Como


Como is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como.
Its proximity to Lake Como and to the Alps has made Como a tourist destination, and the city contains numerous works of art, churches, gardens, museums, theatres, parks, and palaces: the Duomo, seat of the Diocese of Como; the Basilica of Sant'Abbondio; the Villa Olmo; the public gardens with the Tempio Voltiano; the Teatro Sociale; the Broletto or the city's medieval town hall; and the 20th-century Casa del Fascio.
With 215,320 overnight guests in 2013, Como was the fourth-most visited city in Lombardy after Milan, Bergamo, and Brescia. In 2018, Como surpassed Bergamo becoming the third most visited city in Lombardy with 1.4 million arrivals.
Como was the birthplace of many historical figures, including the poet Caecilius mentioned by Catullus in the first century BCE, writers Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger, Pope Innocent XI, scientist Alessandro Volta, and Cosima Liszt, second wife of Richard Wagner and long-term director of the Bayreuth Festival, and Antonio Sant'Elia, Futurist architect and pioneer of the modern movement.

History

The hills surrounding the current location of Como were inhabited, since at least the Bronze Age, by a Celtic tribe known as the Orobii. Remains of settlements are still present on the wood-covered hills to the southwest of town.
Around the first century BC, the territory became subject to the Romans. The town center was situated on the nearby hills, but it was then moved to its current location by order of Julius Caesar, who had the swamp near the southern tip of the lake drained and laid the plan of the walled city in the typical Roman grid of perpendicular streets. The newly founded town was named Novum Comum and had the status of municipium. In September 2018, Culture Minister Alberto Bonisoli announced the discovery of around several hundred gold coins in the basement of the former Cressoni Theater in a two-handled soapstone amphora, coins struck by emperors Honorius, Valentinian III, Leon I, Antonio and Libius Severus dating to 474AD.
In 774, the town surrendered to invading Franks led by Charlemagne, and became a center of commercial exchange.
In 1127, Como lost a decade-long war with the nearby town of Milan. A few decades later, with the help of Frederick Barbarossa, the Comaschi were able to avenge their defeat when Milan was destroyed in 1162. Frederick promoted the construction of several defensive towers around the city limits, of which only one, the Baradello, remains.
Subsequently, the history of Como followed that of the Duchy of Milan, through the French invasion and the Spanish domination, until 1714, when the territory was taken by the Austrians. Napoleon descended into Lombardy in 1796 and ruled it until 1815, when the Austrian rule was resumed after the Congress of Vienna. Finally in 1859, with the arrival of Giuseppe Garibaldi, the town was freed from the Austrians and it became part of the newly formed Kingdom of Italy under the House of Savoy.
At the end of World War II, after passing through Como on his escape towards Switzerland, Benito Mussolini was taken prisoner and then shot by partisans in Giulino di Mezzegra, a small town on the north shores of Lake Como.
In 2010, a motion by members of the nationalist Swiss People's Party was submitted to the Swiss parliament requesting the admission of adjacent territories to the Swiss Confederation; Como is one of these.
The Rockefeller fountain that today stands in the Bronx Zoo in New York City was once in the main square by the lakeside. It was bought by William Rockefeller in 1902 for 3,500 lire.

Geography

Situated at the southern tip of the south-west arm of Lake Como, the city is located north of Milan; the city proper borders Switzerland and the communes of Blevio, Brunate, Capiago Intimiano, Casnate con Bernate, Cavallasca, Cernobbio, Grandate, Lipomo, Maslianico, Montano Lucino, San Fermo della Battaglia, Senna Comasco, Tavernerio, and Torno, and the Swiss towns of Chiasso and Vacallo. Nearby major cities are Varese, Lecco, and Lugano.

Administrative subdivisions

Como is divided into these frazione :
  1. Albate – Muggiò – Acquanera
  2. Lora
  3. Prestino – Camerlata – Breccia – Rebbio
  4. Camnago Volta
  5. City Center – West Como
  6. Borghi
  7. North Como – East Como
  8. Monte Olimpino – Ponte Chiasso – Sagnino – Tavernola
  9. Garzola – Civiglio

    Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification, Como has a humid subtropical climate ; winters are not long but present occasional periods of frost from the Siberian Anticyclone; spring and autumn are well marked and pleasant, while summer can be quite oppressive, hot, and humid. Wind is quite rare; only sudden bursts of foehn or thunderstorms manage to sweep the air clean.
Pollution levels rise significantly in winter when cold air clings to the soil. Rain is more frequent during spring; summer is subject to thunderstorms and occasionally hailstorms.

Main sights

Churches

Secular buildings and monuments

s of Villa Olmo

Government

Economy

The economy of Como, until the end of the 1980s, was traditionally based on industry; in particular, the city was world-famous for its silk manufacturers, but since the mid 1990s increasing competition from China has significantly reduced profit margins and many small and mid-sized firms have gone out of business. As a consequence manufacturing is no longer the economic driver, and the city has been absorbed into Milan's metropolitan area where it mainly provides workers to the service industry sector. A significant number of residents are employed in the nearby industrial areas of the Swiss towns of Lugano and Mendrisio, primarily in the industrial sector, health care services and in the hospitality industry; the commute is beneficial as wages in Switzerland are notably higher. For these reasons, tourism has become increasingly important for the local economy since the 1990s. The city and the lake have been chosen as the filming location for various recent popular feature films, and this, together with the increasing presence of celebrities such as Matt Bellamy who have bought lakeside properties,
has heightened the city's attractiveness and given a further boost to international tourism.

Demographics

The city of Como has seen its population count increase until it peaked at almost 100,000 inhabitants in the 1970s, when manufacturing, especially the silk industry, was in its boom years. As production began to decline, the population decreased by almost 20,000 people until the start of the 21st century, when the city saw its population grow again by more than six thousand, mainly because of immigration from Asia, Eastern Europe and North Africa. As of 31 December 2016, the population was 84,326 people of which 12,026 were resident aliens, that is, 14.1% of the total; the population distribution by origin was as follows:
Pos.Origin%
1Italy86%
2Europe5.7%
3Asia4.1%
4Africa2.4%
5America1.8%
6Oceania0.1%

The top 30 nationalities were:
Pos.CitizenshipResidents
11322
21040
31001
3831
5712
6555
7522
8457
9405
10401
11392
12310
13258
14257
15255
16206
17203
18192
19176
20172
21166
22117
23106
24105
2599
2692
2791
2886
2975
3073

Culture

Museums

In Como there are the following museums and exhibition centers:
is a popular dish in Como, and was traditionally eaten for meals in winter time. It is obtained by mixing and cooking corn flour and buckwheat. It is usually served with meat, game, cheese and sometimes fish; in fact, Polenta e Misultin is served in the restaurants in the Lake Como area.
, a very common and traditional dish of the region
A traditional dish is the Risotto con Filetti di Pesce Persico or simply Risotto al Pesce Persico'', a fish grown in Lake Como, prepared with white wine, onion, butter and wheat.

Transportation

Rail

The Servizio Ferroviario Regionale connects Como by train to other major cities in Lombardy. Services are provided by Trenord through two main stations: Como San Giovanni and Como Nord Lago. There are five more urban stations.
Como San Giovanni is also a stop on the main north–south line between Milan Centrale and Zürich HB and Basel SBB. Intercity and Eurostar trains stop at this station, which makes Como very accessible from the European express train network.
The Como to Brunate funicular connects the center of Como with Brunate, a small village on a mountain at above sea level.

Buses and taxis

The local public transport network comprises 11 urban lines and 'extra-urban' lines connecting Como with most of its province centers. They are provided by ASF Autolinee.
Ferrovie Nord Milano also provides other bus lines connecting Como to Varese in substitution of the original railway line that was dismissed in the 1960s.
A taxi service is provided by the Municipality of Como.

Ship transport

The boats and hydrofoils of Navigazione Lago di Como connect the town with most of the villages sitting on the shores of the lake.

Airports

Nearby airports providing scheduled flights are Milano–Malpensa, Milano Linate, Lugano Agno and Orio al Serio Airport near Bergamo. Milan–Malpensa Airport can be reached in about half an hour by car; about two hours by train to Stazione Centrale and then direct shuttle coach or about an hour and a half by train ; Milano Linate can be reached by car in about an hour, or by train to Stazione Centrale and then local tram.
Bergamo's Orio al Serio Airport can be reached in about an hour and a quarter by car; in two hours by train to Milano Central and then half-hourly shuttle coach. Lugano Agno can be reached by car in less than an hour or by train in an hour and a half but it only offers direct flights to Switzerland and Italy and generally higher-priced business class or private charter.
Trains from Como to Zurich Airport take three to four hours.
Como also has an "international" water aerodrome and seaplane base, which hosts its own aeroplane club with a fleet of sea planes, used for flight training and local tour flights. A hangar is available for aircraft maintenance and servicing.

Education and health

Como is home to numerous high schools, the Conservatory of music "G. Verdi", a language school, the University of Insubria and a branch campus of the Politecnico di Milano.
In Como there are three major hospitals: , and

Sports

Notable sports clubs are the ASDG Comense 1872 basketball team, two-time winner of the FIBA EuroLeague Women, and Calcio Como, a football team. There are also numerous recreational activities available for tourists such as pedal-boating, fishing, walking and seaplane rentals. Como also hosts a prestigious clay-court tennis tournament every year, the Città di Como Challenger, which attracts many of the world's top players who are not involved in the concurrent US Open. Many players have testified that they much prefer playing in the relaxed and friendly Como environs than the hustle and bustle of Flushing Meadows–Corona Park.

International relations

Como is twinned with: