Things to see in Como

Como is a city at the southern end of Lake Como in Lombardy, Northwest Italy. It has a population of 84,000 (2015). The border with Switzerland is at the northwestern end of the city.

Como has always been an area of intense activity, as it has been a crossing point between Central Europe and the Mediterranean over the centuries. Built by the Romans at the end of the Piedmont road, it was an important communication point between Rome and its northern territories. Until the end of the 1980s, Como was famed for its silk.

Como was the birthplace of the Roman scientists Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger, as well as Alessandro Volta, 18th-century inventor of the battery and the man who gave his name to the unit of electrical force – the volt.

Faro Voltiano (Volta Lighthouse) (first take a funicular up to Brunate and then walk up 36 min to San Maurizio). Boasting some of the best views on the lake, this very high building will allow you to look down on the lake some 2000 feet below. Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta (Como Cathedral). Note the statues of Pliny the Elder and Younger at the sides of the main entrance! Basilica di Sant'Abbondio. A Romanesque basilica built in 11th century; inside some 13th-century frescos. The basilica was built on the site of an early Christian basilica of the 5th century, dedicated to the holy apostles Peter and Paul. Between 1050 and 1095, the Benedictines rebuilt the church in Romanesque style. In the 16th century the basilica underwent profound renovations, assuming a classical look, while the construction of the grandiose cloister was also started. In 1834 the buildings, now in a serious state of decay, were partly demolished and rebuilt. From 1863, the basilica was restored its Romanesque appearance; during the works the foundations of the early Christian building and those of the external narthex, which had been demolished during the 16th century, were also found.