Como listen (help·info) (Còmm in the local variety of Western Lombard) is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy, 45 kilometres (28 mi) north of Milan. Situated at the southern tip of the south-west arm of Lake Como, it is the capital of the province of Como and directly borders the comunes of Blevio, Brunate, Capiago Intimiano, Casnate con Bernate, Cavallasca, Cernobbio, Grandate, Lipomo, Maslianico, Montano Lucino, San Fermo della Battaglia, Senna Comasco, Tavernerio, Torno and the Swiss towns of Chiasso and Vacallo.

Its proximity to Lake Como and to the Alps has made Como a popular tourist destination and the city contains numerous works of art, churches, gardens, museums, theatres, parks and palaces: the Duomo (seat of Diocese of Como), the Basilica of Sant'Abbondio, the Villa Olmo, the public gardens with the Tempio Voltiano, the Teatro Sociale, the Broletto (the city’s medieval town hall) and the twentieth-century Casa del Fascio.

Como was the birthplace of a good number of historically notable figures, including the (somewhat obscure) poet Caecilius who is mentioned by Catullus in the first century BCE,^[2] the far more substantial literary figures of Pliny the Elder and the Younger, Pope Innocent XI, the scientist Alessandro Volta,^[3] and Cosima Liszt, second wife of Richard Wagner and long-term director of the Bayreuth Festival.

History

The hills surrounding the current location of Como have been inhabited, since at least the Bronze Age, by a Celtic tribe known as the Orobii. Remains of settlements are still present on the wood covered hills to the South West of town.

Around the 1st century BC, the territory became subject to the Romans. The town center was situated on the nearby hills, but it was then moved to its current location by order of Julius Caesar, who had the swamp near the southern tip of the lake drained and laid the plan of the walled city in the typical Roman grid of perpendicular streets. The newly founded town was named Novum Comum and had the status of municipium.

In 774, the town surrendered to invading Franks led by Charlemagne, and became a center of commercial exchange.

In 1127, Como lost a decade-long war with the nearby town of Milan. A few decades later, with the help of Frederick Barbarossa, the Comaschi could avenge their defeat when Milan was destroyed in 1162. Frederick promoted the construction of several defensive towers around the city limits, of which only one, the Baradello, remains.

Subsequently, the history of Como followed that of the Ducato di Milano, through the French invasion and the Spanish domination, until 1714, when the territory was taken by the Austrians. Napoleon descended into Lombardy in 1796 and ruled it until 1815, when the Austrian rule was resumed after the Congress of Vienna. Finally in 1859, with the arrival of Giuseppe Garibaldi, the town was freed from the Austrians and it became part of the newly formed Kingdom of Italy under the House of Savoy.

At the end of World War II, after passing through Como on his escape towards Switzerland, Benito Mussolini was taken prisoner and then shot by partisans in Giulino di Mezzegra, a small town on the north shores of Como Lake.

In 2010, a motion by members of the nationalist Swiss People's Party (SVP) has been submitted to the Swiss parliament requesting the admission of adjacent territories to the Swiss Confederation; Como (and its province) is one of these.

As a curiosity, the Rockefeller fountain that today stands in the Bronx Zoo in New York City was once in the main square by the lakeside. It was bought by William Rockefeller in 1902.

Main sights

Churches

• Duomo (cathedral), begun in 1396 on the site of the previous Romanesque church of Santa Maria Maggiore. The façade was built in 1457, with the characteristic rose window and a portal flanked by two Renaissance statues of the famous Comaschi Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger. The construction was finished in 1740. The interior is on the Latin cross plan, with Gothic nave and two aisles divided by pilasters, while the transept wing and the relative apses are from the Renaissance age. It includes a carved 16th century choir and tapestries on cartoons by Giuseppe Arcimboldi. The dome is a rococo structure by Filippo Juvarra. Other artworks include 16th-17th century tapestries and 16th Century paintings by Bernardino Luini and Gaudenzio Ferrari.
• San Fedele, a Romanesque church erected around 1120 over a pre-existing central plan edifice. The original bell tower was rebuilt in modern times. The main feature is the famous Door of St. Fedele, carved with medieval decorations.
• Sant'Agostino, built by the Cistercians in the early 14th century, heavily renovated in the 20th. The interior and adjoining cloister have 15th-17th century frescoes, but most of the decoration is Baroque.
• The Romanesque basilica of Sant'Abbondio, consecrated in 1095 by Pope Urban II. The interior, with a nave and four aisles, contains paintings dating to the 11th century and frescoes from the 14th.
• San Carpoforo (11th century, apse and crypt from 12th century). According to tradition, it was founded re-using a former temple of the God Mercury to house the remains of St. Carpophorus and other local martyrs.

Secular buildings and monuments

• The ancient town hall, known as the Broletto
• Casa del Fascio, possibly Giuseppe Terragni's most famous work. It has been described as an early "landmark of modern European architecture".
• Monumento ai caduti (war memorial) by Giuseppe Terragni
• Teatro Sociale by Giuseppe Cusi
• Villa Olmo, built from 1797 in neoclassicist style by the Odescalchi family. It housed Napoleon, Ugo Foscolo, Prince Metternich, Archduke Franz Ferdinand I, Giuseppe Garibaldi, and other eminent figures. It is now seat of exhibitions.
• Monumental Fountain also known as Volta's Fountain, is a monument to Volta's battery; it was designed by architect Carlo Cattaneo and painter Mario Radice and is a 9 m high cement combination of alternating spheres and rings. It is in the center of Camerlata square.
• Ancient walls (medieval)
• Castello Baradello, a small medieval castle overlooking the town and which is all that remains of the fortress constructed by Barbarossa c. 1158.

Museums

• Museo archeologico "P. Giovio"
• Museo Storico
• Pinacoteca
• Tempio Voltiano, a museum devoted to Alessandro Volta's work.
• Museo della Seta
• Museo Liceo classico "A. Volta"
• Villa Olmo (exhibitions)

Climate

According to the Koppen climate classification, Como has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa), thus winters are not long, but foggy, damp and chilly with occasional periods of frost from the siberian anticyclone; spring and autumn are well marked and pleasant, while summer can be quite oppressive, hot and humid, with sudden violent hailstorms. Wind is quite rare; only sudden bursts of foehn or thunderstorms manage to sweep the air clean. Pollution levels rise significantly in winter when cold air clings to the soil.

Cuisine

Polenta is a popular dish in Como, and was traditionally eaten for meals in winter time. It is obtained by mixing and cooking corn flour and buckwheat. It is usually served with meat, game, cheese and sometimes fish; in fact, Polenta e Misultin (Alosa agone) is served in the restaurants in the Lake Como area.
A traditional dish is the Risotto con Filetti di Pesce Persico or simply Risotto al Pesce Persico (European Perch filet Risotto), a fish grown in Lake Como, prepared with white wine, onion, butter and wheat.^[5]

Economy

The economy of Como, until the end of the 1980s, was traditionally based on industry – in particular, the city was world famous for its silk manufacturers – but in recent years cheap competition from China has significantly reduced profit margins and many small and mid-sized manufacturers have gone out of business. As a consequence manufacturing is no longer the economic driver and the city has been absorbed into Milan's metropolitan area where it mainly provides workers to the service industry sector. For these reasons, tourism has become increasingly important for the local economy since the 1990s. The city and the lake have been chosen as the filming location for various recent popular feature films, and this, together with the increasing presence of celebrities such as George Clooney and Matthew Bellamy who have bought lakeside properties, has heightened the city's international profile and given a further boost to international tourism.

Demographic evolution

Transportation

Trains

The Servizio Ferroviario Regionale (Regional Railway Service) connects Como by train to other major cities in Lombardy. Services are provided by Trenitalia and LeNORD through two main stations: Como S. Giovanni (Trenitalia) and Como Lago (LeNORD). There is another urban station served by Trenitalia (Albate) and three more urban stations served by LeNORD (Como Borghi-Università, Como Camerlata and Grandate Breccia).

Como S. Giovanni is also a stop on the main North-South line between Milan Centrale and Zurich and Basel. Intercity and Eurostar trains stop at this station, which makes Como very accessible from the European express train network. Tickets can be purchased online from Rail Europe.

Local transport

The local public transport network counts 11 urban (within city limits) lines and 'extra-urban' (crossing city limits) (C) lines connecting Como with most of its province centers. They are provided by ASF Autolinee.

Ferrovie Nord Milano also provides other bus lines connecting Como to Varese in substitution of the original railway line that was dismissed in the 1960s.

The funicolare (funicular) connects the center of Como with Brunate, a small village (1,800 inhabitants) on a mountain at 715 meters above sea level.

The boats and hydrofoils (aliscafi) of Navigazione Lago di Como connect the town with most of the villages sitting on the shores of the lake.

A taxi service is provided by the Municipality of Como.

Airports

Airports providing scheduled flights are Milano Malpensa, Lugano Agno (in Switzerland), Milano Linate, and Orio al Serio Airport near Bergamo. Milano Malpensa can be reached in about one hour by car; about two hours by train to Stazione Centrale (Milano Central) and then direct shuttle coach^[6] or about an hour and a half by train (interchange in Saronno);^[7] Milano Linate can be reached by car in about an hour, or by train to Stazione Centrale and then local tram. Bergamo's Orio al Serio Airport can be reached in about an hour and a quarter by car; in two hours by train to Milano Central and then half-hourly shuttle coach. Lugano Agno can be reached by car in less than an hour or by train in an hour and a half (changing once and walking)^[8] but it only offers direct flights to Switzerland and Italy^[9] and generally higher-priced business class or private charter.

Como also has its own aeroplane club with a fleet of sea planes, limited to flight training and local tour flights.^[10]

Trains from Zurich Airport to Como San Giovanni take four to five hours.^[8]

Sports

Notable sports clubs are Como Nuoto, a swimming team, Pool Comense, a basketball team, two time winner of the FIBA EuroLeague Women, and Calcio Como, a football team. There are also numerous recreational activities available for tourists such as pedal-boating, fishing, walking and seaplane rentals.

Notable people

Famous people born or raised in Como include:

• Caecilius c. 59 BCE A poet, the subject of Catullus's Carmina 35, who had a girlfriend more learned than the Sapphic Muse.^[2]
• Pliny the Elder (Gaius Plinius Secundus; 23–79 CE), author, natural philosopher and naval and military commander known for the Naturalis Historia.
• Pliny the Younger (Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus; 63–c.113 CE), a lawyer, an author and a natural philosopher of Ancient Rome.
• Paolo Giovio (1483–1552), a physician, historian and biographer and particularly remembered as a chronicler of the Italian Wars.
• Benedetto Odescalchi (1611–1689) was Pope Innocent XI from 1676 until his death.
• Alessandro Volta (1745–1827), a physicist known especially for the development of the battery in 1800.
• Luigi Borgomainerio (1836 – 1876), caricaturist
• Cosima Liszt (1837-1930), Franz Liszt's daughter and Richard Wagner's wife.
• Mario Radice (1898-1987), abstract painter
• Manlio Rho (1901-1957), abstract painter
• Giuseppe Terragni (1904–1943), an architect and pioneer of the Italian modern movement and rationalism who designed Como’s Casa del Fascio, a significant example of Fascist architecture in northern Italy.
• Giorgio Perlasca (1910-1992), posed as the Spanish consul-general to Hungary in the winter of 1944, and saved thousands of Jews from Nazi Germany and the Holocaust
• Gabriele Oriali (born 1952), 1982 Italian national team footballer World Champion.
• Max Papis (born 1969), Formula One, Champ Car, and NASCAR racing driver
• Diego De Ascentis (born 1976), football midfielder
• Paola Tagliabue (born 1976), world champion free diver in 2006.
• Gianluca Zambrotta (born 1977), an Italian international footballer and World Champion in Germany 2006.
• Floraleda Sacchi (born 1978), harpist and musicologist

These celebrities have lived or owned properties in Como or on its lake :

• George Clooney - American actor
• Madonna - American pop singer
• Gianni Versace - Italian fashion designer
• Matt Bellamy - lead singer and guitar player of English rock band Muse

Notes

External links

• Official website (Italian) (English)
• Historical picture gallery and slideshow
• Official Tourist Board website (Italian) (English)
• Teatro Sociale di Como official website (Italian)
• Lake Como Navigation Company
• Como Tourism
• Official Virtual Tour
• La Provincia Newspaper (Italian)