Author Archives: comocompanion

About comocompanion

I am an Englishman in Como, Northern Italy - definitely both a Euro and Italophile with an interest in modern history, walks in the hills and mountains, and food and wine. I favour 'slow' tourism alongside of 'slow' food.

Fairy Tales, Wanderlust and Landing in Como

Posted on October 21, 2019 by comocompanion

Fairy Tales, Wanderlust and Landing in Como. An intro to the creative world of Sonja Christoph. Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Culture, People, Uncategorized | Tagged Art, Christoph, expats, fairy doors, fairy tales, illustration, Kevin Fehling, MS Europa, sonja, The Globe, The Table, wanderlust | 1 Comment

Campo Urbano – Public Art in Como 1969

Posted on October 14, 2019 by comocompanion

Campo Urbano – Public Art in Como 1969. How the generation of Como artists following on from the Astrattisti Comaschi continued to place Como in the vanguard of artistic developments. Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Culture, Events, History, People, Uncategorized | Tagged abstractism, agitprop, Art, Campo Urbano, Casa Bini, Cinque Giornate, Francesco Somaini, Giuliano Collina, Ico Parisi, MAC, mario radice, Movimento Arte Concreta, public art, sculpture, Street art, Ugo La Pietra | Leave a comment

Como’s Secret Gardens

Posted on August 23, 2019 by comocompanion

Como’s Secret Gardens. On 21st and 22nd September, those in Como can, for the price of €8, visit a whole series of secret gardens and courtyards within the old city walls. Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Culture, Events, Gardens, Itineraries, Places of interest, Uncategorized | Tagged Alessandro Volta, Carlo Carloni, Collegio Gallio, Conservatorio, ester negretti, Frescoes, Gardens, iubilantes, mantero, Palazzo Lambertenghi, Recchi, Via Volta | Leave a comment

Argegno to Argegno: Up and Down the Telo Valley

Posted on August 15, 2019 by comocompanion

Argegno to Argegno: Up and Down the Telo Valley – an excursion up the Telo Valley offers opportunities to appreciate both art and nature while passing through the medieval centres of a variety of mountain villages. Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Folklore, Food, Itineraries, Uncategorized, Walks | Tagged Argegno, Art, baroque, Cerano, circular walks, Dizzasco, Intelvi, mills, Muronico, nature, San Zeno, Schignano, Telo, Walks | Leave a comment

Stucco and Scagliola – Two of Como’s Baroque Specialities

Posted on August 9, 2019 by comocompanion

Back at the start of the 17th Century, a new technique was developed in Northern Italy to create fake marble marquetry. This was called scagliola. It was a complimentary extension of the skills of the stucco masters – and the artists and craftsmen from the Province of Como’s Val D’Intelvi excelled in its execution, working on palaces and churches across Italy and Mid or eastern Catholic Europe. Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Culture, History, People, Uncategorized | Tagged Art, baroque, Carloni, Castiglione, churches, counterreformation, Intelvi Valley, Lanzo, paliotto, rococo, S.Sisinnio, Santa Anna, scagliola, Scaria, stucco, val d'intelvi | 1 Comment

Tourism on Lake Como – Then and Now

Posted on July 16, 2019 by comocompanion

Tourism on Lake Como – Then and Now. A look at current levels of tourism and its growth on Lake Como from Pliny, Stendhal to the Clooneys. Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Culture, History, Lake, People, Uncategorized | Tagged aristocrats, Art, environment, Giovio, Grand Tour, History, ISTAT, lombardy, Mary Shelley, nature, pliny, Shelley, sublime, tourism, tourists, Ugo Foscolo, villas, Volta | 7 Comments

Como’s Pope and other Odescalchi

Posted on July 6, 2019 by comocompanion

Como’s Pope and other Odescalchi. Florence has the Medici, Mantua the Gonzagas, Milan has the Visconti who merged through marriage with the Sforzas. Como for its part has the Odescalchi, Raimondi, Lambertenghi etc etc. Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Culture, History, People, Places of interest, Uncategorized | Tagged Alzate Brianza, aristocrats, Castello, Como, heraldry, History, Innocent XI, Innocenzo XI, nobility, Odescalchi, Pope, property auction, religion, Rome, stemme | Leave a comment

Como’s Four Seasons – 4: Summer, Open House

Posted on June 28, 2019 by comocompanion

Como’s Four Seasons – 4: Summer, Open House – when Como becomes Mediterranean and musical events abound. Continue reading →

Posted in Events, Gardens, Lake, Uncategorized | Tagged Brunate, church, Como, concerts, Duomo, ferragosto, Food, Funicular, isola comacina, nature, Navigazione, villa d'este | Leave a comment

Palanzo on Show: A Pilgrimage to Serenity

Posted on June 13, 2019 by comocompanion

Palanzo in Mostra (Palanzo on Show) includes events and exhibitions from now to 29th
June which celebrate the town’s unique virtues. Palanzo and its neighbouring towns in Faggeto Lario are all undoubtedly very special. Continue reading →