Lago di Como
Of all the Italian lakes, the forked Lago di Como receives the most words of praise. Wordsworth considered them "a treasure"., who keeps the earth to himself", although it is difficult to predict, how would the lake describe today. Como is still surrounded by lush vegetation, but its sapphire waters are heavily contaminated, and the coasts crowded with young Italian windsurfing enthusiasts and older holidaymakers from different European countries, mainly from the UK. Larger resorts resemble small English towns. There are Anglican churches here, villas with belle epoque and hotels surrounded by lush gardens, in which many heroines of the nineteenth-century novel would easily find a place for herself (best sketching something under an umbrella). Typical English, though less romantic, there are also hotel breakfasts, on which toasts with marmalade are most often served.
City Como
COMO combines traditional elegance with the contemporary Americanized culture of windsusfing enthusiasts. Its location at the end of a narrow lake is very picturesque, but being the closest to Milan and in addition on the popular road to Switzerland, is crowded and industrialized in the suburbs. The main industry here is silk making, as Como is the primary silk supplier for Milan fashion designers. Avoiding the city and going to one of the many more attractive summer resorts, so you won't lose too much.
City
From a historical point of view, however, Como is interesting and worth spending a few hours in it and visiting two beautiful churches, before you sail on.
In the coastal Piazza Cavour, where you can find the APT office, most tourists are concentrated, who sit in the gardens of exclusive cafes, they look at the water, they watch the ships arriving at the pier and again and again look at the small white temple located in the coastal park on the left side of the square.. It is dedicated to the memory of the most outstanding son of the city, pioneer of electricity, Alessandro Volta, whose name is immortalized in the name of the voltage unit. Those interested should look inside, where some instruments are exhibited, with which he carried out his experiments.
Then you can go Via Plinio to decorated with white, pink and gray Broletto stripes, with a fifteenth-century balcony intended for urban orators.
The neighboring magnificent Duomo was started at the end of the fourteenth century and is considered the best example of the combination of Gothic with Renaissance in Italy. Fairytale turrets and rosettes contrast with the calm Renaissance doors, on both sides of which there are statues of two "honorary” Saints, Pliny the Elder and the Younger, who came from Como. There is nothing unusual about the Christianization of ancient figures during the Renaissance., but the presence of Pliny the Younger seems a bit out of place, because his only connection with Christianity was his order to murder two female deacons of the church..
The second of the churches, Romanesque Sant'Abbondio (to the left via Regina from the main train station), clearly does not fit into the gloomy, industrial district, that surrounds him. It was erected in the XI century, later it was decorated many times, finally in the nineteenth century deprived of later decorations and restored to its original, simple form. Being inside you can forget about the ugly surroundings: emanating calm nave lead to decorated with colorful, Fourteenth-century frescoes of the apse. Among the frescoes, one stands out, which depicts the Three Wise Men dreaming of Christ under blankets with stripes and other patterns.
In your free time you can go ashore, to the right of Piazza Cavour, and take the cable car (runs approximately every half hour.) to the small holiday resort BRUNATE lying on a hill, from where there are beautiful views of the lake and numerous walking routes begin.
Practical details
Como's performance means, that it is difficult to find cheap accommodation. However, there is a youth hostel here, Via Bellinzona 2 (17.00-23.00; •031/558722). By bus # 1, #2 or #6 from the center or on foot, walking Via Borgo Vico to the left of the main train station (20 Min.). This pleasant and relatively comfortable hostel is often full in the summer, and from half. XI to half. III is officially closed, although stubbornly beating up have a chance to be let in. In the hostel you can also buy tickets for the pool and rent bicycles for 5000L per day. A cheap alternative, but only for women, and such, who don't mind the silence of the night at 22.00 (in summer and in sat. about 23.00), is Ostello per la Protezione della Giovane, Via Borgo Vico 182 (open from 17.30: •031/558449). Accommodation in double rooms costs 7000L per person.
Among the city hotels, Salts, Via Borgo Vico 91 (*031/559854), has clean double rooms, whose windows overlook the tiny, old courtyard (29 OOOL), Agnello, Via Crespi 6 (behind Como Lago station, going towards the cable car; 031/263336), does it have double rooms for 30 OOOL, and Sant'Antonio (right next to), Via Coloniola 10 (•031 /262042) is a bit more chic, and demands 28 OOOL per double room. The atmosphere of finde-siecle can be soaked up in the lake located right on the lake, east of Piazza Cavour, elegant Hotel Terminus, Lungo Lario Trieste 14 (•031/267042). Double rooms currently cost 32000-49000L, but it is planned to renovate the hotel and consequently increase prices.
Wanting to meet the descendants of the former clientele of the Terminus Hotel, you have to go to the most sophisticated cafe-pasticceria in Como, Bellis, on Via Vittorio Emanuele, for ice cream it is best to go to Bollas on Via Floor Boldoni. There are also a lot of good and inexpensive trattorias and pizzerias in Como, as well as take-away sales. The best of them are II Golosone on Via Bernardo Luini and Gerais on Via Bianchi Giovini, while Grotta Azzuma, Borgo Vico 161, it's a really good pizzeria. Those who like hamburgers and milkshakes should choose Burgy's on Via Plinio.