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Recent Posts
- Escaping the Holocaust- Via Switzerland? January 30, 2026
- Como’s Sepulchral Art – The City of the Dead January 15, 2026
- Federico Frigerio: The Face of Como October 14, 2025
- Como’s Twin-Tailed Mermaids June 23, 2025
- Beyond the City Walls: Via Milano May 21, 2025
Category Archives: History
From Liberation Day to May Day
April 25th was Liberation Day in Italy – a public holiday to honour the signing of the Armistice in Rome 72 years ago. This brought an end to the Nazifascist regime in Northern Italy. It is a day of commemoration … Continue reading
Posted in Events, History, People, Places of interest, Politics, Uncategorized
Tagged antifascists, Aramis, Como, fascists, garibaldini, Liberation Day, Metropole Suisse, Moltrasio, Mussolini, partisans, Pedro, Schiefer, war
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From Out of the Swamp, Novum Comum – Roman Como
Como is in origin a Roman city named Novum Comum and founded in 59 BCE by none other than Julius Caesar, the father of the Roman Empire. The Roman presence persisted from then on until the collapse of the western … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, Culture, History, People, Places of interest, Uncategorized
Tagged augustus, baths, caesar, Como, Culture, forum, History, market, mosaics, museo archeologico, novum comum, pliny, roman art, san fedele, valduce
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Como’s ‘Viaggi della Salvezza’ – In Memory of the Holocaust
Last 27th January was Holocaust Memorial Day in both UK and Italy – and even though Como Companion is behind schedule on this, I would like to mark the event by looking at the heroic activities of one particular group … Continue reading
Posted in Events, History, Itineraries, People, Places of interest, Uncategorized
Tagged Bisbino, Borders, bugone, cernobbio, corrias, customs, DELASEM, don marmori, gdf, guardia di finanza, holocaust, jews, medaglio d'oro, partisans, second world war, viaggi della salvezza, war
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Como’s Cultural Highlight of the Year – ‘Noir in Festival’
This time the hyperbole is all mine – the annual celebration of crime and mystery film and literature known as ‘Noir in Festival’ has moved from Courmayeur to Como and Milan. Courmayeur’s loss is definitely our gain since over the … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Events, History, Lake, People, Politics, Uncategorized
Tagged Camilleri, Carlotto, Como, crime, Culture, detective fiction, festivals, film, Montalbano, Noir, Sala Bianca, Teatro Sociale
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Como’s Internationally Renowned Urban Visionary
This month sees the 100th anniversary of the death on the Isonzo front during the First World War of Antonio Sant’Elia. And so what, you might say! Many small cities can claim one or other famous son or daughter and … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, Culture, Events, History, People, Places of interest, Uncategorized
Tagged Antonio Sant'Elia, Architecture, Art, Boletto, Brunate, Como, futurism, Lake Como, Marinetti, modernism, secessionists, Terragni
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Como and Contraband – A Romanticised Legacy?
The geological layout of Como tends to conceal the fact that it is definitely a border town. That is until political factors, such as the recent Swiss clamp-down on refugee entries, remind us of its physical location. And when those … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, History, Places of interest, Politics, Uncategorized
Tagged Bisbino, Borders, Cigarettes, Como, Gandria, Lake Como, Linea Cadorna, Lugano, Montorfano, Smuggling, spalloni
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The Three Nautical Graces
A trip on Lake Como in any of Como’s three nautical graces will excite the senses and imagination. The combination of setting, fine weather and illimitable style, – with these elements in perfect alignment – will imprint a lifetime memory … Continue reading
Posted in History, Lake, Places of interest, Transport
Tagged boat hire, Como, lagodicomo, Lake Como, laketourism, piroscafi, steamboats
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Como – Its Role in the Birth of a Nation
The Republic Day holiday comes up on June 2nd to celebrate the result of the referendum held on June 2nd 1946 to determine the constitutional form of the Italian state following the overthrow of fascism. I thought this ‘national’ celebration … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Events, History, People, Places of interest, Politics
Tagged 1848, Capiaghi, Cinque Giornate, Garibaldi, Mazzini, Risorgimento
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Tribute to Marco Pannella
Yesterday (19th May 2016) an extraordinary politician died of cancer in a Rome hospital. He was Marco Pannella. Italian politics does not and will not feature heavily on this site but Pannella was special, even inspirational – and he was … Continue reading
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