Category Archives: History

Como Silk – Memoirs of a Textile Designer

Posted on July 28, 2017 by comocompanion

Como has been a tourist destination from the days of the Grand Tour but it maintains equal significance as a centre for silk production. Current visitors to Como might think that the silk industry is a thing of the past … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Culture, History, People, Places of interest, Uncategorized | Tagged abegg, archeology, bernasconi, cernobbio, Como, digitalisation, industry, inkjet, mantero, pinto, ratti, screen printing, silk, silk museum, villa erba | Leave a comment

Elegance at Villa D’Este

Posted on May 26, 2017 by comocompanion

Today is the start of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. This is an annual gathering of vintage cars and motorbikes along with their owners and admirers. In most previous years this event has mainly taken place within the grounds of … Continue reading →

Posted in Events, Gardens, History, Lake, Places of interest, Uncategorized | Tagged auctions, bugatti, cars, concorso d'eleganza, luxury, villa d'este, villa erba, vintage cars | 1 Comment

From Liberation Day to May Day

Posted on April 26, 2017 by comocompanion

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 | 1 Comment

Don’t Mention the Mafia!

Posted on April 5, 2017 by comocompanion

The title ‘Don’t mention the Mafia!’ takes inspiration from the episode in Fawlty Towers when Basil admonishes his staff to not mention the war to his German guests. For those not brought up on UK comedy from the 1970’s, my … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Events, Food, History, People, Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged boccassini, cermenate, crime, fino mornasco, infinito, insubria, intimidation, lecco, lomazzo, mafia, mani pulite, metastasi, ndrangheta, spalle coperte | 2 Comments

From Out of the Swamp, Novum Comum – Roman Como

Posted on February 28, 2017 by comocompanion

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 | Leave a comment

Como’s ‘Viaggi della Salvezza’ – In Memory of the Holocaust

Posted on February 16, 2017 by comocompanion

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 | 2 Comments

Como’s Cultural Highlight of the Year – ‘Noir in Festival’

Posted on December 8, 2016 by comocompanion

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 | Leave a comment

Como’s Internationally Renowned Urban Visionary

Posted on October 19, 2016 by comocompanion

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 | 1 Comment

Como and Contraband – A Romanticised Legacy?

Posted on August 30, 2016 by comocompanion

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 | 3 Comments

The Three Nautical Graces

Posted on June 6, 2016 by comocompanion

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 →