi CadornaEnoteca 84
84 Via MilanoUl Pan De Com
43 Via MilanoVISITING IN COMO
Built in neoclassical style between 1782 and 1787 by the Ticino architect Simone Cantoni, it is surrounded by a large Italian garden and owes its name, according to tradition, to the pre-existing presence in the area of two distinct examples of elm, very old and large. In 1925 it was sold to the Municipality of Como. At the center of a long restyling project, the park of the villa can be visited from Tuesday to Sunday with free admission.
129 lokalkjente anbefaler
Villa Olmo
1 Via Simone CantoniBuilt in neoclassical style between 1782 and 1787 by the Ticino architect Simone Cantoni, it is surrounded by a large Italian garden and owes its name, according to tradition, to the pre-existing presence in the area of two distinct examples of elm, very old and large. In 1925 it was sold to the Municipality of Como. At the center of a long restyling project, the park of the villa can be visited from Tuesday to Sunday with free admission.
Mighty tower on dominant position over the city of Como and Lake Como located, rebuilt by Barbarossa in the middle of the twelfth century. The original building structure was probably a Romanesque defense tower surrounded by defensive walls.
43 lokalkjente anbefaler
Castello Baradello
5 Via Castel BaradelloMighty tower on dominant position over the city of Como and Lake Como located, rebuilt by Barbarossa in the middle of the twelfth century. The original building structure was probably a Romanesque defense tower surrounded by defensive walls.
The Tempio Voltiano (Italian; Volta Temple in English) is a museum in the city of Como, Italy that is dedicated to Alessandro Volta, a prolific scientist and the inventor of the electrical battery. Volta was born in Como in 1745, held his first professorship there until 1779, and retired to Como in 1819.
The neoclassical building was designed by Federico Frigerio (1873–1959). It was completed in 1927 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the scientist's death, but was inaugurated in 1928. It hosts a collection of scientific instruments used by the physicist including his early voltaic piles (batteries). The first floor has a display of his personal belongings and his awards.
In 1984 the museum was featured on the back of the 10,000 lire banknote. Volta's portrait was depicted on the front of the same banknote. The notes circulated until 2001, when the Euro notes replaced them. Banknotes based on the Italian lira have since been replaced by notes denominated in Euros.
72 lokalkjente anbefaler
Tempio Voltiano
1 Viale Guglielmo MarconiThe Tempio Voltiano (Italian; Volta Temple in English) is a museum in the city of Como, Italy that is dedicated to Alessandro Volta, a prolific scientist and the inventor of the electrical battery. Volta was born in Como in 1745, held his first professorship there until 1779, and retired to Como in 1819.
The neoclassical building was designed by Federico Frigerio (1873–1959). It was completed in 1927 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the scientist's death, but was inaugurated in 1928. It hosts a collection of scientific instruments used by the physicist including his early voltaic piles (batteries). The first floor has a display of his personal belongings and his awards.
In 1984 the museum was featured on the back of the 10,000 lire banknote. Volta's portrait was depicted on the front of the same banknote. The notes circulated until 2001, when the Euro notes replaced them. Banknotes based on the Italian lira have since been replaced by notes denominated in Euros.
Como Cathedral (Italian: Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta; Duomo di Como) is the Catholic cathedral of the city of Como, Lombardy, Italy, and the seat of the Bishop of Como. It is dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
History
The cathedral, located near Lake Como, is one of the most important buildings in the region. It is commonly described as the last Gothic cathedral built in Italy: construction on it, on the site of the earlier Romanesque cathedral dedicated to Santa Maria Maggiore, began in 1396, 10 years after the foundation of Milan Cathedral. The construction works, started under the supervision of Lorenzo degli Spazzi di Laino, did not finish until 1770 with the completion of the Rococo cupola by Filippo Juvarra.[1] The imposing west front was built between 1457 and 1498 and features a rose window and a portal between two statues of Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger, natives of Como.
Description
It is 87 metres long, from 36 to 56 metres wide, and 75 metres high into the top of the cupola. It has a Latin cross floor plan with a central nave and two side aisles, separated by pillars, and a Renaissance transept, with an imposing cupola over the crossing. The apses and the choir are of the 16th century. The interior has a series of nine important tapestries, woven at the end of the 16th century, in Ferrara, Florence and Brussels. There are also a number of 16th-century paintings by Bernardino Luini and Gaudenzio Ferrari.
109 lokalkjente anbefaler
Duomo og katedralen
Piazza del DuomoComo Cathedral (Italian: Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta; Duomo di Como) is the Catholic cathedral of the city of Como, Lombardy, Italy, and the seat of the Bishop of Como. It is dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
History
The cathedral, located near Lake Como, is one of the most important buildings in the region. It is commonly described as the last Gothic cathedral built in Italy: construction on it, on the site of the earlier Romanesque cathedral dedicated to Santa Maria Maggiore, began in 1396, 10 years after the foundation of Milan Cathedral. The construction works, started under the supervision of Lorenzo degli Spazzi di Laino, did not finish until 1770 with the completion of the Rococo cupola by Filippo Juvarra.[1] The imposing west front was built between 1457 and 1498 and features a rose window and a portal between two statues of Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger, natives of Como.
Description
It is 87 metres long, from 36 to 56 metres wide, and 75 metres high into the top of the cupola. It has a Latin cross floor plan with a central nave and two side aisles, separated by pillars, and a Renaissance transept, with an imposing cupola over the crossing. The apses and the choir are of the 16th century. The interior has a series of nine important tapestries, woven at the end of the 16th century, in Ferrara, Florence and Brussels. There are also a number of 16th-century paintings by Bernardino Luini and Gaudenzio Ferrari.
The Casa del Fascio of Como (Italian pronunciation: [ˈkaːza del ˈfaʃʃo, ˈkaːsa-]), also called Palazzo Terragni, is a building located in Como, Italy, in the Piazza del Popolo (former Piazza Impero), and it is one of the masterpieces of Italian Modern Architecture.[1] It was designed by Italian architect Giuseppe Terragni (1904-1943).[1] It was inaugurated in 1936 as the local office of the National Fascist Party.[2] After the fall of Fascism in 1945, it was used by the National Liberation Committee Parties and in 1957, it became the headquarters of the local Finance Police, who still occupy it.[2] The building has a square plan and four stories.
Thanks to its high historical-artistic value, Casa del Fascio was listed by the Superintendency of Archeology, Fine Arts and Landscape in 1986.[3]
History
In the original project of Casa del Fascio in Como from 1928, the building had a traditional layout.[4] After many years of design revisions and construction delays, construction began in July 1933 and ended in 1936, when it was inaugurated as the local branch of the National Fascist Party.[5]
In 1945, the building was forcibly occupied by the Provincial Federations of the National Liberation Committee Parties, after the liberation of Como from the Fascists.[2]
Soon after, the city of Como claimed ownership, even though law No 159 of 27 July 1944 stated that the property of the Fascist Party passes to the State), and then expressed its willingness to purchase it.[2][6][7] After a series of unsuccessful negotiations, in 1956, it was put up for auction.[8]
The architect Bruno Zevi and many others protested, fearing that it would be demolished or wrecked,[9][10] and this became a matter of national importance.[11]
Main facade of the Casa del Fascio on Piazza del Popolo
The Ministry for Cultural Heritage blocked the auction based on its important artistic character.[12] In 1957, it was assigned to the Command of the VI Legion of the Finance Police,[13] thanks to the intervention of the architect's brother, Senator Attilio Terragni.[14] In 1959, a further ministerial decree was issued to protect the context of the Como Cathedral and the surrounding buildings, among them the Casa del Fascio. The decree was probably necessary; the artistic protection law only applied to buildings over 50 years old.[15]
In 1963, the Italian Finance Police requested an authorisation to add three rooms on the terrace on the building's north side. Although authorizations was granted, this was never implemented. [16] In 1968, the project for the fourth floor was re-submitted, but was rejected, after protests from many academics.[16]
Detail of Casa del Fascio main facade
In 1986, on the 50th anniversary of its construction, the Ministry for Cultural Heritage officially recognized the Casa del Fascio as cultural heritage of great historical and artistic interest.[17]
In the 1990s, some urgent repairs were performed by Alberto Artioli of the Ministry, who also published a monograph on the building, Giuseppe Terragni, la Casa del Fascio di Como. Guida critica all’edificio: descrizione, vicende storiche, polemiche, recenti restauri ('A critical guide to the building: description, historical events, controversy, recent restorations'). The restoration work involved the external marble surfaces, some bathrooms, and a few concrete-framed glass block surfaces.[18] This works brought up new issues around the restoration of Modernist buildings, which were often not recognized as works of artistic value.[19][20]
Projections on the main facade of the Casa del Fascio to celebrate the eighty years since its construction
In 1993, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of Giuseppe Terragni's death, the Superintendency organized a study day Materiali per comprendere Terragni e il suo tempo ('Materials for understanding Terragni and his times'). It was attended by Paolo Portoghesi, Alberto Sartorio, Lodovico Barbiano di Belgiojoso, Virgilio Vercelloni, and others.[21]
In 2004, for the centenary of Terragni’s birth, the Superintendency of Archeology, Fine Arts and Landscape in Milan together with the Centro Studi Terragni, the Superintendency of Cultural Heritage and Activities of Lombardy and the Municipality of Como presented a series of events to be held during the year, which included moments of study, research, debate, exhibitions on the figure of the great architect, to be implemented through the establishment of a special National Committee.[22] The Committee, called GT04, was chaired by Attilio Terragni, nephew of the architect, and boasted the presence of some of the most famous and representative architects in the world like Daniel Libeskind, Rafael Moneo and Peter Eisenman.[23] The celebrations officially began on 18 April 2004, on the architect's birthday, and ended on 30 November.[24] These events helped raise public awareness of the importance of Terragni's works in the history of architecture, not only in Italy but also worldwide.[25]
In 2016 the eightieth anniversary of the construction of Casa del Fascio was celebrated and painter Fabrizio Musa from Como, in collaboration with the Maarc Association (Museo virtuale astrattismo architettura razionalista Como – Virtual museum Abstractism Rationalist Architecture Como), decided to pay homage to the architect's work by projecting the number Eighty on the main facade of Piazza del Popolo with the dates 1936-2016, to make the population participate in this remarkable achievement.[26]
Casa del Fascio currently houses the Command of the VI Legion of the Italian Finance Police, but in February 2017 a petition was launched proposing its re-use for cultural purposes, namely as a museum of rationalism and abstractionism.[27]
Description
During totalitarianism monumental architectures were often used as a propaganda of the Government ideologies: what their language has in common was the desire to privilege functional aspects of architecture, removing decoration and making sure that the form was subordinated to the function.[28] Hence, the rigour and the functionalism promoted by the Fascist regime are translated into the constructive shapes of Casa del Fascio.[25]
Interiors
The Casa del Fascio has a square plan of 33,20 m of side for a height of 16,60 m, equal to half of the base and corresponding to four floors in total.[29] The entrance of the building is raised from the Piazza del Popolo by four steps leading to the access landing.[30]
View from the Atrium towards the Salone delle Adunate
Passing through the glass doors on the ground floor, you reach the Atrium, characterized by a false ceiling covered with Nero di Belgio marble that, with its strong visual impact, prepares the visitor to see the Sacrario dei Martiri Fascisti, one of the most significant and emblematic spaces of the building.[31][32] Because of its ideological and spiritual function, the Sacrario was then deprived of its original function and transformed into a place to celebrate the deads of the VI Legion of the Italian Finance Police.[33] In the Atrium, but on the opposite side of the Sacrario, there is the main staircase, which is the cornerstone of the internal distribution.[33] The crux of the Casa del Fascio, however, is the so-called Salone delle Adunate, a large central double-height room illuminated through a skylight made of concrete-frame glass block.[34] Currently plastered white hue, in the past it was painted with a delicate light blue-green colour, probably applied to the upper limit of the beams skylight.[35] This huge space originally contained the panels designed by the artist Mario Radice: a marble stele and a large image of the Duce on a glass support, dismantled after the post-war occupation of the building.[36][37][38]
3D reconstruction of the original colour scheme of the Salone delle Adunate of the Terragni's Casa del Fascio in Como
The gallery on the first floor overlooks the Salone delle Adunate and connected the offices once intended for the Political Secretariat, the Sala del Direttorio and the Political Secretary's office.[39]
The second floor follows the distribution system of the first floor: the only difference is that gallery overlooks the roof of the Salone delle Adunate on which the inner courtyard opens.[40] This is characterized by the alternation of walls covered with glass-ceramic tiles (south-east and north-west sides) and walls made of concrete-frame glass blocks (south-west and north-east sides).[41] The roof of the Salone delle Adunate, which is the floor of the inner courtyard, consists of three parts: two lateral parts in concrete-frame glass block and the central walkway.[40] From the internal gallery on the second floor you can access the rooms that were originally used for offices and administration.[42]
On the top floor two open galleries divide the part originally intended for university groups from the part formerly reserved for the archive and the caretaker's accommodation.[43] It is possible to reach this last floor exclusively from the secondary staircase, while the other two are reachable also through the main staircase.[40]
Inside the Casa del Fascio, in addition to the already mentioned Nero di Belgio marble, were also used Pietra di Trani, the Giallo Adriatico marble and the Col di Lana marble.[44]
Facades
Main facade of the Casa del Fascio in Como
The facades composition is based on golden ratio and clear geometrical proportions.[45] These are made up of opaque parts, covered with Calcare di Bottincino slabs, and translucent parts of concrete-frame glass blocks. (Dal Falco, 2003, pp. 22–24) The four facades, equal in size, are different in architectural motifs and in the relationships between full and empty spaces, while maintaining their coherence for the materials used and for the structural rhythms.[46][47]
The main facade on Piazza del Popolo is characterized by a large loggia divided into five spans.[48] Here, Terragni had inserted curtains in order to shield the summer sun rays.[48] The transparency of the loggia is balanced by the opaque lateral part that constitutes a real torre littoria, incorporated, however, in the parallelepiped volume of the building.[48] It is in this portion that the documentary and illustrative scenes by painter Marcello Nizzoli were originally intended to be placed.[49]
Corner between the facade of Piazza del Popolo and Via dei Partigiani
The Via dei Partigiani façade is defined by long wooden and iron windows and a concrete-frame glass block wall that occupies the span of the main internal staircase.[50] Depending on the function of the rooms, the windows are divided into: ribbon windows for the bathrooms and "L" windows for the offices.[50]
In the Via Pessina facade, the structural parts emerge in the three central spans thanks to the presence of the wooden windows and the respective concrete-frame glass block railings.[50] On the top floor, instead, the wall recedes slightly creating a small loggia.[50]
The rear facade, finally, presents, in the central portion, an emptying of the structure given by the glass wall on the ground floor and the large attic loggia on the top floor.[50] In the central part there are "L" windows, while in the service staircase portion there is a vertical glazed window.[50]
10 lokalkjente anbefaler
Casa del Fascio
The Casa del Fascio of Como (Italian pronunciation: [ˈkaːza del ˈfaʃʃo, ˈkaːsa-]), also called Palazzo Terragni, is a building located in Como, Italy, in the Piazza del Popolo (former Piazza Impero), and it is one of the masterpieces of Italian Modern Architecture.[1] It was designed by Italian architect Giuseppe Terragni (1904-1943).[1] It was inaugurated in 1936 as the local office of the National Fascist Party.[2] After the fall of Fascism in 1945, it was used by the National Liberation Committee Parties and in 1957, it became the headquarters of the local Finance Police, who still occupy it.[2] The building has a square plan and four stories.
Thanks to its high historical-artistic value, Casa del Fascio was listed by the Superintendency of Archeology, Fine Arts and Landscape in 1986.[3]
History
In the original project of Casa del Fascio in Como from 1928, the building had a traditional layout.[4] After many years of design revisions and construction delays, construction began in July 1933 and ended in 1936, when it was inaugurated as the local branch of the National Fascist Party.[5]
In 1945, the building was forcibly occupied by the Provincial Federations of the National Liberation Committee Parties, after the liberation of Como from the Fascists.[2]
Soon after, the city of Como claimed ownership, even though law No 159 of 27 July 1944 stated that the property of the Fascist Party passes to the State), and then expressed its willingness to purchase it.[2][6][7] After a series of unsuccessful negotiations, in 1956, it was put up for auction.[8]
The architect Bruno Zevi and many others protested, fearing that it would be demolished or wrecked,[9][10] and this became a matter of national importance.[11]
Main facade of the Casa del Fascio on Piazza del Popolo
The Ministry for Cultural Heritage blocked the auction based on its important artistic character.[12] In 1957, it was assigned to the Command of the VI Legion of the Finance Police,[13] thanks to the intervention of the architect's brother, Senator Attilio Terragni.[14] In 1959, a further ministerial decree was issued to protect the context of the Como Cathedral and the surrounding buildings, among them the Casa del Fascio. The decree was probably necessary; the artistic protection law only applied to buildings over 50 years old.[15]
In 1963, the Italian Finance Police requested an authorisation to add three rooms on the terrace on the building's north side. Although authorizations was granted, this was never implemented. [16] In 1968, the project for the fourth floor was re-submitted, but was rejected, after protests from many academics.[16]
Detail of Casa del Fascio main facade
In 1986, on the 50th anniversary of its construction, the Ministry for Cultural Heritage officially recognized the Casa del Fascio as cultural heritage of great historical and artistic interest.[17]
In the 1990s, some urgent repairs were performed by Alberto Artioli of the Ministry, who also published a monograph on the building, Giuseppe Terragni, la Casa del Fascio di Como. Guida critica all’edificio: descrizione, vicende storiche, polemiche, recenti restauri ('A critical guide to the building: description, historical events, controversy, recent restorations'). The restoration work involved the external marble surfaces, some bathrooms, and a few concrete-framed glass block surfaces.[18] This works brought up new issues around the restoration of Modernist buildings, which were often not recognized as works of artistic value.[19][20]
Projections on the main facade of the Casa del Fascio to celebrate the eighty years since its construction
In 1993, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of Giuseppe Terragni's death, the Superintendency organized a study day Materiali per comprendere Terragni e il suo tempo ('Materials for understanding Terragni and his times'). It was attended by Paolo Portoghesi, Alberto Sartorio, Lodovico Barbiano di Belgiojoso, Virgilio Vercelloni, and others.[21]
In 2004, for the centenary of Terragni’s birth, the Superintendency of Archeology, Fine Arts and Landscape in Milan together with the Centro Studi Terragni, the Superintendency of Cultural Heritage and Activities of Lombardy and the Municipality of Como presented a series of events to be held during the year, which included moments of study, research, debate, exhibitions on the figure of the great architect, to be implemented through the establishment of a special National Committee.[22] The Committee, called GT04, was chaired by Attilio Terragni, nephew of the architect, and boasted the presence of some of the most famous and representative architects in the world like Daniel Libeskind, Rafael Moneo and Peter Eisenman.[23] The celebrations officially began on 18 April 2004, on the architect's birthday, and ended on 30 November.[24] These events helped raise public awareness of the importance of Terragni's works in the history of architecture, not only in Italy but also worldwide.[25]
In 2016 the eightieth anniversary of the construction of Casa del Fascio was celebrated and painter Fabrizio Musa from Como, in collaboration with the Maarc Association (Museo virtuale astrattismo architettura razionalista Como – Virtual museum Abstractism Rationalist Architecture Como), decided to pay homage to the architect's work by projecting the number Eighty on the main facade of Piazza del Popolo with the dates 1936-2016, to make the population participate in this remarkable achievement.[26]
Casa del Fascio currently houses the Command of the VI Legion of the Italian Finance Police, but in February 2017 a petition was launched proposing its re-use for cultural purposes, namely as a museum of rationalism and abstractionism.[27]
Description
During totalitarianism monumental architectures were often used as a propaganda of the Government ideologies: what their language has in common was the desire to privilege functional aspects of architecture, removing decoration and making sure that the form was subordinated to the function.[28] Hence, the rigour and the functionalism promoted by the Fascist regime are translated into the constructive shapes of Casa del Fascio.[25]
Interiors
The Casa del Fascio has a square plan of 33,20 m of side for a height of 16,60 m, equal to half of the base and corresponding to four floors in total.[29] The entrance of the building is raised from the Piazza del Popolo by four steps leading to the access landing.[30]
View from the Atrium towards the Salone delle Adunate
Passing through the glass doors on the ground floor, you reach the Atrium, characterized by a false ceiling covered with Nero di Belgio marble that, with its strong visual impact, prepares the visitor to see the Sacrario dei Martiri Fascisti, one of the most significant and emblematic spaces of the building.[31][32] Because of its ideological and spiritual function, the Sacrario was then deprived of its original function and transformed into a place to celebrate the deads of the VI Legion of the Italian Finance Police.[33] In the Atrium, but on the opposite side of the Sacrario, there is the main staircase, which is the cornerstone of the internal distribution.[33] The crux of the Casa del Fascio, however, is the so-called Salone delle Adunate, a large central double-height room illuminated through a skylight made of concrete-frame glass block.[34] Currently plastered white hue, in the past it was painted with a delicate light blue-green colour, probably applied to the upper limit of the beams skylight.[35] This huge space originally contained the panels designed by the artist Mario Radice: a marble stele and a large image of the Duce on a glass support, dismantled after the post-war occupation of the building.[36][37][38]
3D reconstruction of the original colour scheme of the Salone delle Adunate of the Terragni's Casa del Fascio in Como
The gallery on the first floor overlooks the Salone delle Adunate and connected the offices once intended for the Political Secretariat, the Sala del Direttorio and the Political Secretary's office.[39]
The second floor follows the distribution system of the first floor: the only difference is that gallery overlooks the roof of the Salone delle Adunate on which the inner courtyard opens.[40] This is characterized by the alternation of walls covered with glass-ceramic tiles (south-east and north-west sides) and walls made of concrete-frame glass blocks (south-west and north-east sides).[41] The roof of the Salone delle Adunate, which is the floor of the inner courtyard, consists of three parts: two lateral parts in concrete-frame glass block and the central walkway.[40] From the internal gallery on the second floor you can access the rooms that were originally used for offices and administration.[42]
On the top floor two open galleries divide the part originally intended for university groups from the part formerly reserved for the archive and the caretaker's accommodation.[43] It is possible to reach this last floor exclusively from the secondary staircase, while the other two are reachable also through the main staircase.[40]
Inside the Casa del Fascio, in addition to the already mentioned Nero di Belgio marble, were also used Pietra di Trani, the Giallo Adriatico marble and the Col di Lana marble.[44]
Facades
Main facade of the Casa del Fascio in Como
The facades composition is based on golden ratio and clear geometrical proportions.[45] These are made up of opaque parts, covered with Calcare di Bottincino slabs, and translucent parts of concrete-frame glass blocks. (Dal Falco, 2003, pp. 22–24) The four facades, equal in size, are different in architectural motifs and in the relationships between full and empty spaces, while maintaining their coherence for the materials used and for the structural rhythms.[46][47]
The main facade on Piazza del Popolo is characterized by a large loggia divided into five spans.[48] Here, Terragni had inserted curtains in order to shield the summer sun rays.[48] The transparency of the loggia is balanced by the opaque lateral part that constitutes a real torre littoria, incorporated, however, in the parallelepiped volume of the building.[48] It is in this portion that the documentary and illustrative scenes by painter Marcello Nizzoli were originally intended to be placed.[49]
Corner between the facade of Piazza del Popolo and Via dei Partigiani
The Via dei Partigiani façade is defined by long wooden and iron windows and a concrete-frame glass block wall that occupies the span of the main internal staircase.[50] Depending on the function of the rooms, the windows are divided into: ribbon windows for the bathrooms and "L" windows for the offices.[50]
In the Via Pessina facade, the structural parts emerge in the three central spans thanks to the presence of the wooden windows and the respective concrete-frame glass block railings.[50] On the top floor, instead, the wall recedes slightly creating a small loggia.[50]
The rear facade, finally, presents, in the central portion, an emptying of the structure given by the glass wall on the ground floor and the large attic loggia on the top floor.[50] In the central part there are "L" windows, while in the service staircase portion there is a vertical glazed window.[50]
The Basilica of Sant'Abbondio is a Romanesque-style 11th-century Catholic basilica church located in Como, region of Lombardy, Italy.
Description
The current edifice rises over a pre-existing 5th century Palaeo-Christian church entitled to Sts. Peter and Paul, built by order of St. Amantius of Como, third bishop of the city. Erected c. 1 km outside the city's walls, it was intended to house several relics of the two saints which Amantius had brought from Rome.
The basilica acted as bishop's seat until 1007. Six years later bishop Alberic moved the seat within the walls. The basilica was then entrusted to the Benedictines who, between 1050 and 1095, rebuilt it in Romanesque style. The new edifice was dedicated to Amantius' successor, Abundius. The structures of the Palaeo-Christian church, discovered in 1863 during a restoration, are still marked by black and pale marble stones in the pavement.
The new basilica had a nave and four aisles. It was consecrated by pope Urban II on June 3, 1095.
The church has two notable bell towers rising at the end of the external aisles, in the middle of the nave. The sober façade, once preceded by a portico, has seven windows and a portal. Notable is the external decoration of the choir's windows. There are also Romanesque bas-reliefs and, in the apse, a notable cycle of mid-14th-century frescoes. Under the high altar are the Abundius' relics.
The medieval monastery annexed to the church, recently restored, acts as the seat of the local faculty of jurisprudence.[citation needed]
36 lokalkjente anbefaler
Basilica di Sant'Abbondio
35 Via Regina TeodolindaThe Basilica of Sant'Abbondio is a Romanesque-style 11th-century Catholic basilica church located in Como, region of Lombardy, Italy.
Description
The current edifice rises over a pre-existing 5th century Palaeo-Christian church entitled to Sts. Peter and Paul, built by order of St. Amantius of Como, third bishop of the city. Erected c. 1 km outside the city's walls, it was intended to house several relics of the two saints which Amantius had brought from Rome.
The basilica acted as bishop's seat until 1007. Six years later bishop Alberic moved the seat within the walls. The basilica was then entrusted to the Benedictines who, between 1050 and 1095, rebuilt it in Romanesque style. The new edifice was dedicated to Amantius' successor, Abundius. The structures of the Palaeo-Christian church, discovered in 1863 during a restoration, are still marked by black and pale marble stones in the pavement.
The new basilica had a nave and four aisles. It was consecrated by pope Urban II on June 3, 1095.
The church has two notable bell towers rising at the end of the external aisles, in the middle of the nave. The sober façade, once preceded by a portico, has seven windows and a portal. Notable is the external decoration of the choir's windows. There are also Romanesque bas-reliefs and, in the apse, a notable cycle of mid-14th-century frescoes. Under the high altar are the Abundius' relics.
The medieval monastery annexed to the church, recently restored, acts as the seat of the local faculty of jurisprudence.[citation needed]
“The Life Electric” monument, in honor of Alessandro Volta, will be erected at the center of Lake Como’s first basin, standing at the final rounded portion of the breakwater facing Cavour Square. Starchitect Daniel Libeskind is the man behind the work: clean-cut, linear, and deeply context-driven.
Standing at roughly 16.50 m tall, it resembles two sine waves facing each other while playing on reciprocating curves and movement.
The work itself intertwines energetic and scientific elements with natural ones. It marks the area’s third pole as it is situated between the Brunate Lighthouse and the public gardens Temple, two other works that are, not coincidentally, dedicated to Volta.
The monument will be immersed in a series of lighting and transparency effects that allow for a smoother transition to the surrounding area while still reflecting the depth and visual stimuli that characterize the basin. The extraordinary optical lighting effects required an in-depth research that renders them awe-inspiring yet delicate, leading to the use ofbiodynamic LED illumination variances, a revolutionary solution for a groundbreaking yet equally eco-friendly work.
The monument will set out to enhance the natural landscape of the lake, mountains and city, turning the area into an architectural and artistic breeding ground.
The idea for this very work is deeply rooted and is inspired by Daniel Libeskind’s profound love of Como. It represents an expansive reflection, an ongoing discussion between local organizations Amici di Como, Como Tourism and the architect himself. A sensitive approach was decided upon, analyzing the surroundings first and foremost before developing the project that we see today. This very approach has led to a focus on lights, water and energy, transforming plain visual perception into emotion.
In particular, the work will display light sources reflected by the lake as well as a lightshow equipped with a water vapor unit, painting an image of being suspended over a cloud and setting a magnificent all-around tone.
A star-filled sky will round out a truly magical atmosphere.
Piero Caldirola Breakwater
Diga foranea Piero Caldirola“The Life Electric” monument, in honor of Alessandro Volta, will be erected at the center of Lake Como’s first basin, standing at the final rounded portion of the breakwater facing Cavour Square. Starchitect Daniel Libeskind is the man behind the work: clean-cut, linear, and deeply context-driven.
Standing at roughly 16.50 m tall, it resembles two sine waves facing each other while playing on reciprocating curves and movement.
The work itself intertwines energetic and scientific elements with natural ones. It marks the area’s third pole as it is situated between the Brunate Lighthouse and the public gardens Temple, two other works that are, not coincidentally, dedicated to Volta.
The monument will be immersed in a series of lighting and transparency effects that allow for a smoother transition to the surrounding area while still reflecting the depth and visual stimuli that characterize the basin. The extraordinary optical lighting effects required an in-depth research that renders them awe-inspiring yet delicate, leading to the use ofbiodynamic LED illumination variances, a revolutionary solution for a groundbreaking yet equally eco-friendly work.
The monument will set out to enhance the natural landscape of the lake, mountains and city, turning the area into an architectural and artistic breeding ground.
The idea for this very work is deeply rooted and is inspired by Daniel Libeskind’s profound love of Como. It represents an expansive reflection, an ongoing discussion between local organizations Amici di Como, Como Tourism and the architect himself. A sensitive approach was decided upon, analyzing the surroundings first and foremost before developing the project that we see today. This very approach has led to a focus on lights, water and energy, transforming plain visual perception into emotion.
In particular, the work will display light sources reflected by the lake as well as a lightshow equipped with a water vapor unit, painting an image of being suspended over a cloud and setting a magnificent all-around tone.
A star-filled sky will round out a truly magical atmosphere.
Origins
In 1985, the associations Classe ’27 and Ex Allievi del Setificio started collecting material belonging to silk factories (photo 1) based in Como.
In the 1960s, the textile industry started changing because of fundamental reorganisation and, in the 1980s, the silk factories left their premises definitively (photos 2 and 3). This made it possible to gather together machinery and other material to hand down the history and work of the silk industry to future generations.
In 1988, Comitato per la costituzione del Museo della Seta (the Committee charged with bringing the Silk Museum to life) was founded. The Committee enhanced and displayed its first exhibits during “Mostra permanente di reperti storici dell’industria della seta” promoted by Provincia di Como, Cassa di Risparmio delle Province Lombarde and Istituto Tecnico Industriale Statale “Paolo Carcano”.
The Educational Silk Museum, representing the history of Como silk production, was opened in 1990.
Development
The number of exhibits gradually increased throughout the years; the Museum staff, other experts and technicians of silk production, industrial history and craftsmanship of the period 1850-1950, had the important task of maintaining the historical and cultural identity of the machines.
In 1992, Associazione per il Museo della Seta di Como was constituted to support the new Museum and help it carry on with its activities, principally its educational mission.
Public and private organisations and institutions of this industry, as well as individuals, are members of the Association which, in 1999, became a legal entity.
Between 1994 and 1998, the Museum expanded: it welcomed numerous donations of machinery and instruments integrating and completing the museum exhibition. This was made possible thanks to the contribution of Fondazione Cariplo and Regione Lombardia.
In 1995, the Association promoted an international competition for someone to create the Museum logo; the competition was won by Simona Zamperini and Gabriella Ornaghi from Milan.
Today
The Museum extends over a surface of 1000 square metres and its exhibits reconstruct the silk manufacturing process with an historical and educational approach.
Moreover, the visitor is given the opportunity to learn more about both the whole process and the single phases that make it up. In some cases, the dimensions of the rooms make the exposition of cumbersome machines feasible.
The machines were donated to the Museum and all restoration work was carried out by keeping the original mechanisms. The Museum has archives and warehouses where an indispensable heritage of machines and various objects is stored to augment the permanent exhibition.
30 lokalkjente anbefaler
Educational Silk Museum - Como
9 Via CastelnuovoOrigins
In 1985, the associations Classe ’27 and Ex Allievi del Setificio started collecting material belonging to silk factories (photo 1) based in Como.
In the 1960s, the textile industry started changing because of fundamental reorganisation and, in the 1980s, the silk factories left their premises definitively (photos 2 and 3). This made it possible to gather together machinery and other material to hand down the history and work of the silk industry to future generations.
In 1988, Comitato per la costituzione del Museo della Seta (the Committee charged with bringing the Silk Museum to life) was founded. The Committee enhanced and displayed its first exhibits during “Mostra permanente di reperti storici dell’industria della seta” promoted by Provincia di Como, Cassa di Risparmio delle Province Lombarde and Istituto Tecnico Industriale Statale “Paolo Carcano”.
The Educational Silk Museum, representing the history of Como silk production, was opened in 1990.
Development
The number of exhibits gradually increased throughout the years; the Museum staff, other experts and technicians of silk production, industrial history and craftsmanship of the period 1850-1950, had the important task of maintaining the historical and cultural identity of the machines.
In 1992, Associazione per il Museo della Seta di Como was constituted to support the new Museum and help it carry on with its activities, principally its educational mission.
Public and private organisations and institutions of this industry, as well as individuals, are members of the Association which, in 1999, became a legal entity.
Between 1994 and 1998, the Museum expanded: it welcomed numerous donations of machinery and instruments integrating and completing the museum exhibition. This was made possible thanks to the contribution of Fondazione Cariplo and Regione Lombardia.
In 1995, the Association promoted an international competition for someone to create the Museum logo; the competition was won by Simona Zamperini and Gabriella Ornaghi from Milan.
Today
The Museum extends over a surface of 1000 square metres and its exhibits reconstruct the silk manufacturing process with an historical and educational approach.
Moreover, the visitor is given the opportunity to learn more about both the whole process and the single phases that make it up. In some cases, the dimensions of the rooms make the exposition of cumbersome machines feasible.
The machines were donated to the Museum and all restoration work was carried out by keeping the original mechanisms. The Museum has archives and warehouses where an indispensable heritage of machines and various objects is stored to augment the permanent exhibition.
Lido Villa Olmo
2 Via Per CernobbioCivico Museo Archeologico Paolo Giovio
1 Piazza Medaglie d'Oro Comaschetemporary closed
Civic Museum of the Risorgimento
1 Piazza Medaglie d'Oro ComascheThe park of Villa Olmo is connected to the splendid ones of Villa del Grumello and Villa Sucota by a panoramic route, the so-called "Kilometer of knowledge", through the paths in their respective parks dotted with greenhouses, chapels, lemon houses, works of art and rarities botanicals. The route can be used on the opening days of Villa del Grumello and Villa Sucota. In 2006, after a few years of abandonment, the Villa del Grumello Association was established on the initiative of the Como Chamber of Commerce, which started the restoration of the Villa in order to give it a new place in the cultural life of the city, as a venue for cultural initiatives , entrepreneurial, scientific and training. In the following years, as part of a broader project to enhance the area, the Association started the recovery of the other structures of the complex and the redevelopment of the park.
16 lokalkjente anbefaler
Associazione Villa del Grumello
11 Via Per CernobbioThe park of Villa Olmo is connected to the splendid ones of Villa del Grumello and Villa Sucota by a panoramic route, the so-called "Kilometer of knowledge", through the paths in their respective parks dotted with greenhouses, chapels, lemon houses, works of art and rarities botanicals. The route can be used on the opening days of Villa del Grumello and Villa Sucota. In 2006, after a few years of abandonment, the Villa del Grumello Association was established on the initiative of the Como Chamber of Commerce, which started the restoration of the Villa in order to give it a new place in the cultural life of the city, as a venue for cultural initiatives , entrepreneurial, scientific and training. In the following years, as part of a broader project to enhance the area, the Association started the recovery of the other structures of the complex and the redevelopment of the park.
The Basilica of San Fedele in Como is located in the city center[1] and is dedicated to Saint Fidelis martyr. It derives from an earlier Christian church, dating from the seventh century, dedicated to Euphemia.
Architecture
The present church dates from 1120, the building is Romanesque, and not only; the original three naves irregular grafted onto a central plant, also irregular due to the smaller size compared to the two main apse of the transept. In the back there is a barrel vault in the nave with bone-arched pediment. The restoration of Antonio Giussani altered the facade (1914) and bell tower (1905). Farm use of Roman pieces are carved above the door back in Romanesque capitals and adapted to ambulatory font north of lion terrier.[2]
External
Facade
The neo-Romanesque facade of San Fedele, rebuilt from scratch in 1914, has a central Rose window.[3]
Bell tower
Probably built at the same time that the basilica, had collapsed in the earthquake of 3 January 1117. It was rebuilt in 1271. It tilted over the years, so it was demolished in 1905 to a height of m. 11.90 and then rebuilt.[4]
Portal
At the outside there are interesting details like the central apse polygonal three-story crowned by loggia from the thirteenth century. and flanked by the ancient pointed portal dating from the eleventh and twelfth centuries, also called portal of the dragon with medieval bas-relief.. According to the most common hypothesis is represented prophet Habakkuk with baskets of food he brought for St. Daniel, and below it is a carved relief of Romanesque depicting "Daniel on the throne in the lions' den."[5]
39 lokalkjente anbefaler
Basilica di San Fedele
Piazza San FedeleThe Basilica of San Fedele in Como is located in the city center[1] and is dedicated to Saint Fidelis martyr. It derives from an earlier Christian church, dating from the seventh century, dedicated to Euphemia.
Architecture
The present church dates from 1120, the building is Romanesque, and not only; the original three naves irregular grafted onto a central plant, also irregular due to the smaller size compared to the two main apse of the transept. In the back there is a barrel vault in the nave with bone-arched pediment. The restoration of Antonio Giussani altered the facade (1914) and bell tower (1905). Farm use of Roman pieces are carved above the door back in Romanesque capitals and adapted to ambulatory font north of lion terrier.[2]
External
Facade
The neo-Romanesque facade of San Fedele, rebuilt from scratch in 1914, has a central Rose window.[3]
Bell tower
Probably built at the same time that the basilica, had collapsed in the earthquake of 3 January 1117. It was rebuilt in 1271. It tilted over the years, so it was demolished in 1905 to a height of m. 11.90 and then rebuilt.[4]
Portal
At the outside there are interesting details like the central apse polygonal three-story crowned by loggia from the thirteenth century. and flanked by the ancient pointed portal dating from the eleventh and twelfth centuries, also called portal of the dragon with medieval bas-relief.. According to the most common hypothesis is represented prophet Habakkuk with baskets of food he brought for St. Daniel, and below it is a carved relief of Romanesque depicting "Daniel on the throne in the lions' den."[5]
Eremo di S. Donato
20 Via Giuseppe BernasconiPARKING
Autosilo Tribunale
Via Adriano AuguadriParcheggio Santarella
Cheap parking
3 euro all day
Free on Sunday
WHAT TO SEE ON THE LAKE
Bellagio (Italian: [belˈlaːdʒo]; Comasco: Belàs [beˈlaːs]) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Como in the Italian region of Lombardy. It is located on Lake Como, also known by its Latin-derived name Lario, whose arms form an inverted Y. The triangular land mass at the base of the inverted Y is the Larian Triangle: at its northern point sits Bellagio, looking across to the northern arm of the lake and, behind it, the Alps. It has always been famous for its location.[citation needed] It belongs to a mountain community named Comunità montana del Triangolo lariano (Larian Triangle mountain community), based in Canzo.
Geography
A view over Bellagio looking along the Como arm of the lake.
Bellagio is situated upon the cape of the land mass that divides Lake Como in two. The city centre occupies the tip of the promontory, while other districts are scattered along the lake shores and up the slopes of the hills. The great Pleistocene glaciations with their imposing flows coming from the Valtellina and Valchiavenna modelled the actual landscape of Lake Como: at least four times the glaciers went as far as Brianza to the south. From the ancient glacial blanket only the highest tops emerged, one of them Mount St. Primo, which obliged the glaciers to divide into two arms.
Nowadays, a luxuriance of trees and flowers is favoured by a mild and sweet climate. The average daytime temperature during winter is rarely below 6 to 7 °C (43 to 45 °F), while during summer it is around 25 to 28 °C (77 to 82 °F), mitigated during the afternoon by the characteristic breva, the gentle breeze of Lake Como.
The Borgo
The historic centre of Bellagio shelters 350m southwest of the promontory of the Larian Triangle, between the Villa Serbelloni on the hill and the Como arm of the lake. At the far tip of the promontory are a park and a marina. Parallel to the shore are three streets, Mazzini, Centrale and Garibaldi in ascending order. Cutting across them to form a sloped grid are seven medieval stone stairs ("salite") running uphill. The Basilica of San Giacomo and a stone tower, sole relic of medieval defences ("Torre delle Arti Bellagio"), sit in a piazza at the top.[2]
History
Before the Romans
Even though there are signs of a human presence around Bellagio in the Paleolithic Period (about 30,000 years ago), it is only in the 7th to 5th centuries BC that there appears on the promontory a castellum, perhaps a place of worship and of exchange which served the numerous small villages on the lake.
The first identifiable inhabitants of the territory of Bellagio, from 400BC,[3] were the Insubres, a Celtic tribe in part of Lombardy and on Lake Como up to the centre of the lake, occupying the western shore (the Orobii had the northern arm of the lake and its east bank). The Insubres lived free and independently until the arrival of the Gauls, led by Belloveso, who, around the year 600 BC, undid the Insubres and settled in Milan and Como, occupying the shores of the lake and creating a garrison at the extreme point of their conquest, Bellagio (fancifully Bellasium, named after their commander Belloveso).[2] The Gauls thus became Gallo-Insubres, merged with the primitive inhabitants and introduced their customs and traditions, leaving traces in local names: Crux Galli (now Grosgalla), on the side of Lezzeno, and Gallo, a small chapel on the old road of Limonta which marks today the border between the two municipalities.
The Romans
In 225 BC, the territory of the Gallo-Insubres was occupied by the Romans, in their gradual expansion to the north. The Romans, led by consul Marcus Claudius Marcellus, defeated the Gallo-Insubres in a fierce battle near Camerlata, occupying Como and the shores of the lake. Insubre hopes of independence were raised by an alliance with Hannibal during the Second Punic War, but dashed by defeat in 104 BC and absorption into a Roman province in 80 BC.[4][5]
Bellagio became both a Roman garrison and a point of passage and wintering for the Roman armies on their way through to the province of Raetia and the Splügen pass. Troops wintered at the foot of the present Villa Serbelloni, sheltered from north winds and the Mediterranean climate. Such variant Latin names as Belacius and Bislacus suggest Bellagio was originally Bi-lacus ("between the lakes").[2]
Between 81 and 77 BC Cornelius Scipio brought 3,000 Latin colonists to Lake Como. From 59 BC Julius Caesar, as pro-consul, brought up another 5000 colonists, most importantly 500 Greeks from Sicily. Their names are still borne by their descendants.[5] Bellagio became a mixture of races which became more and more complex in the following centuries. Also it increased its strategic importance because, as well as a place for wintering, it sheltered warships especially at Loppia, where the natural creek made it easy to repair them. Around Loppia there formed one of the first suburbs of Bellagio.
The Romans introduced many Mediterranean crops, including the olive and bay laurel; from the name of the latter (Laurus) derives the Latin name of Lake Como (Larius). Among the other plant species introduced were the chestnut, already widespread in southern Italy, the cypress, so well naturalised today as to be considered native, and many kinds of herbaceous plants.
In the early decades of the Empire, two great figures brought fame to the lake and Bellagio: Virgil and Pliny the Younger. Virgil, the Latin poet, visited Bellagio and remembered the lake in the second book of the Georgics, verse 155 ("or great Lario"). Pliny the Younger, resident in Como for most of the year, had, among others, a summer villa near the top of the hill of Bellagio; it was known as "Tragedy". Pliny describes in a letter the long periods he spent in his Bellagio villas, not only studying and writing but also hunting and fishing.
Through Bellagio passed, in 9 AD, the Roman legions (partly composed of soldiers from the Bellagio garrison) led by Publius Quinctilius Varus, which had to cross the Splügen pass into Germany against Arminius. They were annihilated in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest.
The Middle Ages
The Basilica of St. James [it] (San Giacomo), built by 12th-century artisans from Como.
At the time of the barbarian invasions, Narses, a general of Justinian, in his long wanderings through Italy waging war, created along Lake Como a fortified line against the Goths. The line included the fortress of Bellagio, the Isola Comacina and the Castel Baradello.
Nevertheless, around 568 the Lombards, led by Alboin, poured into the Po Valley and settled in various parts of Lombardy, in the valleys of the Alps and along the lakes. Even the fortress of Bellagio was occupied. In 744 King Liutprand settled there.
With their arrival in Italy, the Franks of Charlemagne descended on Piedmont and Lombardy and, through the high Alps, defeated the Lombards in the battle of Pavia of 773. The Lombard territory was divided into counties — thus the beginning of feudalism. Bellagio found itself in the county of Milan under the suzerainty of the Frankish kings.
The grandson of Charlemagne, Lothair, having deposed his father in 834, invested as feudal lords of the territory of Limonta and Civenna the monks of Saint Ambrose of Milan (together with the territory of Campione d'Italia). The inhabitants of these two places, which later belonged ecclesiastically to the parish of Bellagio (St. John), were obliged to hand over some of their produce (olive oil, chestnuts ...) to the monks, an obligation preserved for several centuries.
There followed the rule of the Ottonian dynasty of Germany. During the reign of Henry V began a long war over the succession to the bishop of Como between Milan, supporting a bishop imposed by the German Emperor, and Como, which had already designated as bishop Guido Grimoldi, consecrated by the Pope. The war lasted ten years (1117–1127), with a series of small victories and defeats on land and water. Bellagio participated with its fleet as an ally of Milan, Isola Comacina and Gravedona. The war ended with the destruction of Como and its subjection to Milan, from which it took decades to recover. It is thought that by 1100 Bellagio was already a free commune and seat of a tribunal and that its dependence on Como was merely formal. However the strategic position of Bellagio was very important for the city of Como, and Bellagio had therefore to suffer more than one incursion from Como and fought numerous naval battles against its neighbour. In 1154, under Frederick Barbarossa, Bellagio was forced to swear loyalty and pay tribute to Como.
In 1169, after the destruction of Milan by Frederick Barbarossa (1162), Como attacked Isola Comacina, devastating it and forcing the inhabitants to flee to Varenna and Bellagio, at that time considered impregnable fortresses. The Lombard League was formed, in which Bellagio also participated as an ally of Milan, intervening in the Battle of Legnano (1176) against Barbarossa and Como.
The Renaissance and the Baroque
The promontory of Bellagio seen from the belvedere of the Sanctuary of San Martino at Griante on the Como arm of the lake. The white block on the side of the hill is Villa Serbelloni. Along the shore to the right, the white block of Villa Melzi d'Eril can be seen.
Towards the end of the 13th century, Bellagio, which had participated in numerous wars on the side of the Ghibellines (the pro-empire party), became part of the property of the House of Visconti and was integrated into the Duchy of Milan.
In 1440, during the lordship of the Visconti, some Cernobbiesi attacked the prison of Bellagio in which the inmates were political prisoners. Liberated, they took flight into mountains of Bellagio, settling in a town that took the name of Cernobbio in memory of the country of origin of their liberators.
With the death of Filippo Maria, the House of Visconti lost power. For a short time the area was transformed into the Ambrosian Republic (1447–50), until Milan capitulated to Francesco Sforza, who became Duke of Milan and Lombardy. Bellagio, whose territory (and especially the fortress) was occupied by the troops of Sforza in 1449 during the war of succession, was one of the first towns on the lake to take sides and adhere to Sforza rule.
In 1508, under Ludovico il Moro (1479–1508), the estate of Bellagio was taken from the bishop of Como and assigned to the Marquis of Stanga, treasurer, ambassador and friend of il Moro. Stanga built a new villa on Bellagio hill, later ruined in a raid by Cavargnoni.
In 1535, when Francesco II Sforza (the last Duke of Milan) died, there started for Lombardy and the land around the Lake of Lario two centuries of Spanish rule (the period in which Alessandro Manzoni's novel The Betrothed is set). The so-called Derta steps that lead from the neighbourhood of Guggiate to that of Suira were built under the Spanish.
In 1533, Francesco Sfondrati, married to a Visconti, had acquired the fiefdom of Bellagio and for more than 200 years the Sfondrati family, from the highest rank of Milanese society, ruled Bellagio. The ruins of the sumptuous Stanga building were restructured by Francesco and, successively, by Ercole Sfondrati, who spent the last years of his life in pious religious passion in the villa. On the same peninsula he built the church and convent of the Capuchins (1614), investing enormous capital in the setting, where appeared cypress trees and sweet olives.
Favoured by Bellagio's ideal position for transport and trade, various small industries flourished, most notably candle-making and silk weaving with its concomitant silk worms and mulberry trees. With the death in 1788 of Carlo, last of the Sfondrati, Bellagio passed to Count Alessandro Serbelloni, henceforth Serbelloni Sfondrati.
The 18th and 19th centuries
Bellagio in late 19th century.
The Via del Monastero, a typical Bellagio laneway at the end of the 19th century
During the brief Napoleonic period, the port of Bellagio assumed military and strategic importance. A decision, apparently of secondary importance, was to guide the destiny of Bellagio for the two succeeding two centuries: the decision of Count Francesco Melzi d'Eril, Duke of Lodi and Vice President of the Cisalpine Republic to establish here his summer home. Count Melzi proceeded to build a villa on the west bank near Loppia. That brought to the area the flower of the Milanese nobility and the promontory was transformed into an elegant and refined court.[citation needed] Roads suitable for carriages were built, first of all to link the villas and the palaces and then towards the town centre; finally the provincial road Erba–Bellagio was completed. The fame of the lakeside town became well known outside the borders of the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia: even the Emperor Francis I of Austria visited in 1816 and returned in 1825 to stay in the Villas Serbelloni, Trotti and Melzi.
The Romantic discovery of landscape was changing how the Italian lakes were seen. Stendhal had first visited in 1810:
What can one say about Lake Maggiore, about the Borromean Islands, about Lake Como, unless it be that one pities those who are not madly in love with them ... the sky is pure, the air mild, and one recognises the land beloved of the gods, the happy land that neither barbarous invasions nor civil discords could deprive of its heaven-sent blessings.[6]
At Bellagio he was the guest of the Melzi d’Eril, from whose villa he wrote:
I isolate myself in a room on the second floor; there, I lift my gaze to the most beautiful view in the world, after the Gulf of Naples ...[7]
Franz Liszt and his mistress Comtesse Marie d'Agoult stayed for four months of 1837 on their way from Switzerland to Como and Milan.[8] In Bellagio he wrote many of the piano pieces which became Album d'un voyageur (1835–38), landscapes seen through the eyes of Byron and Senancour.[9] These works contributed much to the image of Bellagio and the lake as a site of Romantic feeling. D'Agoult's letters show they were sadly aware of drawing an age of motorised tourism in their train.[10]
In 1838, Bellagio received with all honours the Emperor Ferdinand I, the Archduke Rainer and the Minister Metternich, who came from Varenna on the Lario, the first steamboat on the lake, launched in 1826. Bellagio was one of the localities most frequented by the Lombardy nobility and saw the construction of villas and gardens. Luxury shops opened in the village and tourists crowded onto the lakeshore drive. Space was not sufficient and it was decided to cover the old port which came up as far as the arcade in order to construct a large square.
Gustav Flaubert visited Bellagio in 1845. He told his travel diary:
One could live and die here. The outlook seems designed as a balm to the eyes. ... the horizon is lined with snow and the foreground alternates between the graceful and the rugged — a truly Shakespearean landcape [sic], all the forces of nature are brought together, with an overwhelming sense of vastness.[11]
The Risorgimento
In 1859, as part of the Second Italian War of Independence, Garibaldi's Hunters of the Alps defeated Austrian troops at San Fermo, entering Como and bringing the province under Piedmontese rule. Bellagio thus became part of the Kingdom of Italy under the House of Savoy until Germany created in 1943 the puppet Italian Social Republic under Benito Mussolini.
Tourism in the Kingdom of Italy had now become the principal economic resource of the people of Bellagio and from this period on the history of Bellagio coincides with that of its hotels. The first was the present Hotel Metropole, founded in 1825 from the transformation of the old hostelry of Abbondio Genazzini into the first real hotel on the Lario, the Hotel Genazzini. Following this example in the space of a few years came several splendid hotels many of which are still operating, frequently in the hands of the same families who founded them: the Hotel Firenze, built on the old house of the captain of the Lario opened in 1852; the Grand Hotel Bellagio (now the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni) opened in 1872. In 1888 the three largest hotels (Genazzini, Grande Bretagne and Grand Hotel Bellagio) first replaced gaslight with electric, and only after this were they followed by many patrician houses. Bellagio was one of the first Italian tourist resorts to become international, but it has never degenerated into a place of mass tourism.
The 20th century
Bellagio was part of the Italian Social Republic (RSI) from 1943 to 1945. The Futurist writer and poet Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, a Mussolini loyalist who had helped shape Fascist philosophy, remained in the RSI as a propagandist until his death from a heart attack at Bellagio in December, 1944.[12]
Luchino Visconti put Bellagio in a scene of his film Rocco and His Brothers (1960). The scene is on the Europa Promenade, between the pier and the half-derelict Hotel Grande Bretagne. Rocco implies that the old hotels are fading along with the empires they served. The fact that working-class Rocco and his girlfriend are there to make the observation implies in turn the new world of mass tourism replacing them. Ironies lie beyond the scope of the film: the new American empire would find uses of its own for Bellagio.
In 2014, Bellagio merged with the town of Civenna: the new municipality retains the name of Bellagio.[13]
Buildings
The nave of the Basilica of San Giacomo [it]
Churches
Basilica of San Giacomo [it], in the Piazza della Chiesa; Lombard-Romanesque 1075–1125. The base of the bell tower incorporates ancient town defences; the top is 18th century. Inside, a 12th-century cross, a 1432 triptych by Foppa, a 16th-century altarpiece. The Bar Sport across the square occupies a former monastery.
Church of San Giorgio, next to the town hall. The church was built 1080–1120. Inside, a statue and fresco of Our Lady of the Belt. The Genazzini Stairs run under the bell tower to the public library.
Church of San Martino, in Visgnola;
Church of Sant'Antonio Abate, in Casate;
Church of San Carlo Borromeo, to Aureggio;
Church of San Biagio, in Pescallo;
Church of Sant'Andrea, in Guggiate.
Villas
Along the banks of the promontory of Bellagio are many old patrician houses, each surrounded by parks and gardens of trees. Some like Villa Serbelloni and Villa Melzi d'Esti are open to the public.
Villa Serbelloni
Just behind the hill of the promontory into the lake, protected from the winds, is the building complex of Villa Serbelloni. The villa dominates the town's historic centre. It can be reached from Via Garibaldi. It was built in the 15th century in place of an old castle razed in 1375. Villa Serbelloni was later rebuilt several times. In 1788 it came into the possession of Alessandro Serbelloni (1745–1826) who enriched it with precious decorations and works of art of the 17th and 18th centuries. Today you can visit only the gardens. The trails, as well as the villa, lead to the remains of the 16th-century Capuchin monastery and the Sfondrata, a residence built by the Sfondrati family indeed, overlooking the Lecco branch of the lake.
View of Bellagio. The building under the crown of the hill is Villa Serbelloni, believed to have been built on the site of Pliny the Younger's villa "Tragedy." His villa "Comedy" was down on the shore.
On the inside, elegant halls with vault and coffered ceilings follow one another accurately decorated in the style of the 17th and 18th centuries. All around, the park develops along most of the promontory of Bellagio with vast tracts of thick woods where the Serbelloni gardeners had traced paths which nowadays still lead the way amongst the small clearings and English style gardens.
As noted by Balbiani, rather than being a garden, it is a real "wood, opened by spacious and comfortable paths, and plants with all generations of high trunk trees"; amongst which, oak trees, conifers, fir trees, holm oaks, osmanti, myrtles and junipers, "but above all trees, here situated is the pine tree, which, with its gnarled trunk acts as a screen against the storms".[14]
Occasionally, the vegetation thins out at panoramic points which overlook the two branches of the lake, offering a prospect from the slopes of the hill, where the rose bushes flower during the season with their varied colours. The roughness of the rocky plane along the winding path which goes up to the villa has not stopped the construction of terraces and flower beds with yews and boxes trimmed geometrically. Along the upper part of the park is a long row of cypress trees and some palm trees of considerable dimensions.
In 1905, the villa was transformed into a luxury hotel. In 1959 it became the property of the Rockefeller Foundation of New York at the bequest of the American-born Princess of Thurn and Taxis, who had bought it in 1930. Since 1960 the Bellagio Center in the villa has been home to international conferences housed in the former villa or in the grounds. In addition, outstanding scholars and artists are selected for one-month residencies year-round.[15]
Quite different is the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni on the water's edge. A luxurious neo-classical villa built in the 1850s for an aristocratic Milanese family became the nucleus of the (then-called) Grand Hotel Bellagio, opened in 1873. The hotel retains its original Belle Époque fittings.
Villa Melzi d'Eril
Villa Melzi d'Eril: the garden front
This significant building overlooking the lake was built between 1808 and 1815 by the architect Giocondo Albertolli for Francesco Melzi d'Eril, created Duke of Lodi by Napoleon for whom he filled the role of vice-president of the Italian Republic from 1802. From 1805, with the advent of the short-lived Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy, he was its Chancellor.
Villa Melzi: the Moorish Pavilion, furnished with neoclassical busts
Even after his political career had ended, since this was a Melzi residence, the construction, which he wanted as elegant as the Royal Villa of Monza and the other villas around Lake of Como, was decorated and furnished by famous artists of the period: painters Appiani and Bossi, sculptors Canova and Comolli, and the medalist Luigi Manfredini.[16] The duke had a collector's passion which, in the region on Lake Como, had no rival except that of Giovan Battista Sommariva, owner of the villa bearing the same name (nowadays Villa Carlotta) who, politically defeated by Melzi himself (preferred by Napoleon as vice-president), tried to regain lost prestige by assembling an extraordinary art collection.
Villa Melzi is set in English style gardens which develop harmoniously along the banks of the lake, the last reaches of the view from Bellagio towards the hills to the south. Making such a garden required notable changes to the structure of the land and outstanding supporting walls. In such surroundings, enriched by monuments, artefacts (amongst which are a Venetian gondola transported to Bellagio expressly for Napoleon, and two precious Egyptian statues), rare exotic plants, ancient trees, hedges of camellias, groves of azaleas and gigantic rhododendrons, the villa, the chapel and the glass house constitute an ensemble in which the neoclassical style reaches one of its highest peaks.
Sport
Rowing
Rowing is based at the Bellagina Sporting Union, a club specializing in football and especially rowing: world rowing champions Enrico Gandola, Alberto Belgeri, Igor Pescialli, Franco Sancassani and Daniele Gilardoni were born in Bellagio and began their racing careers with Bellagina.
Cycling
From Bellagio starts the climb to the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Ghisallo, the patron saint of cyclists, and therefore an important destination for fans of the sport. The ascent covers a total distance of about 4 km and has a vertical rise of about 500 meters; professional cyclists can do it in 20 minutes. You can also make the climb from Onno to Valbrona on the eastern shore of the lake, and the Wall of Sormano on the road to the western shore. These two climbs, with the ascent to the Sanctuary, are part of the Tris del Lario[17] competition.
Trekking
Treks of all degrees of difficulty are possible around and above Bellagio on the Larian Triangle. Bellagio Lifestyle[18] gives the major treks with maps and route descriptions.
Cuisine
The traditional Bellagino feast day dish is the Tóch [it]. Eaten with a wooden spoon, it is composed of polenta mixed with butter and cheese and accompanied with dried fish from the lake, cold, stuffed chicken or home-made salami. Red wine is shared from a communal jug. For dessert, miasca—cake made with cornflour and dried fruit; Pan meino [it]—made with white and yellow flour, eggs, butter, milk and elder flowers; or paradèl [it]—a wafer of white flour, milk and sugar.
Transport
Air
The airports nearest to Bellagio are:
Malpensa International Airport (MXP), Milan
Linate Airport (LIN), Milan
Orio al Serio International Airport (BGY), Bergamo
Lugano airport (LUG)
From these airports, trains are available to lake hubs such as Como and Lecco. From there, bus services travel to Bellagio and other lakeside locations frequently. [19] From Lugano, bus service is available to Menaggio, from which a ferry can be taken to Bellagio. Chartered seaplanes also land on the lake itself.
Rail
The railway lines nearest to Bellagio are:
Milan–Como (two lines, operated by Trenord)
Milan–Lecco-Tirano (operated by Trenord)
Milan–Asso (operated by Trenord)
For more information on trains, see Trenitalia or Trenord [20] (in Italian)
Water
A hydrofoil runs from Como to Bellagio, making stops at the other towns on Lake Como along the way. Car ferries also runs from Varenna and Cadenabbia to Bellagio. These are much shorter trips of less than 15 minutes. For more information, visit Gestione Governativa Navigazione Laghi.[21]
Easy access to Bellagio can be found via ferry. There is no direct train to Bellagio, but the closest stop is Varenna.
Road
Trombetta Express
Trombetta Express
Bellagio is accessible on either side of the Larian Triangle by slow, narrow and winding roads from Como or Lecco. It is much safer to drive from Como up to Cadenabbia and use the reasonably priced car ferry for the quick trip across to Bellagio. An alternative is to take the four-lane road on the eastern shore of the right arm of the lake to Varenna, then take the ferry to Bellagio. Narrow stone stairs make most of the Borgo inaccessible to cars.
Public buses run daily from Como to Bellagio.
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Bellagio
Bellagio (Italian: [belˈlaːdʒo]; Comasco: Belàs [beˈlaːs]) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Como in the Italian region of Lombardy. It is located on Lake Como, also known by its Latin-derived name Lario, whose arms form an inverted Y. The triangular land mass at the base of the inverted Y is the Larian Triangle: at its northern point sits Bellagio, looking across to the northern arm of the lake and, behind it, the Alps. It has always been famous for its location.[citation needed] It belongs to a mountain community named Comunità montana del Triangolo lariano (Larian Triangle mountain community), based in Canzo.
Geography
A view over Bellagio looking along the Como arm of the lake.
Bellagio is situated upon the cape of the land mass that divides Lake Como in two. The city centre occupies the tip of the promontory, while other districts are scattered along the lake shores and up the slopes of the hills. The great Pleistocene glaciations with their imposing flows coming from the Valtellina and Valchiavenna modelled the actual landscape of Lake Como: at least four times the glaciers went as far as Brianza to the south. From the ancient glacial blanket only the highest tops emerged, one of them Mount St. Primo, which obliged the glaciers to divide into two arms.
Nowadays, a luxuriance of trees and flowers is favoured by a mild and sweet climate. The average daytime temperature during winter is rarely below 6 to 7 °C (43 to 45 °F), while during summer it is around 25 to 28 °C (77 to 82 °F), mitigated during the afternoon by the characteristic breva, the gentle breeze of Lake Como.
The Borgo
The historic centre of Bellagio shelters 350m southwest of the promontory of the Larian Triangle, between the Villa Serbelloni on the hill and the Como arm of the lake. At the far tip of the promontory are a park and a marina. Parallel to the shore are three streets, Mazzini, Centrale and Garibaldi in ascending order. Cutting across them to form a sloped grid are seven medieval stone stairs ("salite") running uphill. The Basilica of San Giacomo and a stone tower, sole relic of medieval defences ("Torre delle Arti Bellagio"), sit in a piazza at the top.[2]
History
Before the Romans
Even though there are signs of a human presence around Bellagio in the Paleolithic Period (about 30,000 years ago), it is only in the 7th to 5th centuries BC that there appears on the promontory a castellum, perhaps a place of worship and of exchange which served the numerous small villages on the lake.
The first identifiable inhabitants of the territory of Bellagio, from 400BC,[3] were the Insubres, a Celtic tribe in part of Lombardy and on Lake Como up to the centre of the lake, occupying the western shore (the Orobii had the northern arm of the lake and its east bank). The Insubres lived free and independently until the arrival of the Gauls, led by Belloveso, who, around the year 600 BC, undid the Insubres and settled in Milan and Como, occupying the shores of the lake and creating a garrison at the extreme point of their conquest, Bellagio (fancifully Bellasium, named after their commander Belloveso).[2] The Gauls thus became Gallo-Insubres, merged with the primitive inhabitants and introduced their customs and traditions, leaving traces in local names: Crux Galli (now Grosgalla), on the side of Lezzeno, and Gallo, a small chapel on the old road of Limonta which marks today the border between the two municipalities.
The Romans
In 225 BC, the territory of the Gallo-Insubres was occupied by the Romans, in their gradual expansion to the north. The Romans, led by consul Marcus Claudius Marcellus, defeated the Gallo-Insubres in a fierce battle near Camerlata, occupying Como and the shores of the lake. Insubre hopes of independence were raised by an alliance with Hannibal during the Second Punic War, but dashed by defeat in 104 BC and absorption into a Roman province in 80 BC.[4][5]
Bellagio became both a Roman garrison and a point of passage and wintering for the Roman armies on their way through to the province of Raetia and the Splügen pass. Troops wintered at the foot of the present Villa Serbelloni, sheltered from north winds and the Mediterranean climate. Such variant Latin names as Belacius and Bislacus suggest Bellagio was originally Bi-lacus ("between the lakes").[2]
Between 81 and 77 BC Cornelius Scipio brought 3,000 Latin colonists to Lake Como. From 59 BC Julius Caesar, as pro-consul, brought up another 5000 colonists, most importantly 500 Greeks from Sicily. Their names are still borne by their descendants.[5] Bellagio became a mixture of races which became more and more complex in the following centuries. Also it increased its strategic importance because, as well as a place for wintering, it sheltered warships especially at Loppia, where the natural creek made it easy to repair them. Around Loppia there formed one of the first suburbs of Bellagio.
The Romans introduced many Mediterranean crops, including the olive and bay laurel; from the name of the latter (Laurus) derives the Latin name of Lake Como (Larius). Among the other plant species introduced were the chestnut, already widespread in southern Italy, the cypress, so well naturalised today as to be considered native, and many kinds of herbaceous plants.
In the early decades of the Empire, two great figures brought fame to the lake and Bellagio: Virgil and Pliny the Younger. Virgil, the Latin poet, visited Bellagio and remembered the lake in the second book of the Georgics, verse 155 ("or great Lario"). Pliny the Younger, resident in Como for most of the year, had, among others, a summer villa near the top of the hill of Bellagio; it was known as "Tragedy". Pliny describes in a letter the long periods he spent in his Bellagio villas, not only studying and writing but also hunting and fishing.
Through Bellagio passed, in 9 AD, the Roman legions (partly composed of soldiers from the Bellagio garrison) led by Publius Quinctilius Varus, which had to cross the Splügen pass into Germany against Arminius. They were annihilated in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest.
The Middle Ages
The Basilica of St. James [it] (San Giacomo), built by 12th-century artisans from Como.
At the time of the barbarian invasions, Narses, a general of Justinian, in his long wanderings through Italy waging war, created along Lake Como a fortified line against the Goths. The line included the fortress of Bellagio, the Isola Comacina and the Castel Baradello.
Nevertheless, around 568 the Lombards, led by Alboin, poured into the Po Valley and settled in various parts of Lombardy, in the valleys of the Alps and along the lakes. Even the fortress of Bellagio was occupied. In 744 King Liutprand settled there.
With their arrival in Italy, the Franks of Charlemagne descended on Piedmont and Lombardy and, through the high Alps, defeated the Lombards in the battle of Pavia of 773. The Lombard territory was divided into counties — thus the beginning of feudalism. Bellagio found itself in the county of Milan under the suzerainty of the Frankish kings.
The grandson of Charlemagne, Lothair, having deposed his father in 834, invested as feudal lords of the territory of Limonta and Civenna the monks of Saint Ambrose of Milan (together with the territory of Campione d'Italia). The inhabitants of these two places, which later belonged ecclesiastically to the parish of Bellagio (St. John), were obliged to hand over some of their produce (olive oil, chestnuts ...) to the monks, an obligation preserved for several centuries.
There followed the rule of the Ottonian dynasty of Germany. During the reign of Henry V began a long war over the succession to the bishop of Como between Milan, supporting a bishop imposed by the German Emperor, and Como, which had already designated as bishop Guido Grimoldi, consecrated by the Pope. The war lasted ten years (1117–1127), with a series of small victories and defeats on land and water. Bellagio participated with its fleet as an ally of Milan, Isola Comacina and Gravedona. The war ended with the destruction of Como and its subjection to Milan, from which it took decades to recover. It is thought that by 1100 Bellagio was already a free commune and seat of a tribunal and that its dependence on Como was merely formal. However the strategic position of Bellagio was very important for the city of Como, and Bellagio had therefore to suffer more than one incursion from Como and fought numerous naval battles against its neighbour. In 1154, under Frederick Barbarossa, Bellagio was forced to swear loyalty and pay tribute to Como.
In 1169, after the destruction of Milan by Frederick Barbarossa (1162), Como attacked Isola Comacina, devastating it and forcing the inhabitants to flee to Varenna and Bellagio, at that time considered impregnable fortresses. The Lombard League was formed, in which Bellagio also participated as an ally of Milan, intervening in the Battle of Legnano (1176) against Barbarossa and Como.
The Renaissance and the Baroque
The promontory of Bellagio seen from the belvedere of the Sanctuary of San Martino at Griante on the Como arm of the lake. The white block on the side of the hill is Villa Serbelloni. Along the shore to the right, the white block of Villa Melzi d'Eril can be seen.
Towards the end of the 13th century, Bellagio, which had participated in numerous wars on the side of the Ghibellines (the pro-empire party), became part of the property of the House of Visconti and was integrated into the Duchy of Milan.
In 1440, during the lordship of the Visconti, some Cernobbiesi attacked the prison of Bellagio in which the inmates were political prisoners. Liberated, they took flight into mountains of Bellagio, settling in a town that took the name of Cernobbio in memory of the country of origin of their liberators.
With the death of Filippo Maria, the House of Visconti lost power. For a short time the area was transformed into the Ambrosian Republic (1447–50), until Milan capitulated to Francesco Sforza, who became Duke of Milan and Lombardy. Bellagio, whose territory (and especially the fortress) was occupied by the troops of Sforza in 1449 during the war of succession, was one of the first towns on the lake to take sides and adhere to Sforza rule.
In 1508, under Ludovico il Moro (1479–1508), the estate of Bellagio was taken from the bishop of Como and assigned to the Marquis of Stanga, treasurer, ambassador and friend of il Moro. Stanga built a new villa on Bellagio hill, later ruined in a raid by Cavargnoni.
In 1535, when Francesco II Sforza (the last Duke of Milan) died, there started for Lombardy and the land around the Lake of Lario two centuries of Spanish rule (the period in which Alessandro Manzoni's novel The Betrothed is set). The so-called Derta steps that lead from the neighbourhood of Guggiate to that of Suira were built under the Spanish.
In 1533, Francesco Sfondrati, married to a Visconti, had acquired the fiefdom of Bellagio and for more than 200 years the Sfondrati family, from the highest rank of Milanese society, ruled Bellagio. The ruins of the sumptuous Stanga building were restructured by Francesco and, successively, by Ercole Sfondrati, who spent the last years of his life in pious religious passion in the villa. On the same peninsula he built the church and convent of the Capuchins (1614), investing enormous capital in the setting, where appeared cypress trees and sweet olives.
Favoured by Bellagio's ideal position for transport and trade, various small industries flourished, most notably candle-making and silk weaving with its concomitant silk worms and mulberry trees. With the death in 1788 of Carlo, last of the Sfondrati, Bellagio passed to Count Alessandro Serbelloni, henceforth Serbelloni Sfondrati.
The 18th and 19th centuries
Bellagio in late 19th century.
The Via del Monastero, a typical Bellagio laneway at the end of the 19th century
During the brief Napoleonic period, the port of Bellagio assumed military and strategic importance. A decision, apparently of secondary importance, was to guide the destiny of Bellagio for the two succeeding two centuries: the decision of Count Francesco Melzi d'Eril, Duke of Lodi and Vice President of the Cisalpine Republic to establish here his summer home. Count Melzi proceeded to build a villa on the west bank near Loppia. That brought to the area the flower of the Milanese nobility and the promontory was transformed into an elegant and refined court.[citation needed] Roads suitable for carriages were built, first of all to link the villas and the palaces and then towards the town centre; finally the provincial road Erba–Bellagio was completed. The fame of the lakeside town became well known outside the borders of the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia: even the Emperor Francis I of Austria visited in 1816 and returned in 1825 to stay in the Villas Serbelloni, Trotti and Melzi.
The Romantic discovery of landscape was changing how the Italian lakes were seen. Stendhal had first visited in 1810:
What can one say about Lake Maggiore, about the Borromean Islands, about Lake Como, unless it be that one pities those who are not madly in love with them ... the sky is pure, the air mild, and one recognises the land beloved of the gods, the happy land that neither barbarous invasions nor civil discords could deprive of its heaven-sent blessings.[6]
At Bellagio he was the guest of the Melzi d’Eril, from whose villa he wrote:
I isolate myself in a room on the second floor; there, I lift my gaze to the most beautiful view in the world, after the Gulf of Naples ...[7]
Franz Liszt and his mistress Comtesse Marie d'Agoult stayed for four months of 1837 on their way from Switzerland to Como and Milan.[8] In Bellagio he wrote many of the piano pieces which became Album d'un voyageur (1835–38), landscapes seen through the eyes of Byron and Senancour.[9] These works contributed much to the image of Bellagio and the lake as a site of Romantic feeling. D'Agoult's letters show they were sadly aware of drawing an age of motorised tourism in their train.[10]
In 1838, Bellagio received with all honours the Emperor Ferdinand I, the Archduke Rainer and the Minister Metternich, who came from Varenna on the Lario, the first steamboat on the lake, launched in 1826. Bellagio was one of the localities most frequented by the Lombardy nobility and saw the construction of villas and gardens. Luxury shops opened in the village and tourists crowded onto the lakeshore drive. Space was not sufficient and it was decided to cover the old port which came up as far as the arcade in order to construct a large square.
Gustav Flaubert visited Bellagio in 1845. He told his travel diary:
One could live and die here. The outlook seems designed as a balm to the eyes. ... the horizon is lined with snow and the foreground alternates between the graceful and the rugged — a truly Shakespearean landcape [sic], all the forces of nature are brought together, with an overwhelming sense of vastness.[11]
The Risorgimento
In 1859, as part of the Second Italian War of Independence, Garibaldi's Hunters of the Alps defeated Austrian troops at San Fermo, entering Como and bringing the province under Piedmontese rule. Bellagio thus became part of the Kingdom of Italy under the House of Savoy until Germany created in 1943 the puppet Italian Social Republic under Benito Mussolini.
Tourism in the Kingdom of Italy had now become the principal economic resource of the people of Bellagio and from this period on the history of Bellagio coincides with that of its hotels. The first was the present Hotel Metropole, founded in 1825 from the transformation of the old hostelry of Abbondio Genazzini into the first real hotel on the Lario, the Hotel Genazzini. Following this example in the space of a few years came several splendid hotels many of which are still operating, frequently in the hands of the same families who founded them: the Hotel Firenze, built on the old house of the captain of the Lario opened in 1852; the Grand Hotel Bellagio (now the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni) opened in 1872. In 1888 the three largest hotels (Genazzini, Grande Bretagne and Grand Hotel Bellagio) first replaced gaslight with electric, and only after this were they followed by many patrician houses. Bellagio was one of the first Italian tourist resorts to become international, but it has never degenerated into a place of mass tourism.
The 20th century
Bellagio was part of the Italian Social Republic (RSI) from 1943 to 1945. The Futurist writer and poet Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, a Mussolini loyalist who had helped shape Fascist philosophy, remained in the RSI as a propagandist until his death from a heart attack at Bellagio in December, 1944.[12]
Luchino Visconti put Bellagio in a scene of his film Rocco and His Brothers (1960). The scene is on the Europa Promenade, between the pier and the half-derelict Hotel Grande Bretagne. Rocco implies that the old hotels are fading along with the empires they served. The fact that working-class Rocco and his girlfriend are there to make the observation implies in turn the new world of mass tourism replacing them. Ironies lie beyond the scope of the film: the new American empire would find uses of its own for Bellagio.
In 2014, Bellagio merged with the town of Civenna: the new municipality retains the name of Bellagio.[13]
Buildings
The nave of the Basilica of San Giacomo [it]
Churches
Basilica of San Giacomo [it], in the Piazza della Chiesa; Lombard-Romanesque 1075–1125. The base of the bell tower incorporates ancient town defences; the top is 18th century. Inside, a 12th-century cross, a 1432 triptych by Foppa, a 16th-century altarpiece. The Bar Sport across the square occupies a former monastery.
Church of San Giorgio, next to the town hall. The church was built 1080–1120. Inside, a statue and fresco of Our Lady of the Belt. The Genazzini Stairs run under the bell tower to the public library.
Church of San Martino, in Visgnola;
Church of Sant'Antonio Abate, in Casate;
Church of San Carlo Borromeo, to Aureggio;
Church of San Biagio, in Pescallo;
Church of Sant'Andrea, in Guggiate.
Villas
Along the banks of the promontory of Bellagio are many old patrician houses, each surrounded by parks and gardens of trees. Some like Villa Serbelloni and Villa Melzi d'Esti are open to the public.
Villa Serbelloni
Just behind the hill of the promontory into the lake, protected from the winds, is the building complex of Villa Serbelloni. The villa dominates the town's historic centre. It can be reached from Via Garibaldi. It was built in the 15th century in place of an old castle razed in 1375. Villa Serbelloni was later rebuilt several times. In 1788 it came into the possession of Alessandro Serbelloni (1745–1826) who enriched it with precious decorations and works of art of the 17th and 18th centuries. Today you can visit only the gardens. The trails, as well as the villa, lead to the remains of the 16th-century Capuchin monastery and the Sfondrata, a residence built by the Sfondrati family indeed, overlooking the Lecco branch of the lake.
View of Bellagio. The building under the crown of the hill is Villa Serbelloni, believed to have been built on the site of Pliny the Younger's villa "Tragedy." His villa "Comedy" was down on the shore.
On the inside, elegant halls with vault and coffered ceilings follow one another accurately decorated in the style of the 17th and 18th centuries. All around, the park develops along most of the promontory of Bellagio with vast tracts of thick woods where the Serbelloni gardeners had traced paths which nowadays still lead the way amongst the small clearings and English style gardens.
As noted by Balbiani, rather than being a garden, it is a real "wood, opened by spacious and comfortable paths, and plants with all generations of high trunk trees"; amongst which, oak trees, conifers, fir trees, holm oaks, osmanti, myrtles and junipers, "but above all trees, here situated is the pine tree, which, with its gnarled trunk acts as a screen against the storms".[14]
Occasionally, the vegetation thins out at panoramic points which overlook the two branches of the lake, offering a prospect from the slopes of the hill, where the rose bushes flower during the season with their varied colours. The roughness of the rocky plane along the winding path which goes up to the villa has not stopped the construction of terraces and flower beds with yews and boxes trimmed geometrically. Along the upper part of the park is a long row of cypress trees and some palm trees of considerable dimensions.
In 1905, the villa was transformed into a luxury hotel. In 1959 it became the property of the Rockefeller Foundation of New York at the bequest of the American-born Princess of Thurn and Taxis, who had bought it in 1930. Since 1960 the Bellagio Center in the villa has been home to international conferences housed in the former villa or in the grounds. In addition, outstanding scholars and artists are selected for one-month residencies year-round.[15]
Quite different is the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni on the water's edge. A luxurious neo-classical villa built in the 1850s for an aristocratic Milanese family became the nucleus of the (then-called) Grand Hotel Bellagio, opened in 1873. The hotel retains its original Belle Époque fittings.
Villa Melzi d'Eril
Villa Melzi d'Eril: the garden front
This significant building overlooking the lake was built between 1808 and 1815 by the architect Giocondo Albertolli for Francesco Melzi d'Eril, created Duke of Lodi by Napoleon for whom he filled the role of vice-president of the Italian Republic from 1802. From 1805, with the advent of the short-lived Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy, he was its Chancellor.
Villa Melzi: the Moorish Pavilion, furnished with neoclassical busts
Even after his political career had ended, since this was a Melzi residence, the construction, which he wanted as elegant as the Royal Villa of Monza and the other villas around Lake of Como, was decorated and furnished by famous artists of the period: painters Appiani and Bossi, sculptors Canova and Comolli, and the medalist Luigi Manfredini.[16] The duke had a collector's passion which, in the region on Lake Como, had no rival except that of Giovan Battista Sommariva, owner of the villa bearing the same name (nowadays Villa Carlotta) who, politically defeated by Melzi himself (preferred by Napoleon as vice-president), tried to regain lost prestige by assembling an extraordinary art collection.
Villa Melzi is set in English style gardens which develop harmoniously along the banks of the lake, the last reaches of the view from Bellagio towards the hills to the south. Making such a garden required notable changes to the structure of the land and outstanding supporting walls. In such surroundings, enriched by monuments, artefacts (amongst which are a Venetian gondola transported to Bellagio expressly for Napoleon, and two precious Egyptian statues), rare exotic plants, ancient trees, hedges of camellias, groves of azaleas and gigantic rhododendrons, the villa, the chapel and the glass house constitute an ensemble in which the neoclassical style reaches one of its highest peaks.
Sport
Rowing
Rowing is based at the Bellagina Sporting Union, a club specializing in football and especially rowing: world rowing champions Enrico Gandola, Alberto Belgeri, Igor Pescialli, Franco Sancassani and Daniele Gilardoni were born in Bellagio and began their racing careers with Bellagina.
Cycling
From Bellagio starts the climb to the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Ghisallo, the patron saint of cyclists, and therefore an important destination for fans of the sport. The ascent covers a total distance of about 4 km and has a vertical rise of about 500 meters; professional cyclists can do it in 20 minutes. You can also make the climb from Onno to Valbrona on the eastern shore of the lake, and the Wall of Sormano on the road to the western shore. These two climbs, with the ascent to the Sanctuary, are part of the Tris del Lario[17] competition.
Trekking
Treks of all degrees of difficulty are possible around and above Bellagio on the Larian Triangle. Bellagio Lifestyle[18] gives the major treks with maps and route descriptions.
Cuisine
The traditional Bellagino feast day dish is the Tóch [it]. Eaten with a wooden spoon, it is composed of polenta mixed with butter and cheese and accompanied with dried fish from the lake, cold, stuffed chicken or home-made salami. Red wine is shared from a communal jug. For dessert, miasca—cake made with cornflour and dried fruit; Pan meino [it]—made with white and yellow flour, eggs, butter, milk and elder flowers; or paradèl [it]—a wafer of white flour, milk and sugar.
Transport
Air
The airports nearest to Bellagio are:
Malpensa International Airport (MXP), Milan
Linate Airport (LIN), Milan
Orio al Serio International Airport (BGY), Bergamo
Lugano airport (LUG)
From these airports, trains are available to lake hubs such as Como and Lecco. From there, bus services travel to Bellagio and other lakeside locations frequently. [19] From Lugano, bus service is available to Menaggio, from which a ferry can be taken to Bellagio. Chartered seaplanes also land on the lake itself.
Rail
The railway lines nearest to Bellagio are:
Milan–Como (two lines, operated by Trenord)
Milan–Lecco-Tirano (operated by Trenord)
Milan–Asso (operated by Trenord)
For more information on trains, see Trenitalia or Trenord [20] (in Italian)
Water
A hydrofoil runs from Como to Bellagio, making stops at the other towns on Lake Como along the way. Car ferries also runs from Varenna and Cadenabbia to Bellagio. These are much shorter trips of less than 15 minutes. For more information, visit Gestione Governativa Navigazione Laghi.[21]
Easy access to Bellagio can be found via ferry. There is no direct train to Bellagio, but the closest stop is Varenna.
Road
Trombetta Express
Trombetta Express
Bellagio is accessible on either side of the Larian Triangle by slow, narrow and winding roads from Como or Lecco. It is much safer to drive from Como up to Cadenabbia and use the reasonably priced car ferry for the quick trip across to Bellagio. An alternative is to take the four-lane road on the eastern shore of the right arm of the lake to Varenna, then take the ferry to Bellagio. Narrow stone stairs make most of the Borgo inaccessible to cars.
Public buses run daily from Como to Bellagio.
A place of rare beauty where the wonders of creation and works of art live side by side, Villa Carlotta in Tremezzo is a museum and botanical garden. The house was built by the Marquis Giorgio Clerici at the end of 1600, surrounded by an Italian garden, facing a dream landscape. The subsequent owner Gian Battista Sommariva, who acquired the property in the early nineteenth century, enriched the villa with works of art and wanted part of the garden to be transformed into a romantic park and that the villa be embellished with masterpieces by Canova, Thorvaldsen and Hayez. The park of Villa Carlotta is famous for the amazing spring flowering of rhododendrons and azaleas in over 150 varieties. In addition to the visit of the park and museum, a whole series of events (exhibitions, concerts, workshops and appointments for families) are scheduled to embellish the wonder of the house.
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Villa Carlotta
2 Via ReginaA place of rare beauty where the wonders of creation and works of art live side by side, Villa Carlotta in Tremezzo is a museum and botanical garden. The house was built by the Marquis Giorgio Clerici at the end of 1600, surrounded by an Italian garden, facing a dream landscape. The subsequent owner Gian Battista Sommariva, who acquired the property in the early nineteenth century, enriched the villa with works of art and wanted part of the garden to be transformed into a romantic park and that the villa be embellished with masterpieces by Canova, Thorvaldsen and Hayez. The park of Villa Carlotta is famous for the amazing spring flowering of rhododendrons and azaleas in over 150 varieties. In addition to the visit of the park and museum, a whole series of events (exhibitions, concerts, workshops and appointments for families) are scheduled to embellish the wonder of the house.
Villa Melzi is one of the most renowned villas on Lake Como with its marvelous gardens that extend along the shore of the Lario. Inside the villa in neoclassical style, the chapel and the orange greenhouse set up as a historical museum. Built in the early nineteenth century for the Duke of Lodi Francesco Melzi d'Eril by the architect Giocondo Albertolli, the villa was decorated and furnished by the most famous artists of the time. It is beautiful to walk in the English gardens, enriched by sculptures, and enjoy the view of the lake on spring and summer days. The villa cannot be visited, but the chapel and the greenhouse are open, as well as the park, of course.
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Hagene til Villa Melzi
Via Lungo Lario ManzoniVilla Melzi is one of the most renowned villas on Lake Como with its marvelous gardens that extend along the shore of the Lario. Inside the villa in neoclassical style, the chapel and the orange greenhouse set up as a historical museum. Built in the early nineteenth century for the Duke of Lodi Francesco Melzi d'Eril by the architect Giocondo Albertolli, the villa was decorated and furnished by the most famous artists of the time. It is beautiful to walk in the English gardens, enriched by sculptures, and enjoy the view of the lake on spring and summer days. The villa cannot be visited, but the chapel and the greenhouse are open, as well as the park, of course.
Isola Comacina
The only Island of LakeComo
Known as the balcony of the Alps, the small village of Brunate is situated on a wooded plateau above Como. Thanks to the panoramic position and the altitude in which it is located, Brunate became, in the Seven-Nineteenth Century, one of the major Lombard holiday resorts.
In the early 1900s, during excavations in the historic center of Brunate, artifacts have been found that suggest a settlement of Celtic tribes since the 6th century BC Two fibulae, two globetto rings, a bracelet, a pendant, terracotta bowls and glasses, a fibula and two bronze rings were found.
History
Brunate has very ancient origins, probably Celtic, with strong Etruscan influences. In addition, the archaeological finds in the Civic Museum of Como show that Brunate was a place of organized life. After a few centuries, in the underlying plain, huts began to be built, until the Romans restored the soil, founding the city and erecting walls and towers. In this period Como actually became one of the most important cities of the empire thanks to its strategic position, which made it the center of the roads that led to Germany.
With the colonization of the Como valley by the Romans, Brunate began to follow the same fate as Como. In the second half of the twelfth century Brunate succeeded in forming a free municipality, but already in 1240 it returned under the jurisdiction of Como, entering the town district of Porta Sala.
Blessed Maddalena Albrici
For about half a century Brunate remains tied to the events of Como without particular events to mention. We only remember the presence of the monastery of St. Andrew and the future Blessed Maddalena Albrici. The Albrici had become religious in the monastery of Sant’Andrea in Brunate. When she became Abbess, she gave the foundation the Rule of the Hermits of Saint Augustine. He reformed the monastery of Sant’Andrea towards greater austerity of life and more rigorous poverty.
The Abbess Magdalene was the first to give the example of humble beggar, although she was born, in 1409, in the family of Nicola Albrici, the maximum magistrate of Como at that time. In the Como area Maddalena Albrici was a great shepherdess of souls that she attracted to herself, on the Brunate hill. After a long suffering illness he died in 1465.
Brunate – a destination for tourism
brunateAt the turn of the eighteenth and twentieth centuries, from a small medieval rural settlement Brunate became a famous destination for wealthy Milanese families.
The tourist flow to Brunate, as well as the arrival in the village of the Milanese upper middle class, was made possible also thanks to the construction, in 1894, of the Como-Brunate funicular. And in fact Brunate, between the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, saw an intense building activity, aimed above all at the construction of villas and hotels. Most of these villas were built in eclectic or Art Nouveau forms. An example is the small funicular station in Como, which still welcomes visitors with its pretty façade of mountain chalets.
Once in Brunate you can enjoy a splendid view. From there you can see the entire western Alps, the Po Valley and the Apennines. There are several panoramic points like the Belvedere, the large churchyard of S. Andrea, the rotunda of the Marenghi park in S. Maurizio and the overhanging Faro. There are also numerous monuments of historical and artistic interest. We mention the Voltiano Lighthouse, the parish church, the villas and many possible excursion destinations. Among the trekking itineraries we remember the so-called ridge of the Lariano Triangle, route at high altitude that connects Brunate to Bellagio.
The church of Brunate
The parish church of Brunate is dedicated to the patron saint Sant’Andrea Apostolo. The first records date back to the fourteenth century. Inside there are frescoes by the Recchis made at the end of the seventeenth century. In the vault the patrons of Sant’Andrea and San Maurizio are depicted. In the medallions below you can see Sant’Ignazio di Loyola, San Michele Arcangelo, San Bartolomeo and Blessed Maddalena Albrici. Inside the church there is an altar dedicated to the Blessed Maddalena Albrici, under which her relics are kept. In the church is also preserved a pipe organ of 1827. It was built by the Prestinari brothers of Magenta reusing the phonic material of a previous Serassi organ from 1774.
The historic center of Brunate is characterized by narrow alleyways that climb up the slope. In it there are ancient buildings, stone portals and several courts. The most important are the court of the Castle, one of the oldest places in Brunate, and the court of the Jews, dating back to the 14th century.
To visit
In Brunate we find the Voltiano Lighthouse. It is a 29-meter octagonal tower built in 1927 on the summit of Monte Tre Croci on the occasion of the centenary of the death of Alessandro Volta. The lighthouse, starting from sunset until dawn, alternately emits green, white and red light. On the coast of the mountain of Brunate we find the hermitage of San Donato erected by the Franciscans in the fifteenth century. The convent still exists. For five centuries it has dominated the city with its severe bulk. It is no longer a place of prayer because it is desecrated since Maria Theresa of Austria suppressed numerous convents.
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Brunate
Known as the balcony of the Alps, the small village of Brunate is situated on a wooded plateau above Como. Thanks to the panoramic position and the altitude in which it is located, Brunate became, in the Seven-Nineteenth Century, one of the major Lombard holiday resorts.
In the early 1900s, during excavations in the historic center of Brunate, artifacts have been found that suggest a settlement of Celtic tribes since the 6th century BC Two fibulae, two globetto rings, a bracelet, a pendant, terracotta bowls and glasses, a fibula and two bronze rings were found.
History
Brunate has very ancient origins, probably Celtic, with strong Etruscan influences. In addition, the archaeological finds in the Civic Museum of Como show that Brunate was a place of organized life. After a few centuries, in the underlying plain, huts began to be built, until the Romans restored the soil, founding the city and erecting walls and towers. In this period Como actually became one of the most important cities of the empire thanks to its strategic position, which made it the center of the roads that led to Germany.
With the colonization of the Como valley by the Romans, Brunate began to follow the same fate as Como. In the second half of the twelfth century Brunate succeeded in forming a free municipality, but already in 1240 it returned under the jurisdiction of Como, entering the town district of Porta Sala.
Blessed Maddalena Albrici
For about half a century Brunate remains tied to the events of Como without particular events to mention. We only remember the presence of the monastery of St. Andrew and the future Blessed Maddalena Albrici. The Albrici had become religious in the monastery of Sant’Andrea in Brunate. When she became Abbess, she gave the foundation the Rule of the Hermits of Saint Augustine. He reformed the monastery of Sant’Andrea towards greater austerity of life and more rigorous poverty.
The Abbess Magdalene was the first to give the example of humble beggar, although she was born, in 1409, in the family of Nicola Albrici, the maximum magistrate of Como at that time. In the Como area Maddalena Albrici was a great shepherdess of souls that she attracted to herself, on the Brunate hill. After a long suffering illness he died in 1465.
Brunate – a destination for tourism
brunateAt the turn of the eighteenth and twentieth centuries, from a small medieval rural settlement Brunate became a famous destination for wealthy Milanese families.
The tourist flow to Brunate, as well as the arrival in the village of the Milanese upper middle class, was made possible also thanks to the construction, in 1894, of the Como-Brunate funicular. And in fact Brunate, between the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, saw an intense building activity, aimed above all at the construction of villas and hotels. Most of these villas were built in eclectic or Art Nouveau forms. An example is the small funicular station in Como, which still welcomes visitors with its pretty façade of mountain chalets.
Once in Brunate you can enjoy a splendid view. From there you can see the entire western Alps, the Po Valley and the Apennines. There are several panoramic points like the Belvedere, the large churchyard of S. Andrea, the rotunda of the Marenghi park in S. Maurizio and the overhanging Faro. There are also numerous monuments of historical and artistic interest. We mention the Voltiano Lighthouse, the parish church, the villas and many possible excursion destinations. Among the trekking itineraries we remember the so-called ridge of the Lariano Triangle, route at high altitude that connects Brunate to Bellagio.
The church of Brunate
The parish church of Brunate is dedicated to the patron saint Sant’Andrea Apostolo. The first records date back to the fourteenth century. Inside there are frescoes by the Recchis made at the end of the seventeenth century. In the vault the patrons of Sant’Andrea and San Maurizio are depicted. In the medallions below you can see Sant’Ignazio di Loyola, San Michele Arcangelo, San Bartolomeo and Blessed Maddalena Albrici. Inside the church there is an altar dedicated to the Blessed Maddalena Albrici, under which her relics are kept. In the church is also preserved a pipe organ of 1827. It was built by the Prestinari brothers of Magenta reusing the phonic material of a previous Serassi organ from 1774.
The historic center of Brunate is characterized by narrow alleyways that climb up the slope. In it there are ancient buildings, stone portals and several courts. The most important are the court of the Castle, one of the oldest places in Brunate, and the court of the Jews, dating back to the 14th century.
To visit
In Brunate we find the Voltiano Lighthouse. It is a 29-meter octagonal tower built in 1927 on the summit of Monte Tre Croci on the occasion of the centenary of the death of Alessandro Volta. The lighthouse, starting from sunset until dawn, alternately emits green, white and red light. On the coast of the mountain of Brunate we find the hermitage of San Donato erected by the Franciscans in the fifteenth century. The convent still exists. For five centuries it has dominated the city with its severe bulk. It is no longer a place of prayer because it is desecrated since Maria Theresa of Austria suppressed numerous convents.
Cernobbio, che la ripartizione territoriale del 1240 attribuiva al quartiere di Porta Monastero della città di Como, “interessato sin dal principio del secolo XIII a godere di alcune disposizioni statutarie proprie della città, di Vico e della Coloniola e sin d’allora denominato borgo, venne definitivamente aggregato ai borghi di Como nel 1284”
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Cernobbio
Cernobbio, che la ripartizione territoriale del 1240 attribuiva al quartiere di Porta Monastero della città di Como, “interessato sin dal principio del secolo XIII a godere di alcune disposizioni statutarie proprie della città, di Vico e della Coloniola e sin d’allora denominato borgo, venne definitivamente aggregato ai borghi di Como nel 1284”
Argegno - piazza roma - pontile station
Carate Urio dista circa dieci chilometri da Como ed è un territorio situato sulla sponda occidentale del ramo comasco del Lario, esposto a sud-est e rinomato come località di villeggiatura. In origine Carate Urio era diviso in due nuclei abitativi (Urio e Carate Lario) unificate amministrativamente solo nel 1927. Il primo è ubicato su uno scosceso pendio che, direttamente affacciato sul lago, ha un fascino particolare. Il secondo scende e si sviluppa verso il lago stesso: la particolare posizione di Carate ne ha determinato i caratteristici vicoli a scalinata, sormontati da tipiche volte a sesto, ai cui lati si aprono i portoni delle antiche abitazioni.
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Carate Urio
Carate Urio dista circa dieci chilometri da Como ed è un territorio situato sulla sponda occidentale del ramo comasco del Lario, esposto a sud-est e rinomato come località di villeggiatura. In origine Carate Urio era diviso in due nuclei abitativi (Urio e Carate Lario) unificate amministrativamente solo nel 1927. Il primo è ubicato su uno scosceso pendio che, direttamente affacciato sul lago, ha un fascino particolare. Il secondo scende e si sviluppa verso il lago stesso: la particolare posizione di Carate ne ha determinato i caratteristici vicoli a scalinata, sormontati da tipiche volte a sesto, ai cui lati si aprono i portoni delle antiche abitazioni.
Menaggio
Torno, paese della provincia di Como, dista 6 chilometri dal capoluogo e si adagia su un promontorio che si protende sulle acque del Lario, chiudendone il primo bacino in un pittoresco anfiteatro. L’altitudine sul mare è di m 225 lungo le rive del lago, ma il territorio, che misura complessivamente 779 ettari (quasi 8 chilometri quadrati), si eleva più o meno gradatamente sul pendio del monte fino a raggiungere i 1236 metri alla sommità del monte Boletto. Quote più basse sono registrate nella località Montepiatto (m 620) e Piazzaga (m 550).
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Torno, Lombardy
Torno, paese della provincia di Como, dista 6 chilometri dal capoluogo e si adagia su un promontorio che si protende sulle acque del Lario, chiudendone il primo bacino in un pittoresco anfiteatro. L’altitudine sul mare è di m 225 lungo le rive del lago, ma il territorio, che misura complessivamente 779 ettari (quasi 8 chilometri quadrati), si eleva più o meno gradatamente sul pendio del monte fino a raggiungere i 1236 metri alla sommità del monte Boletto. Quote più basse sono registrate nella località Montepiatto (m 620) e Piazzaga (m 550).
E' una delle più famose e scenografiche dimore del lago di Como, premiata dai visitatori come il Bene FAI (Fondo Ambiente Italiano) più visitato d’Italia anche senza l'arrivo di stranieri. Una villa da sogno che ha portato molti registi di Hollywood ad ambientare qui celebri saghe, come quelle di Star Wars e 007. Ritiro lacustre del Cardinal Durini a fine Settecento, in tempi moderni, nel 1974, fu scelta da Guido Monzino, imprenditore, collezionista e appassionato viaggiatore, come rifugio in cui conservare i ricordi di una vita avventurosa che lo condusse, primo italiano, in cima all’Everest. Gesta rappresentate dai suoi cimeli, custoditi nell’affascinante Museo delle Spedizioni. Di stupefacente bellezza il giardino, ricco di scorci romantici e terrazze panoramiche. Villa Balbianello rientra nei beni visitabili nelle giornate Fai di primavera.
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Villa del Balbianello
Via Guido DelmatiE' una delle più famose e scenografiche dimore del lago di Como, premiata dai visitatori come il Bene FAI (Fondo Ambiente Italiano) più visitato d’Italia anche senza l'arrivo di stranieri. Una villa da sogno che ha portato molti registi di Hollywood ad ambientare qui celebri saghe, come quelle di Star Wars e 007. Ritiro lacustre del Cardinal Durini a fine Settecento, in tempi moderni, nel 1974, fu scelta da Guido Monzino, imprenditore, collezionista e appassionato viaggiatore, come rifugio in cui conservare i ricordi di una vita avventurosa che lo condusse, primo italiano, in cima all’Everest. Gesta rappresentate dai suoi cimeli, custoditi nell’affascinante Museo delle Spedizioni. Di stupefacente bellezza il giardino, ricco di scorci romantici e terrazze panoramiche. Villa Balbianello rientra nei beni visitabili nelle giornate Fai di primavera.
Castello di Vezio
Via del CastellanoVilla Monastero
4 Viale Giovanni PolvaniIn Cernobbio you cannot help but admire Villa Bernasconi, one of the rare examples of Liberty architecture on Lake Como. It was built between 1905 and 1906 on a project by architect Alfredo Campanini as a "fashion house" for the engineer Davide Bernasconi who, of Milanese origin, founded the homonymous Tessiture Seriche in Cernobbio at the end of the nineteenth century. After a long and important restoration and renovation, on 26 November 2017 it was definitively reopened to the public thanks to the “Liberty Tutti” project as a museum. A particular museum, however, in which the villa itself tells its story and leads visitors to discover its history thanks to an innovative interactive path made up of multimedia contents, historical objects and documents and multisensory experiences.
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Villa Bernasconi
2 Largo Alfredo CampaniniIn Cernobbio you cannot help but admire Villa Bernasconi, one of the rare examples of Liberty architecture on Lake Como. It was built between 1905 and 1906 on a project by architect Alfredo Campanini as a "fashion house" for the engineer Davide Bernasconi who, of Milanese origin, founded the homonymous Tessiture Seriche in Cernobbio at the end of the nineteenth century. After a long and important restoration and renovation, on 26 November 2017 it was definitively reopened to the public thanks to the “Liberty Tutti” project as a museum. A particular museum, however, in which the villa itself tells its story and leads visitors to discover its history thanks to an innovative interactive path made up of multimedia contents, historical objects and documents and multisensory experiences.
WHERE TO BUY FOOD
Como Market Hall
1 Via Giuseppe SirtoriBUY Organic!
Buy and taste Nuvola the typical cake of Como!
Inside the covered market hall in Via Mentana you will find a Beretta store which sells Nuvola.
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Beretta Il Fornaio Srl
15 Via Pietro BoldoniBuy and taste Nuvola the typical cake of Como!
Inside the covered market hall in Via Mentana you will find a Beretta store which sells Nuvola.
The nearest food store reachable by foot in 6 minutes ( 450 m) in the walled town .
Open everyday from 7.30 to 20.00
Despar
The nearest food store reachable by foot in 6 minutes ( 450 m) in the walled town .
Open everyday from 7.30 to 20.00
Lidl
Discount food store with covered parking. Reachable in 8 minutes from home ( 650 m).
Carrefour Market - Supermarket
13 Viale Giulio CesareCarrefour Market open 24/7
Esselunga di via Ambrosoli
Via Solone AmbrosoliLarge food store with wide selection of items
Supermercato Cinese Cina Express Alimenti Asiatici Como
Etnic food store
Il mercatino del mondo
Etnic food store
Children stuff
City Of Toys
22 Piazza del DuomoXmas event
Museo del Cavallo Giocattolo
10 Via Torneseinteresting for children
SHOPPING
Fox Town Factory Stores
18 Via Angelo MaspoliCOIN
12 Piazzale Antonio CantoreMany shops of different brands
Via Milano 107
22100 Como
Opening hours
lu9:30am - 1:00pm
3:00pm - 7:30pm
Here you find opening hours, address and more about the shop TESSABIT in Como, Via Milano. This shop stocks labels like Roger Vivier, RALPH LAUREN KIDS or Paul Smith.
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Tessabit
107 Via MilanoVia Milano 107
22100 Como
Opening hours
lu9:30am - 1:00pm
3:00pm - 7:30pm
Here you find opening hours, address and more about the shop TESSABIT in Como, Via Milano. This shop stocks labels like Roger Vivier, RALPH LAUREN KIDS or Paul Smith.
Gianoli - Como
Very stylish fashion
CouLture Migrante | la Sartoria Sociale di Como