Category Archives: crime

Shadow of the Mafia over Como

Posted on January 14, 2021 by comocompanion

Shadow of the Mafia over Como following the arrest of 34 operating a scam involving the deliberate bankruptcy of 40 cooperatives and the closure of Pane e Tulipani in Como’s old town. Continue reading →

Posted in crime, People, Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged Avenue Hotel, Bruno De Benedetto, cooperatives, Lido, lomazzo, mafia, ndrangheta, organised crime, Pane e Tulipani, usury, Viale Geno, Villa Olmo | Leave a comment

R.I.P. Noir in Festival at Como

Posted on December 15, 2020 by comocompanion

Covid has wounded ‘Noir in Festival’ this year but at least there are the online interviews and we hope the festival will be back in Como next year. Continue reading →

Posted in crime, Culture, Events, People | Tagged Bruno Morchio, crime, Cristina Cassar Scalia, Donato Carrisi, festival, Francesco Abate, Giancarlo de Cataldo, Lorenza Ghinelli, Maurizio de Giovanni, murder, Noir, Scerbanenco, Suburra, Tullio Avoledo | Leave a comment

Como’s Train Station, Witches and the Inquisition

Posted on August 3, 2020 by comocompanion

Como’s Train Station, Witches and the Inquisition. Few travellers arriving at Como’s San Giovanni Station know they are on top of the remains of a monastery where innocent victims faced torture and being burnt at the stake. Continue reading →

Posted in Art, crime, Culture, Folklore, History, Uncategorized | Tagged Art, churches, Folklore, Giubiana, Grissons, Inquisition, Odescalchi, religion, San Giovanni, Valtellina, witchcraft, witches | 1 Comment

Como’s Star-Crossed Lovers: 2 – ‘Gianna’ and ‘Neri’

Posted on June 16, 2020 by comocompanion

Como’s Star-Crossed Lovers: 2 – ‘Gianna’ and ‘Neri’ On 6th January 1945 two lovers were arrested by fascists. 3 months later, they were murdered by their own colleagues on the orders of Communist leaders in Milan. An awful tragedy. Continue reading →

Posted in crime, History, People, Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged Canali, casa del fascio, Dongo, Fabio, Gamburota, Gianna, Gold, Gorrieri, Lezzeno, lovers, Lugano, Neri, OSS, Paolo Porta, partisans, PCI, spies, Tucci | Leave a comment

Como’s Lake Montorfano: Commandos, Contraband and the CIA

Posted on April 27, 2020 by comocompanion

Como’s Lake Montorfano: Commandos, Contraband and the CIA. How a commando group trained on Lake Montorfano became the model after April 25th 1945 for post war covert anti-communist action across Western Europe. Continue reading →

Posted in crime, History, People, Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged Allen Dulles, Angleton, CIA, Decima MAS, Gladio, Liberation Day, Mario Rossi, Montorfano, nazifascism, OSS, P2, partisans, Piazza Fontana, Politics, Porlezza, Prince Julio Valerio Borghese, RSI, spallone, spies, Ugo Ricci, Vega | 9 Comments

Como Remembers the Holocaust

Posted on January 23, 2020 by comocompanion

Como Remembers the Holocaust. For this Memorial Day I wish to recall the exploits of Giorgio Perlasca, born in Como on January 31st 1910, who has been attributed with saving the lives of over 5000 Jews living in Hungary. Continue reading →

Posted in crime, Events, History, People, Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged anti-semitism, Don Banfi, fascism, holocaust, Italian Jews, Perlasca, Politics, Racial Laws, Shoah | Leave a comment

Noir in Festival – Como 2019

Posted on December 4, 2019 by comocompanion

Noir in Festival – Como 2019, This Friday, 6th December, sees the start of the Como-based section of ‘Noir in Festival’ – an annual feast of crime film and fiction. We consider the historical reasons why ‘noir’ is popular in Italy. Continue reading →