Category Archives: People

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

Holidaying on Lake Como: In the Footsteps of Mary Shelley

Posted on April 9, 2020 by comocompanion

Holidaying on Lake Como: In the Footsteps of Mary Shelley, author of ‘Frankenstein’ who in June 1840 set out with friends and her son to spend the summer on the lake. We trace her route. Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Culture, Gardens, History, Itineraries, Lake, People, Places of interest, Uncategorized | Tagged Bellagio, Cadenabbia, Canova, Diligence, giuditta pasta, Rhine, travel, Villa Melzi, Villa Pliniana, Villa Serbelloni, Voiturier | 2 Comments

Como’s Famous Daughters: Teresa Ciceri, Agrarian Scientist

Posted on February 19, 2020 by comocompanion

Como’s Famous Daughters: Teresa Ciceri. In anticipation of International Women’s Day – this esteemed colleague of Alessandro Volta was an agrarian scientist whose innovations improved many lives. She deserves greater recognition. Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Food, History, People, Uncategorized | Tagged agrarian science, Alessandro Volta, asbestos, Camnago, Candida Parenti, Canon Gattoni, Cosia, Istituto Nazionale, lupins, methane, Patriottica, Porta Nuova, potatoes, Teresa Ciceri, Valtellina | Leave a comment

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

Poets’ Way: Como to Brunate

Posted on December 18, 2019 by comocompanion

Within minutes on foot you can leave the centre of Como and be walking up through tranquil woods to Brunate – on a path that has now been renamed Sentiero Alda Merini in honour of her poetry Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, History, Itineraries, Lake, People, Uncategorized, Walks | Tagged Alda Merini, Brunate, Mary Shelley, nature, poetry, romanticism, sentiero, Ugo Foscolo, wildlife, Wordsworth | 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 →

Posted in crime, Culture, Events, History, People, Politics | Tagged anni di piombo, crime, depistaggio, festivals, Giancarlo de Cataldo, judges, magistrates, Massimo Carlotto, Noir, P2, stragismo | Leave a comment

Como and Cernobbio Say Goodbye to Nonna Pupa

Posted on November 27, 2019 by comocompanion

Cernobbio’s Giardino della Valle (Valley Garden) is a singularly beautiful oasis of calm, straddling a mountain stream as it descends to the lake. It exists thanks entirely to the vision and tenacity of Nonna Pupa who died aged 95 on Wednesday November 20th. Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Culture, Gardens, People, Places of interest, Uncategorized | Tagged Antica Strada Regina, bureaucracy, cernobbio, Culture, ecology, environment, gardening, Il Giardino della Valle, Music, nature, Nonna Pupa, public spirit, volunteering | 1 Comment

Lake Como’s Moltrasio Trunk Murder

Posted on November 7, 2019 by comocompanion

Lake Como’s Moltrasio Trunk Murder – a vintage crime of passion during a honeymoon that turned sour. Continue reading →

Posted in crime, History, People, Uncategorized | Tagged crime, History, Ispolatov, Mary Scott Castle, Metropole Suisse, Moltrasio, murder, Porter Charlton, Steamships, Transatlantic, Trunk Murder | 1 Comment

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 →