One place I knew I had to visit before leaving Italy this year was Lago di Como (Lake Como in English). So I decided to go this past Saturday when the weather was nice and sunny. Lake Como is a lake located in northern Italy near Switzerland surrounded by the Alps. During the Middle Ages, it was an important center for trade and commerce, and it still plays an important role in the Lombardy region today. Known for its impressive lake, majestic landscape, and beautiful nearby towns and historical buildings, Como attracts thousands of visitors every year. I mean, George Clooney has a villa here so it must be a cool place, right?
Before talking about what I did in the city, let me recount my adventure getting here. I had a train from Bergamo to Lecco, then another train from Lecco to Como. However, my first train arrived a few minutes late to Lecco, and as I stepped out of the train I literally saw my next train to Como pass by me. I had missed my train from Lecco to Como! I had to then take a train from Lecco to Milan and another one from Milan to Como. In the end, I arrived in Como only 20 minutes pass my initial goal arrival time, so it all turned out alright.
This is the main cathedral in Como that I visited when I arrived in the morning. The construction of the Cathedral began in 1396 and it is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. It is one of the most important religious buildings in northern Italy.
There was a prayer service going on when I visited so I couldn't walk within the church very much but I got this shot! The church is mainly characterized by its Gothic characteristics but also has many Romanesque, Renaissance, and Baroque elements.
This is another beautiful church in Como that I visited -- Basilica San Fedele. Built in 1120, the place where this church now stands originally hosted a 5th century paleochristian church which was dedicated to Santa Eufemia.
This church has a Romanesque style. In the chapel of the Crucifix, there is an impressive marble altar that contains the papier-mâché crucifix painted on the apse by Isidoro Bianchi in 1623.
The ceiling of the church is lined with baroque stucco and on the wall of the chapel on the right of the church, there is a triptych painted in 1504 by Giovanni Andrea De Magistris that symbolizes Mary with Child between Saints Sebastian and Rocco.
The dome of the Basilica San Fedele
After walking around Como, I walked to the lake to get a ferry ticket to another nearby town, Bellagio.
As I waited for my ferry for Bellagio, I saw the museum dedicated to Alessandro Volta, the inventor of the battery. The museum has collections of Volta's work and even the first version of the electric battery.
This is a newly installed monument, Life Electric, that I saw on the lake. The avant-garde work was designed by Daniel Libeskind and pays homage to the voltaic pile (first electric battery) invented by Alessandro Volta.
Walking along Lake Como
More pictures of Lake Como
When I took a ferry to Bellagio in the afternoon, I saw an up-close and more personal view of the lake. One of the highlights was this villa, Villa Balbianello. This Baroque villa complex was constructed during the 18th century over the site of a monastery. It has some very nice views of the lake from its terrace and some nice walking trails that surround it in the forest.
There are many other cute little towns on Lake Como that I saw during the ferry ride.
Lenno, one of the towns on the shores of Lake Como
When I arrived in Bellagio, I visited a well-known church here, the Basilica San Giacomo, a Romanesque church built between the 11th and 12th centuries. The church has gone through a range of different styles. In the 17th century it was changed to a more Baroque style, and in the early 20th century, it was changed back to its original Romanesque form.
The interior of the Basilica of San Giacomo has a rectangular floor plan. Its structure and columns are unique as they are made out of Moltrasio limestone, while the bases of the columns are made out of granodiorite rock taken from masses found in the Lake Como area.
Bellagio is a beautiful town, like Como, and there are different shops and colorful buildings you can enter and see as you walk through its winding streets. This viewpoint is at the end of Salita Serbelloni where you reach Via Guiseppe Garibaldi.
The Punta Spartivento is the northernmost point of Bellagio. It is basically a small park with a nice view of Lake Como and a number of other towns on the shore of the lake, like Menaggio and Varenna.
Walking along Lake Como in Bellagio
The views from Bellagio are unrivaled because the town is at the exact point where the three arms of the lake meet. See the map below.
Essentially, Lake Como is shaped like an upside down Y and Bellagio is at the center of its three slender arms.
The sunset on Lake Como while I was in Bellagio
This was the sunset I saw on the lake later that evening before getting back on the ferry to Como from Bellagio.
In conclusion, I'm really happy I visited Lago di Como and a few towns on the lake (Como and Bellagio). The lake's resort towns and backdrop of the Alps make it a beautiful area, particularly if it is a clear day. I also met and saw plenty of tourists, ranging from Americans and English tourists, to French, German, and Irish people. So it's definitely a place that attracts people from all over the world. In short, I'm so glad that I could finally mark Lake Como off my bucket list this weekend. It's definitely a place I'll never forget!
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