10 THINGS TO SEE IN COMO

Spring is coming and the desire to travel is back.
We live in Como and we are happy but who is coming to visit us for?
Elena is a professional guide who knows every corner of the city. Since she is a friend of ours, we asked her to let us visit it. She was very kind. She has given us so much information that we did not know and some of the details are incredible.
Here are the top ten places to visit in one order for a tour you can do on your own. Of course, if you want to have a rich visit like ours, contact her on Instagram: @local.tourguide.lakecomo

1. PIAZZA VOLTA

The soul of Como is hidden in Piazza Volta: full of bars, restaurants, clubs, tables and outdoor benches and shops, where different generations meet together with different styles. The square takes its name from the monument in its center, the statue of Alessandro Volta, physicist and inventor of the electric battery, born in this city. It was made by the sculptor Pompeo Marchesi in 1838.

2. PIAZZA CAVOUR

Piazza Cavour is the living room of the city, which directly overlooks the lake. The area used to be the commercial port and is now fascinating for the many historic buildings that surround it.
Fun fact: Did you know that a statue in the New York Bronx was right here before it was bought by an American billionaire?

3. ROMANTIC WALK AMONG THE GARDENS ON THE LAKE TO VILLA OLMO

Along the Como lakefront it is possible to visit various monuments, the first of all is "The Life Electric", a steel sculpture created by the artist Daniel Libeskind dedicated to Alessandro Volta. A few meters away there is another work dedicated to the famous inventor: the Volta Temple, erected on the occasion of the centenary of his death and containing precious objects and scientific documents. Continuing along the lakefront you will also find "The walk of the Villas", an itinerary to discover the historic villas of Lake Como, passing through Villa Saporiti, Villa Gallia and Villa Olmo.

4. VIALE GENO AND FUNICULAR

Walking along Viale Geno you can see the famous Como-Brunate funicular, which connects the city to a small town on top of the homonymous hill, which boasts a breathtaking view of the lake.
Continuing along the avenue you reach Villa Geno, an eighteenth-century building famous for its garden and its spectacular fountain.
At the end of the road the best view of Como opens up towards the first basin of the lake and Switzerland.

5. CATHEDRAL, BROLETTO AND BELL TOWER

The Cathedral of Como is a Gothic-Renaissance style cathedral, more than 75 meters high and containing luxurious and ancient tapestries and sixteenth-century paintings by Luini and Ferrari.
Adjacent to the Cathedral is the Palazzo del Broletto, with a Gothic-Romanesque style dating back to 1200.
Fun fact: The presence of the statues of two Latin poets on the facade of the cathedral is absolutely out of the ordinary.

 6. TEATRO SOCIALE AND PALAZZO TERRAGNI

From the rear of the Cathedral, you can also come across the city's opera house, the Teatro Sociale. It is a training and culture center: opera, prose, music, dance, shows for all ages. On the other side of the street you can see Palazzo Terragni, a building in full rationalist style (clean, pure and minimalist lines) designed by the architect Giuseppe Terragni.

Teatro Sociale-Como(CO)

7. PIAZZA SAN FEDELE

Piazza San Fedele is the ancient area of the walled city, here is the Roman Forum, a symbolic place that up to the 19th century was the market square of Como.
In the Middle Ages it was also an important religious area: here there was in fact the Church of Sant’Eufemia (now the Church of San Fedele), the Baptistery of San Giovanni in Atrio and the Church of San Pietro in Atrio. The surrounding medieval buildings are also rare, with wooden structures, bright colors and herringbone brick walls.
Fun fact: At the rear of the church there is a balcony supported by Roman columns that are 1000 years older than the church.

8. PORTA TORRE

Porta Torre is the remains of the medieval city walls: built in 1192 and 40 meters high, it stands in one of the most important access points of Como.

9. CIVIC MUSEUMS

Como boasts an artistic and cultural heritage that should not be underestimated. All the riches are kept in various city museums. The most important are: the Paolo Giovio Archaeological Museum (the earliest history of Como, from prehistoric times to the Middle Ages), the Giuseppe Garibaldi Historical Museum (the remains of the Risorgimento uprisings and the wars of the 1900s) and the Civic Art Gallery (pictorial and sculptural collections of the city).

Paolo Giovio Archaeological Museum-Como(CO)

10. VIA VITANI

Via Vitani is our street, as well as one of the oldest alleys in Como, also of medieval origin. There are precious details of the past such as before columns and capitals but above all a painting of a lady.
Today it is the heart of Made in Italy: it is characterized by small boutiques, clubs and restaurants of excellent craftsmanship. Recommended for a quality Italian shopping and experience!