![LIFE ELECTRIC - CREDITS VISITCOMO](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/LIFE_ELECTRIC_-_CREDITS_VISITCOMO.jpg)
Como (,
;
lmo, Còmm, label=
Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and ''
comune
The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...
'' in
Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the
Province of Como.
Its proximity to
Lake Como and to the
Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...
has made Como a tourist destination, and the city contains numerous works of art, churches, gardens, museums, theatres, parks, and palaces: the ''
Duomo
''Duomo'' (, ) is an Italian term for a church with the features of, or having been built to serve as, a cathedral, whether or not it currently plays this role. Monza Cathedral, for example, has never been a diocesan seat and is by definition n ...
'', seat of the
Diocese of Como
The Diocese of Como ( la, Dioecesis Comensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in northern Italy. It was established in the Fourth Century. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of ...
; the
Basilica of Sant'Abbondio; the
Villa Olmo
Villa Olmo is a neoclassical villa located in the city of Como, northern Italy.
The villa was commissioned by marquis Innocenzo Odescalchi from Swiss architect Simone Cantoni
Simone Cantoni (Muggio, Switzerland , 1736- Gorgonzœla, Milan, I ...
; the public gardens with the
Tempio Voltiano; the Teatro Sociale; the ''
Broletto In Middle Age Communes in Italy, a broletto was the place where the whole population met for democratic assemblies, and where the elected men lived and administered justice.
''Broletto'' is an ancient Italian word, from medieval Latin "broilum, bro ...
'' or the city's medieval town hall; and the 20th-century
Casa del Fascio
A ''casa del Fascio'', ''casa Littoria'', or ''casa del Littorio'' () was a building housing the local branch of the National Fascist Party and later the Republican Fascist Party under the regime of Italian Fascism, in Italy and its colonies. ...
.
With 215,320 overnight guests in 2013, Como was the fourth-most visited city in Lombardy after
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
,
Bergamo, and
Brescia
Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label= Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and ''comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Iseo ...
. In 2018, Como surpassed Bergamo becoming the third most visited city in Lombardy with 1.4 million arrivals.
Como was the birthplace of many historical figures, including the poet Caecilius mentioned by
Catullus
Gaius Valerius Catullus (; 84 - 54 BCE), often referred to simply as Catullus (, ), was a Latin poet of the late Roman Republic who wrote chiefly in the neoteric style of poetry, focusing on personal life rather than classical heroes. His ...
in the first century BCE,
writers
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic ' ...
and
Pliny the Younger,
Pope Innocent XI, scientist
Alessandro Volta, and
Cosima Liszt, second wife of
Richard Wagner and long-term director of the
Bayreuth Festival, and
Antonio Sant'Elia (1888–1916), a futurist architect and a pioneer of the modern movement.
History
![Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot - Como and Lake Como](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/Jean-Baptiste-Camille_Corot_-_Como_and_Lake_Como.jpg)
The hills surrounding the current location of Como were inhabited, since at least the
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...
, by a
Celtic tribe known as the
Orobii
The Orobii (also Orobi, Oromobi or Orumbovii) were a Celto-Ligurian tribe dwelling around present-day Como and Bergamo during the Iron Age.
Name
They are mentioned as ''Orobii'' by Cato the Elder (early 2nd century BC).
The ethnic name ''Orob ...
. Remains of settlements are still present on the wood-covered hills to the southwest of town.
Around the first century BC, the territory became subject to the
Romans
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
. The town center was situated on the nearby hills, but it was then moved to its current location by order of
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, ...
, 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 September 2018,
Culture Minister
A culture minister or a heritage minister is a common cabinet position in governments. The culture minister is typically responsible for cultural policy, which often includes arts policy (direct and indirect support to artists and arts organizat ...
Alberto Bonisoli
Alberto Bonisoli (born 26 December 1961) is an Italian politician.
Biography
Bonisoli was born in Castel d'Ario, Mantua province. He graduated from the Bocconi University in 1986, where he subsequently became a professor of Innovation Management ...
announced the discovery of several hundred
gold coin
A gold coin is a coin that is made mostly or entirely of gold. Most gold coins minted since 1800 are 90–92% gold (22karat), while most of today's gold bullion coins are pure gold, such as the Britannia, Canadian Maple Leaf, and American Buf ...
s in the basement of the former
Cressoni Theater (Teatro Cressoni) in a two-handled
soapstone
Soapstone (also known as steatite or soaprock) is a talc-schist, which is a type of metamorphic rock. It is composed largely of the magnesium rich mineral talc. It is produced by dynamothermal metamorphism and metasomatism, which occur in the ...
amphora, coins struck by
emperors
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother (empr ...
Honorius,
Valentinian III
Valentinian III ( la, Placidus Valentinianus; 2 July 41916 March 455) was Roman emperor in the West from 425 to 455. Made emperor in childhood, his reign over the Roman Empire was one of the longest, but was dominated by powerful generals vying ...
,
Leo I the Thracian
Leo I (; 401 – 18 January 474), also known as "the Thracian" ( la, Thrax; grc-gre, ο Θραξ),; grc-gre, Μακέλλης), referencing the murder of Aspar and his son. was Eastern Roman emperor from 457 to 474. He was a native of Dacia ...
,
Antonio and
Libius Severus
Libius Severus (died 465), sometimes enumerated as Severus III, was Roman emperor, emperor of the Western Roman Empire from 461 to his death in 465. A native of Lucania,Cassiodorus, ''Chronicle''; ''Chronica Gallica of 511'', s:la:Chronica galli ...
dating to 474 AD.
[Hundreds Of Roman Gold Coins Found In Theater Basement](_blank)
Shannon Van Sant, NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
, 2018-09-10
In 774, the town surrendered to invading
Franks
The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools, ...
led by
Charlemagne
Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first ...
, and became a center of commercial exchange.
In 1127, Como lost a decade-long war with the nearby town of
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
. A few decades later, with the help of
Frederick Barbarossa, the Comaschi were able to 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
Duchy of Milan, through the French invasion and the Spanish domination, until 1714, when the territory was taken by the Austrians.
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
descended into Lombardy in 1796 and ruled it until 1815, when the Austrian rule was resumed after the
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon B ...
. By 1848, the population had reached 16,000. In 1859, with the arrival of
Giuseppe Garibaldi, the town became part of the newly formed
Kingdom of Italy
The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia was proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to an institutional referendum to abandon the monarchy and f ...
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
Giulino (also known as Giulino di Mezzegra) is an Italian ''frazione'' of the ''Comune'' of Mezzegra, in the province of Como. Since 21 January 2014 both Giulino and Mezzegra are included in the comune of Tremezzina.
History Early history
The vi ...
, a small town on the north shores of
Lake Como.
In 2010, a motion by members of the nationalist
Swiss People's Party was submitted to the Swiss parliament requesting the
admission of adjacent territories to the
Swiss Confederation
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
; Como (and its province) is one of these.
The Rockefeller fountain that today stands in the
Bronx Zoo
The Bronx Zoo (also historically the Bronx Zoological Park and the Bronx Zoological Gardens) is a zoo within Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York. It is one of the largest zoos in the United States by area and is the largest metropolitan zoo in ...
in New York City was once in the main square (Piazza
Cavour) by the lakeside. It was bought by
William Rockefeller
William Avery Rockefeller Jr. (May 31, 1841 – June 24, 1922) was an American businessman and financier. Rockefeller was a co-founder of Standard Oil along with his elder brother John Davison Rockefeller. He was also part owner of the Anaconda ...
in 1902 for
Lire 3,500 (the estimated equivalent then of $637).
Geography
Situated at the southern tip of the south-west arm of Lake Como, the city is located north of Milan; the city proper borders
Switzerland and the ''
communes
An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork from the start. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, relig ...
'' of
Blevio
Blevio (Comasco: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Como in the Italian region Lombardy, located about north of Milan and about northeast of Como. It overlooks the eastern shore of Lake Como from hilly slopes starting at more t ...
,
Brunate
Brunate (Comasco: ) is a town and '' comune'' in the province of Como in northern Italy, some northeast of Milan. It has some 1,800 residents, but is much more populated in summer, when tourists rent houses and apartments.
The town overlooks ...
,
Capiago Intimiano,
Casnate con Bernate,
Cernobbio
Cernobbio (Comasco: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Como, Lombardy, northern Italy. It is located about north of Milan and about northwest of Como, on the border with Switzerland and near the Lake Como. The highest peak is t ...
,
Grandate,
Lipomo,
Maslianico,
Montano Lucino
Montano Lucino ( and in Comasco dialect, IPA phonetic pronunciation: /mũˈtãː/ and /lyˈʃĩː/) is an Italian town of 5,302 inhabitants in the province of Como in Lombardy.
It is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Como in the Ital ...
,
San Fermo della Battaglia
San Fermo della Battaglia is a (municipality) in the Province of Como in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about north of Milan and about southwest of Como. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 4,255 and an area of .All demogra ...
,
Senna Comasco,
Tavernerio, and
Torno, and the Swiss towns of
Chiasso
Chiasso (; lmo, Ciass ) is a municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.
As the southernmost of Switzerland's municipalities, Chiasso is on the border with Italy, in front of Ponte Chiasso (a frazione of Co ...
and
Vacallo
Vacallo is a municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. It is the first (or last) village of the Valle di Muggio.
History
Like nearby Chiasso, Vacallo was formerly a suburb of Como, until, along with the re ...
. Nearby major cities are
Varese
Varese ( , , or ; lmo, label= Varesino, Varés ; la, Baretium; archaic german: Väris) is a city and ''comune'' in north-western Lombardy, northern Italy, north-west of Milan. The population of Varese in 2018 has reached 80,559.
It is the c ...
,
Lecco
Lecco (, , ; lmo, label= Lecchese, Lècch ) is a city of 48,131 inhabitants in Lombardy, northern Italy, north of Milan. It lies at the end of the south-eastern branch of Lake Como (the branch is named ''Branch of Lecco'' / ''Ramo di Lecco''). ...
, and
Lugano
Lugano (, , ; lmo, label=Ticinese dialect, Ticinese, Lugan ) is a city and municipality in Switzerland, part of the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino. It is the largest city of both Ticino and the Italian-speaking southern Switzerland. Luga ...
.
Climate
According to the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
, Como has a
humid subtropical climate (''Cfa''); winters are not long but present 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. Wind is quite rare; only sudden bursts of
foehn
A Foehn or Föhn (, , ), is a type of dry, relatively warm, downslope wind that occurs in the lee (downwind side) of a mountain range.
It is a rain shadow wind that results from the subsequent adiabatic warming of air that has dropped most of ...
or thunderstorms manage to sweep the air clean. Pollution levels rise significantly in winter
when cold air clings to the soil. Rain is more frequent during spring; summer is subject to thunderstorms and occasionally
hailstorms.
Government
The legislative body of the Italian comuni is the City Council (''Consiglio Comunale''); in Como it comprises 32 councillors elected every five years with a proportional system, at the same time of the mayoral elections. The executive body is the City Committee (''Giunta Comunale''), composed by 9 ''assessori'' each overseeing a specific ministry, that is nominated and presided over by a directly elected Mayor (''Sindaco''). The mayor of Como since June 27, 2022, is Alessandro Rapinese, an independent leading an alliance bearing his name (Rapinese Sindaco), unaffiliated to any official political party.
Administrative subdivisions
![Como-Wards](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/Como-Wards.png)
Como is divided into these ' (roughly equivalent to the anglocentric
ward
Ward may refer to:
Division or unit
* Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward
* Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
):
# Albate – Muggiò – Acquanera
# Lora
# Prestino – Camerlata – Breccia – Rebbio
# Camnago Volta
# City Center – West Como
# Borghi
# North Como – East Como
# Monte Olimpino – Ponte Chiasso – Sagnino – Tavernola
# Garzola – Civiglio
Main sights
Churches
![Comoparco](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Comoparco.JPG)
*
Como Cathedral
Como Cathedral ( it, 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 ...
: Construction began 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
Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic ' ...
and
Pliny the Younger. The construction was finished in 1740. The interior is on the Latin cross plan, with
Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
nave and two aisles divided by piers, 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
Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...
structure by
Filippo Juvarra
Filippo is an Italian language, Italian male given name, which is the equivalent of the English language, English name Philip (name), Philip, from the Greek language, Greek ''Philippos'', meaning "amante dei cavalli".''Behind the Name''"Given Name ...
. Other artworks include 16th–17th century tapestries and 16th century paintings by
Bernardino Luini
Bernardino Luini (c. 1480/82 – June 1532) was a north Italian painter from Leonardo's circle during the High Renaissance. Both Luini and Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio were said to have worked with Leonardo directly; he was described as having ...
and
Gaudenzio Ferrari
Gaudenzio Ferrari (c. 1471 – 11 January 1546) was an Italian painter and sculptor of the Renaissance.
Biography
Gaudenzio was born to Franchino Ferrari at Valduggia in the Valsesia in the Duchy of Milan. Valduggia is now in the Province of V ...
.
*''
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.
*''
Basilica of Sant'Abbondio'', a Romanesque structure 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
Saint Carpophorus and other local martyrs.
Secular buildings and monuments
*The ancient town hall, known as the ''
Broletto In Middle Age Communes in Italy, a broletto was the place where the whole population met for democratic assemblies, and where the elected men lived and administered justice.
''Broletto'' is an ancient Italian word, from medieval Latin "broilum, bro ...
''
*''
Casa del Fascio
A ''casa del Fascio'', ''casa Littoria'', or ''casa del Littorio'' () was a building housing the local branch of the National Fascist Party and later the Republican Fascist Party under the regime of Italian Fascism, in Italy and its colonies. ...
'', possibly
Giuseppe Terragni
Giuseppe Terragni (; 18 April 1904 – 19 July 1943) was an Italian architect who worked primarily under the fascist regime of Benito Mussolini and pioneered the Italian modern movement under the rubric of Rationalism. His most famous work is the C ...
's most famous work. It has been described as an early "landmark of modern European architecture".
*''Monumento ai caduti'' (war memorial) by
Giuseppe Terragni
Giuseppe Terragni (; 18 April 1904 – 19 July 1943) was an Italian architect who worked primarily under the fascist regime of Benito Mussolini and pioneered the Italian modern movement under the rubric of Rationalism. His most famous work is the C ...
*Teatro Sociale by
Giuseppe Cusi in 1813
*''
Villa Olmo
Villa Olmo is a neoclassical villa located in the city of Como, northern Italy.
The villa was commissioned by marquis Innocenzo Odescalchi from Swiss architect Simone Cantoni
Simone Cantoni (Muggio, Switzerland , 1736- Gorgonzœla, Milan, I ...
'', built from 1797 in neoclassicist style by the
Odescalchi family. It housed Napoleon,
Ugo Foscolo
Ugo Foscolo (; 6 February 177810 September 1827), born Niccolò Foscolo, was an Italian writer, revolutionary and a poet.
He is especially remembered for his 1807 long poem ''Dei Sepolcri''.
Early life
Foscolo was born in Zakynthos in the Io ...
,
Prince Metternich
Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar, Prince of Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein ; german: Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar Fürst von Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein (15 May 1773 – 11 June 1859), known as Klemens von Metternich or Prince Metternic ...
, Archduke
Franz Ferdinand I,
Giuseppe Garibaldi, and other eminent figures. It is now a seat of exhibitions.
*''Monumental Fountain'' also known as "Volta's Fountain", a monument to Volta's battery; it was designed by architect
Carlo Cattaneo and painter
Mario Radice
Mario Radice (10 August 1898 – 26 July 1987) was an Italian painter born in Como. He is considered to be an important Italian abstract artist.
Life and work
Mario Radice, together with Manlio Rho, Aldo Galli, Carla Badiali and ...
and is a cement combination of alternating spheres and rings. It is in the center of Camerlata square.
*Ancient walls (medieval)
* the
Tempio Voltiano, a museum dedicated to
Alessandro Volta, a famous Comasco engineer, physicist, and inventor
* the ''
Life Electric
''Life Electric'' (also known as ''The Life Electric'') is a contemporary sculpture, dedicated to the physicist Alessandro Volta (1745–1827). Completed in 2015 it is located in Como, Italy.
''Life Electric'' was designed by Daniel Libeskind, an ...
'', a modern sculpture made by
Daniel Libeskind
* ''
Castello Baradello'', a small medieval castle overlooking the town and which is all that remains of the fortress constructed by
Barbarossa
Barbarossa, a name meaning "red beard" in Italian, primarily refers to:
* Frederick Barbarossa (1122–1190), Holy Roman Emperor
* Hayreddin Barbarossa (c. 1478–1546), Ottoman admiral
* Operation Barbarossa, the Axis invasion of the Soviet Un ...
c. 1158
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, and in 1972 its production exceeded that of China and Japan, but since the mid-1990s increasing competition from Asia has significantly reduced profit margins and many small and mid-sized firms 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
The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the second ...
sector. A significant number of residents are employed in the nearby Swiss towns
Lugano
Lugano (, , ; lmo, label=Ticinese dialect, Ticinese, Lugan ) is a city and municipality in Switzerland, part of the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino. It is the largest city of both Ticino and the Italian-speaking southern Switzerland. Luga ...
and
Mendrisio
Mendrisio (; lmo, label= Ticinese, Mendris ) is a municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.
Mendrisio is the seat of the Accademia di Architettura of the university of Italian-speaking Switzerland (U ...
, primarily in the
industrial sector,
health care services
The healthcare industry (also called the medical industry or health economy) is an aggregation and integration of sectors within the economic system that provides goods and services to treat patients with curative, preventive, rehabilitative, ...
and in the
hospitality industry
The hospitality industry is a broad category of fields within the service industry that includes lodging, food and drink service, event planning, theme parks, travel and tourism. It includes hotels, tourism agencies, restaurants and bars.
Sect ...
; the commute is beneficial as wages in Switzerland are notably higher. For these reasons, tourism has become increasingly important for the city's economy since the late 1990s, when local small businesses have gradually been replaced by bars, restaurants and hotels. 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
Matt Bellamy
Matthew James Bellamy (born 9 June 1978) is an English singer, musician, producer, and songwriter. He is primarily known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, pianist, and primary songwriter for English rock band Muse. He is recognised for his eccen ...
who have bought lakeside properties, has heightened the city's attractiveness and given a further boost to international tourism; since the early 2000s the city has become a popular "must see" tourist destination in Italy.
Demographics
The city of Como has seen its population count increase until it peaked at almost 100,000 inhabitants in the 1970s, when manufacturing, especially the silk industry, was in its boom years. As production began to decline, the population tally decreased by almost 20,000 until the beginning of the 21st century, when the city saw its population grow again by more than six thousand units, generally due to increasing immigration from Asia, Eastern Europe and North Africa. As of October 2022, the population was 84,250 people of which 11,921 were resident aliens, that is, 14.1% of the total; the population distribution by origin was as follows:
Top 20 nationalities of resident aliens:
Culture
Museums
In Como there are the following museums and exhibition centers:
*
Museo Archeologico "P. Giovio" – archeological museum
*
Garibaldi Museum (Como) – a museum dedicated to
Giuseppe Garibaldi
*
Tempio Voltiano – a museum devoted to Alessandro Volta's work
*
Villa Olmo
Villa Olmo is a neoclassical villa located in the city of Como, northern Italy.
The villa was commissioned by marquis Innocenzo Odescalchi from Swiss architect Simone Cantoni
Simone Cantoni (Muggio, Switzerland , 1736- Gorgonzœla, Milan, I ...
– various exhibitions
Museo Didattico Della Seta– educational silk museum
*Museo Liceo classico "A. Volta" – scientific museum
*
Pinacoteca Civica – paintings and artworks from Carolingian to modern era housed in the 17th-century Palazzo Volpi
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
Buckwheat (''Fagopyrum esculentum''), or common buckwheat, is a flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae cultivated for its grain-like seeds and as a cover crop. The name "buckwheat" is used for several other species, such as ''Fagopy ...
. It is usually served with meat, game, cheese and sometimes fish; in fact, ''Polenta e Misultin'' (''
Alosa agone
''Alosa agone'' is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus ''Alosa
''Alosa'' is a genus of fish, the river herrings, in the family Clupeidae. Along with other genera in the subfamily Alosinae, they are generally known as shads. tp://ftp. ...
'') is served in the restaurants in the Lake Como area.
![Coniglio e polenta 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Coniglio_e_polenta_01.JPG)
A traditional dish is the ''Risotto con Filetti di Pesce Persico'' or simply ''Risotto al Pesce Persico'' (
European perch
The European perch (''Perca fluviatilis''), also known as the common perch, redfin perch, big-scaled redfin, English perch, Euro perch, Eurasian perch, Eurasian river perch, Hatch, poor man’s rockfish or in Anglophone parts of Europe, simply th ...
filet
risotto
Risotto (, , from meaning "rice") is a northern Italian rice dish cooked with broth until it reaches a creamy consistency. The broth can be derived from meat, fish, or vegetables. Many types of risotto contain butter, onion, white wine, and Pa ...
), a fish grown in Lake Como, prepared with white wine, onion, butter and wheat.
Transportation
Rail
The Servizio Ferroviario Regionale (Regional Railway Service) connects Como by train to other major cities in Lombardy. Services are provided by
Trenord
Trenord is a railway company which is responsible for the operation of regional passenger trains in Lombardy. The company was established by the two main railway companies in Lombardy, Trenitalia and Ferrovie Nord Milano (FNM), to manage train ope ...
through two main stations:
Como San Giovanni and
Como Nord Lago. There are five more urban stations (
Albate-Camerlata, Albate-Trecallo, Como Borghi, Como Camerlata and Grandate-Breccia).
Como San Giovanni is also a stop on the main north–south line between Milan Centrale and
Zürich HB
, neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon
, twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco
Zürich () ...
and
Basel SBB
Basel SBB railway station (german: Bahnhof Basel SBB, or in earlier times ''Centralbahnhof'' or ''Schweizer Bahnhof'') is the central railway station in the city of Basel, Switzerland. Opened in 1854, and completely rebuilt in 1900–1907, it is E ...
. Intercity and
EuroCity trains stop at this station, which makes Como very accessible from the European express train network.
The
lakeside funicular connects the center of Como with
Brunate
Brunate (Comasco: ) is a town and '' comune'' in the province of Como in northern Italy, some northeast of Milan. It has some 1,800 residents, but is much more populated in summer, when tourists rent houses and apartments.
The town overlooks ...
, a small village (1,800 inhabitants) on a mountain at
above sea level.
Buses and taxis
The local public transport network comprises 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
450px, Map of the main branch of the FNM lines. FNM operates also the Brescia-Edolo railway in eastern Lombardy">Edolo.html" ;"title="Brescia-Edolo">Brescia-Edolo railway in eastern Lombardy, not shown in map.
Ferrovie Nord Milano (FNM S.p.A.) is ...
also provides other bus lines connecting Como to
Varese
Varese ( , , or ; lmo, label= Varesino, Varés ; la, Baretium; archaic german: Väris) is a city and ''comune'' in north-western Lombardy, northern Italy, north-west of Milan. The population of Varese in 2018 has reached 80,559.
It is the c ...
in substitution of the original railway line that was dismissed in the 1960s.
A taxi service is provided by the Municipality of Como.
Ship transport
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.
Airports
Nearby airports providing scheduled flights are
Malpensa
Milan Malpensa Airport is the largest international airport in northern Italy, serving Lombardy, Piedmont and Liguria, as well as the Swiss Canton of Ticino. The airport is northwest of Milan, next to the Ticino river dividing Lombardy and ...
,
Milano Linate and
Orio al Serio International Airport
Orio al Serio International Airport, () the third busiest international airport in Italy, is in Orio al Serio, southeast of Bergamo and north-east of Milan, where it operates alongside Malpensa Airport and Linate Airport, the city's other tw ...
;
Lugano Agno, in Switzerland, only offers direct flights to Switzerland and Italy and generally higher-priced business class or private jets.
Aero Club
![Aerodrome_C%C3%B4me_1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Aerodrome_C%C3%B4me_1.JPG)
Como is home to the oldest seaplane operation in the world, th
Aero Club Como(
ICAO code LILY), with a fleet consisting of four seaplanes, used for flight training and local tour flights and four classic seaplanes of historical interest, a 1961
Cessna O-1 Bird Dog
The Cessna L-19/O-1 Bird Dog is a liaison and observation aircraft. It was the first all-metal fixed-wing aircraft ordered for and by the United States Army following the Army Air Forces' separation from it in 1947. The Bird Dog had a lengthy ...
, a 1946
Republic RC-3 Seabee
The Republic RC-3 Seabee is an all-metal amphibious sports aircraft designed by Percival Spencer and manufactured by the Republic Aircraft Corporation.
Design and development
The RC-3 Seabee was designed by Percival Hopkins "Spence" Spencer ...
a 1947
Macchi M.B.308
The Macchi MB.308, later Aermacchi MB-308, was a light aircraft produced in Italy in the late 1940s.
Development
It was a conventional high-wing cantilever monoplane with fixed tricycle undercarriage. Construction throughout was of wood. The ...
''idro'' and a perfectly restored 1935
Caproni Ca.100. A big hangar right next to the lake houses the club's fleet and is also used for aircraft maintenance and servicing.
Education and health
Como is home to numerous high schools, the
Conservatory of music "Giuseppe Verdi", the
Design school "Aldo Galli", the
University of Insubria
The University of Insubria ( it, Università degli Studi dell'Insubria) is an Italian university located in Como and Varese, with secondary locations in Busto Arsizio and Saronno. It was founded in 1998, it has been named after the area where it i ...
and a branch campus of the
Politecnico di Milano
The Polytechnic University of Milan () is the largest technical university in Italy, with about 42,000 students.
The university offers undergraduate, graduate and higher education courses in engineering, architecture and design.
Founded in 18 ...
.
In Como there are three major hospitals:
Ospedale Sant'AnnaOspedale Valducean
Clinica Villa Aprica
Sports
Notable sports clubs are the
ASDG Comense 1872 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. Como also hosts a prestigious clay-court tennis tournament every year, the
Città di Como Challenger
The Città di Como Challenger is a tennis List of tennis tournaments, tournament held in Como, Italy since 2006. The event is part of the ATP Challenger Tour and is played on outdoor clay courts.
Past finals
Singles
Doubles
External links O ...
, which attracts many of the world's top players who are not involved in the concurrent
US Open. Many players have testified that they much prefer playing in the relaxed and friendly Como environs than the hustle and bustle of
Flushing Meadows–Corona Park.
International relations
Como is
twinned with:
*
Fulda, Germany, since 1960
*
Tokamachi, Japan, since 1975
*
Nablus,
Palestine, since 1998
*
Netanya,
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, since 2004
See also
*
Lake Como
*
Province of Como
*
List of people from Como
The following is a list of notable people who were born in Como, Italy.
*Pliny the Elder (''Gaius Plinius Secundus''; 23–79 CE), author, natural philosopher and naval and military commander known for the ''Natural History (Pliny), Naturalis His ...
Notes
Sources
*
External links
Official websiteOfficial Tourism PortalHistorical picture gallery and slideshowOfficial Tourist Board websiteOfficial Virtual TourA documentary about the Lakeby
Yann Arthus-Bertrand
Yann Arthus-Bertrand (born 13 March 1946) is a French environmentalist, activist, journalist and photographer. He has also directed films about the impact of humans on the planet. He is especially well known for his book ''Earth from Above'' (19 ...
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in Lombardy
Roman towns and cities in Italy
Populated places established in the 1st century BC
Italy–Switzerland border