Como

Como, at the south-western tip of the lake, is the gateway to the Lario: a walled city whose old town sits just a few steps from the water, with a lakefront promenade and ferries leaving from Piazza Cavour.

What to see

• Cathedral and Broletto: the marble cathedral, between Gothic and Renaissance, and next to it the medieval town hall with its white and grey stripes.
• The walled city: the streets of the centre, Piazza San Fedele and the towers of the old walls.
• Tempio Voltiano and the promenade: the museum dedicated to Alessandro Volta and the walk towards Villa Olmo.
• Villa Olmo: the neoclassical villa with its park on the first basin of the lake.
• Brunate: the funicular takes you up in a few minutes to the “balcony of the Alps”, with the Volta lighthouse and views over the lake and the plain.

Good to know

Como has two stations: Como San Giovanni, on the line to Milan and Switzerland, and Como Nord Lago, the Ferrovie Nord terminus right by the lake. The market is on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.