🇮🇹Italy · Places to discover
What to see in Como?
5 places selected by the community - landmarks, nature, hidden restaurants and activities.
Como owes its reputation less to the lake than to the tension between two rhythms: that of locals having lunch on the terrace along Via Vittorio Emanuele II and that of tourists rushing through town towards the ferry terminals. Built on a peninsula between two arms of Lake Como, the city preserves Roman architecture legible in its grid layout, with a cathedral, the Duomo di Como, that surprises with its interior restraint.
September and October offer slanting light on the water without summer's saturation. Two days suffice for the town itself; allow three if you take the ferry to Bellagio. From Milan, the regional train deposits you at Como San Giovanni in the town centre in forty minutes. Avoid the Brunate cable car on a Saturday in July: the queue often exceeds an hour for eight minutes of ascent.
Museums
1 place
1Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Museum
Como Silk Museum
Museum dedicated to the silk industry that made Como's fortune since the 15th century, with period looms still in operation. Como still produces 70% of Europe's luxury silk – this museum explains why Hermès sources from here.
Religious sites
2 places
2Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Religious site
Como Cathedral
A Gothic-Renaissance cathedral at the heart of Como, built between 1396 and 1740. Its polychrome marble façade and 16th-century Flemish tapestries make it a masterpiece often overlooked by visitors.
3Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Religious site
Basilica of Sant'Abbondio
An 11th-century Romanesque basilica set apart from Como's centre, often overlooked by hurried tourists. Its 14th-century medieval frescoes in the apse rank among Lombardy's finest.
Activities
1 place
4Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Activity
Funicolare Como-Brunate
A century-old funicular (1894) connecting Como to the hilltop village of Brunate in 7 minutes. From the summit, panoramic views over the lake and the Alps, with access to the trail leading to Volta Lighthouse—used daily by residents.
More to discover
1 place
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Place
Place
Como Market - Piazza San Fedele
Saturday morning food market on Como's finest medieval square, featuring Valtellina cheeses, local cured meats and vegetables from Brianza market gardens. A real slice of local life, far from silk souvenirs.
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