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.

Como’s Olympic Rowers: Past and Present

Posted on July 17, 2024 by comocompanion

On the 27th July three athletes from Como’s rowing club, Canottieri Lario, and a further three from the neighbouring Canottieri Moltrasio will be leaving for Paris to compete in the 2024 Olympics. The three Comaschi are Aisha Rocek, Giorgia Pelacchi and Jacopo Frigerio. The Moltrasini are Elisa Mondelli, Matteo Della Valle and Davide Comini. They will be accompanied by Stefano Fraquelli, Canottieri Lario’s Technical Director who is the National Italian Rowing Team’s Female Coach Continue reading →

Posted in Events, Places of interest, rowing, Sport, Uncategorized | Tagged Athletes, Athletics, canottieri lario, canottieri moltrasio, Como, Gruppo Sportivo, news, Olympics, Paris, rowing, sinigaglia, sports, summer-olympics | Leave a comment

Como’s Nostalgia For…..Wash Houses

Posted on June 23, 2024 by comocompanion

The wash house (Lavatoio in Italian) is a common architectural feature across Italy and no less so in the mountain communities around Lake Como. Technological and social changes have rendered them almost entirely redundant yet many still remain and a significant number have even been renovated and restored. Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Culture, Folklore, History, Lake, Places of interest, Uncategorized | Tagged cleaning, Como, Food, Lake Como, laundry, lavandaia, lavatoio, nature, nostalgia, travel, wash house | 1 Comment

Como 1907: The Mouse and the Lake

Posted on June 1, 2024 by comocompanion

In May this year ‘Como 1907’ was promoted into the top league of Italian football – Serie A. This change is due to ‘the most interesting football project in Europe’ – a project inspired by Disney and starring the lake. What is that project and how did it come about? Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Lake, Sport, Uncategorized | Tagged Como, Como 1907, Dennis Wise, Essien, Fabregas, football, Lake Como, merchandise, premier-league, Serie A, soccer, Sport, sports | Leave a comment

An American in Venice (via Como)

Posted on May 7, 2024 by comocompanion

On April 18th Sonja Christoph and husband Alessandro left Como to travel by train to Venice for the day. This was just one of the many, and one of the shortest of journeys undertaken by Sonja in her moves from her native Florida USA to Como via Heidelberg, Munich and London. But perhaps, for all that, this was one of the more personally significant journeys taken until now – she was delivering her artwork entitled ‘Frames of Reference’ for display in the Venetian Biennale. Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Culture, Events, People, Uncategorized | Tagged Art, Biennale, Cameroon, Como, Culture, illustration, migrants, storytelling, Venice | Leave a comment

Swimming in Lake Como 2024

Posted on April 28, 2024 by comocompanion

Many ask if it is safe to swim in Lake Como. Every year we publish the official data collected over the previous season and this year (2024) we can confidently state that the lake’s beaches are cleaner than ever. Continue reading →

Posted in Lake, Places of interest, Uncategorized | Tagged bacteria, beaches, Como, e-coli, italy, Lake Como, lidos, pollution, swimmability, travel, wild swimming | Leave a comment

Como Tourism Post Covid

Posted on April 1, 2024 by comocompanion

Lake Como’s natural charms are secure but does Como tourism possess the necessary infrastructure, professionalism and will to meet the challenges of success, to safeguard and publicise the qualities of the ‘brand’ and to satisfy the evolving demand for ‘experiential’ tourism? Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Food, Itineraries, Lake, Sustainability, Transport | Tagged Como, Hotels, italy, Lake Como, seasons, tourism, travel, Walks | 3 Comments

Como and Henry’s ‘Turbulent Priest’

Posted on February 28, 2024 by comocompanion

Thomas a Becket was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by King Henry II of England in 1162 and then executed on his orders in 1170. His martyrdom and beatification gave birth to a cult celebrated across Europe including here in Como. Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Culture, History, People, Places of interest, Uncategorized | Tagged Basilica, england, Henry II, History, Monreale, Palermo, relics, reliquary, San Giorgio, Sicily, Thomas Becket, travel | Leave a comment

Como to Auschwitz on Convoy 8

Posted on January 31, 2024 by comocompanion

Convoy 8 to Auschwitz. The story of a diverse group all arrested in Como over December 1943 but from different backgrounds forced on the same journey and to share the same fate due to their shared ethnicity. The enormity of where racism can lead us must surely never be forgotten. Continue reading →

Posted in crime, History, Uncategorized | Tagged Auschwitz, Brunate, Convoy, Fossoli, History, holocaust, jews, Memorial Day, Olgiate, Questura, RSI, Shoah, SS, world-war-ii | 6 Comments

Lake Como in Fiction

Posted on January 21, 2024 by comocompanion

Some suggested holiday reading with Lake Como used as the backdrop for holiday romance, crime and historical drama – how is our lake depicted? Continue reading →

Posted in crime, Culture, History, Lake, Uncategorized | Tagged book-review, book-reviews, books, Como, fiction, holiday reading, Lake Como, landscape, novels, writing | 7 Comments

Wartime Occupation of Cernobbio

Posted on December 1, 2023 by comocompanion

This article reports the results of recent research undertaken at Cernobbio’s Archivio Storico into the extent of the Nazi occupation of Cernobbio from September 1943 until the end of the war in April 1945. Continue reading →