Category Archives: People

Cantù – The Good, (The Bad) and The Beautiful

Posted on November 15, 2017 by comocompanion

Cantù is famous for its master craftsmen and its long tradition of artisan furnishings and cabinet making. It is the spiritual home of the Brianza-based furniture industry yet, at only 10 kilometres from Como, remains off the main tourist map. … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Culture, History, Itineraries, People, Places of interest, Uncategorized | Tagged Architecture, Ariberto, Art, artisans, baptistry, Brianza, cabinet makers, Cantu, Carlo de Carli, churches, Como, crafts, Culture, Frescoes, furniture making, Galliano, Gio Ponti, industry, Madonna Della Latte, marquetry, Medieval, Rinascente, Romanasque, San Giovanni, San Vincenzo | Leave a comment

Cortesella – The Mythical Heart of Old Como

Posted on September 15, 2017 by comocompanion

As Les Halles was to Paris or Seven Dials to London, so was the Cortesella to Como – the lost heart of the old town. The Cortesella (named after Via Cortesella) was a warren of narrow streets and alleyways to … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Culture, History, People, Places of interest, Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged Architecture, Banca d'Italia, Como, Cortesella, Frigerio, les halles, nostalgia, Parisi, Piazza Duomo, redevelopment, Terragni | Leave a comment

Myth and Reality: Lake Monsters and Political Scandal

Posted on August 13, 2017 by comocompanion

A piece of real ‘fake news’ turned up the other day in the local newspapers – a sighting of a prehistoric monster in the grounds of the long defunct textile factory, Ticosa, on the edge of Como’s historical centre. Regular … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, History, Lake, People, Places of interest, Uncategorized | Tagged Lake Como, lake monsters, lariosauro, lariosaurus, Lierna, Mr. Savethewall, myth, Ticosa, Varenna | Leave a comment

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

Mr. Savethewall – Como’s Spray-Can Artistic Campaigner

Posted on July 24, 2017 by comocompanion

If walking the streets of Como for any time, you will become aware of a local artist known as Mr. Savethewall. His two shopfronts, the immediate appeal of some of his iconic images such as Mr. Frogman and his intriguing … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Culture, Lake, People, Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged Art, campaigns, Como, Culture, lakefront, paratie, Pinocchio, pop art, rivogliamo nostro lago, savethewall, Street art, Streetscape, Ticosa | 2 Comments

Flying High Over Como

Posted on July 5, 2017 by comocompanion

Lake Como is rightly renowned for its beauty but it is also well known internationally (albeit within a specialised community) for a service operating on the lake itself. For it hosts the only seaplane pilot training school in Europe at … Continue reading →

Posted in Lake, People, Sport, Transport, Uncategorized | Tagged aero club, Como, Dublin, idrovolante, lakecomo, Molina, pilot training, ppl, seaplanes | 1 Comment

Canottieri Lario – Making a Media Storm

Posted on June 24, 2017 by comocompanion

If rowing was as popular as football then Como would be at the top of Seria A! Positioned third in national rankings last year, Como’s Canottieri Lario is on a roll making its own media storm. But let’s step back … Continue reading →

Posted in Events, Lake, People, Sport, Uncategorized | Tagged canottieri lario, Lake Como, rowing, sinigaglia, Sport | 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

Uncover Your Karma in Como

Posted on March 22, 2017 by comocompanion

Ayurveda, Yoga, meditation, mindfulness and more – welcome to the world of wellness for English-speakers here in Como. As from 1st April there will be a series of monthly pop-up wellness weekends – with totally flexible levels of participation – … Continue reading →