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Como
Located on the Swiss - Italian border, Como is the
main metropolitan area of the Lake Como district. Most people visiting
that region never leave the lakeside, and that's a shame, because Como is
a nice little town to visit. You can walk around the cool shade of the old
buildings and soak in that Italian Renaissance atmosphere.
Como is really a must for any architecture buff. The most famous
landmark is the Duomo at the Piazza Cavour with its gothic facade
and renaissance dome. In the walled Old Town, there are many 400-year-old
buildings, and two more magnificent basilicas to be admired. For a
wonderful view of Lake Como, you can climb the Baradello Tower. If you
walk along the lake, you will see the Tempio Voltiano, a shrine to
Alessandro Volta, the inventor of the first reliable battery and
name-giver of the term Volt.
Como developed during the Roman Empire to be the capital of a territory
bordering with Milano and Bergamo. Later it became the headquarters of a
Prefect and the base of a naval fleet. It had all the furnishings of a
Roman city, like a stadium, gym, public baths and a theatre. Remnants of
these can still be spotted in modern Como today: there are eight greenish
striped Roman limestone columns in the portico of the Volta Liceum,
various bits of the old city walls, and in the basement of the technical
institute, the remains of the Porta Praetoria are still visible.
But Como is more than a collection of old buildings. It is renowned for
it fine silks throughout the world. One of the towns major industries is
in printing and dyeing silk, numerous workshops where ties and scarves are
created and sold all over the world, silk spinning and marketing of
clothing and furnishings. If you like silk, Como is the place to shop for
it.
And then, after a hard day of shopping and taking in culture, there is
still the lake. Arguably the most beautiful lake in Italy, it's the
perfect place to wash away the warm dust and recharge yourself for another
day in one of Italy’s most popular regions.
Text above is by World66 the travel guide you write
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Como Lake - Photo © kenyai
Departing from the shore of Piazza Cavour in Como, chief town of the province
and center of commerce and industry (especially in the sectors of textiles and
silk), you can take a boat trip on Lake Como: the boat sails longitudinally along the entire basin for approximately
four hours.
Formerly a Celtic fortification, Como became "Castrum" under Roman
rule in the first century B.C.
More evident and of greater importance, is the testimony from the Romanesque
period; examples may be found in the churches of Sant'Abbondio and San Fedele
and in Porta Torre. In 1875, following the opening of via Plinio, Piazza Cavour
was connected to the beautiful Piazza Duomo, the ancient religious and civic
center of the city where the 14th cathedral stands completed with Juvarra's dome
in the 18th century. Next to it is the Romanesque-Gothic "Broletto"- the old
Town Hall- built in 1215, it too underwent subsequent elaboration. On the left
shore lies the Voltiano mausoleum, a neoclassic temple erected in 1927 by
Federico Frigerio for the centennial of the death of Alessandro Volta.
Next to the temple is the War Memorial constructed in 1933 based on the designs
of futuristic architect Antonio Sant'Elia. Not too far are the Giuseppe
Sinigaglia Stadium and the Novocum (1927-29). Created by Giuseppe Terragni, the
stadium is one of the best examples of Italian rationalist architecture. Along
the banks of the lake there are several beautiful 18th and 19th century
patrician villas surrounded by greenery: Villa Paravicino, Villa Resta Palladici
(also known as "the Rotonda"), which is the seat of Regional Administration, the
Gallia, a residence built for Marco Gallio in 1615, and last and most important,
the Villa Olmo, named for the large elm tree (olmo) which survived from the
woods of Pliny the Younger.
At the request of Innocenzo Odescalchi, the villa was constructed, based on the
designs of Simone Cantini, at the end of the 18th century. Renovated one century
later, the villa retained its neoclassic structure. Remarkable, on the opposite
side of the shore is Villa Geno, which also belongs to the commune. This
neoclassic structure, erected in 1850 based on a project by Giacomo Tazzini, is
surrounded by a spacious public park in traditional Romantic-Age style.
Text in part courtesy of www.navigazionelaghi.it
One day trips from Milan without a car:
Milan on foot
Milan - Chiaravalle Abbey
Bergamo Alta
Bologna
Isola Comacina on Lake Como
Lecco and Bellagio by boat
Como and Bellagio by boat,
Isole Borromee on Lake Maggiore
Arona, Angera on Lake Maggiore
Arona, Rocca di Angera on Lake Maggiore
Villa Taranto on Lake Maggiore
Mottarone on Lake Maggiore
Lake Maggiore, Arona to Stresa by boat
Stresa - Locarno, a day boat trip
The Garda Lake - a day boat trip
Pavia, the city
Pavia, the Certosa
Portofino in winter
Vigevano
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