Category Archives: Places of interest

Federico Frigerio: The Face of Como

Posted on October 14, 2025 by comocompanion

There is one architect in particular we should credit for influencing the way Como looks today. He is Federico Frigerio (1873-1959). He worked incessantly from 1897 until 1945 producing or renovating many of the most significant buildings in the city’s historical centre. Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Culture, History, Itineraries, People, Places of interest, Uncategorized | Tagged europe, italy, travel | 2 Comments

Como’s Twin-Tailed Mermaids

Posted on June 23, 2025 by comocompanion

The Melusina – a twin-tailed mermaid – can be seen in a variety of locations around Como. We explore the myth of the Melusina and why her symbol adorns both religious and secular buildings in the city. Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Culture, Folklore, History, Places of interest, Uncategorized | Tagged carving, crests, Duomo, fiction, France, History, keystones, legends, Melusina, mermaids, Moltrasio, mythology, myths, Porta della Rana, Renaissance, Richard I, Rodari, travel | 1 Comment

Beyond the City Walls: Via Milano

Posted on May 21, 2025 by comocompanion

Lily pond or trout stream? The historic centre or Via Milano? Why the centre of Como needs to be reinvigorated by its vivacious urban trributary – and why a visit beyond the city walls can be so rewarding. Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Culture, Food, History, Itineraries, Places of interest, Restaurants, Shopping, Uncategorized | Tagged 5 giornate, anello del miracolo, aperitivo, art supplies, cappelleria, Como, courtyards, enoteca, italy, Jollof, lifestyle, menu del giorno, ramen, ringhiera, san bartolomeo, Schuster, travel, Via Milano, zio ghelfi | Leave a comment

Garibaldi, the Battle of San Fermo and his Como Bride

Posted on April 23, 2025 by comocompanion

Garibaldi’s second marriage, ten years after the death of his beloved Anita, lasted just one day – and provoked a scandal that divided Como’s aristocratic families. This is the story of the fate of Giuseppina Raimondi. Continue reading →

Posted in Events, History, People, Places of interest, Uncategorized | Tagged Birago, Cacciatori delle Alpi, Caroli, Garibaldi, Giuseppina, Raimondi, Risorgimento, romance, Rovelli, san fermo, villas | Leave a comment

Moltrasio’s stone and its ‘Ecomuseo’

Posted on February 15, 2025 by comocompanion

Moltrasio stone was the dominant building material used in and around Como from Roman days until the turn of the twentieth century. It is found at the heart of most buildings even if some may have then be adorned with a veneer of render or a dressing of Musso and Varenna marble. Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Culture, History, Lake, Places of interest, Sustainability, Walks | Tagged Careno, country crafts, dry stone walls, ecomuseo, marble, Moltrasio, proloco, Quarries, stone, Sustainability, tourism | 1 Comment

Como’s Hidden Gems – Palazzo Rusca, Palazzo Olginati Rovelli and Palazzo Vietti Rovelli

Posted on November 20, 2024 by comocompanion

Como has many hidden artistic gems. Here we uncover what is to be found in the Palazzo Rusca, Palazzzo Viettti Rovelli and Palazzo Olginati Rovelli. Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Culture, History, People, Places of interest, Uncategorized | Tagged Art, baroque, Como, Culture, drawing, Frescoes, Garibaldi, Lake Como, Odescalchi, Olginati, painting, Pietro Bianchi, Plague, poetry, rococo, Rovelli, Rusca, writing | 2 Comments

Lake Pusiano, Cypresses and Wallabies

Posted on October 22, 2024 by comocompanion

A gulp of cormorants, a creep of tortoises and a troupe pf wallabies – the varying fortunes of the magical Isola dei Cipressi on Lake Pusiano. Continue reading →

Posted in Gardens, History, Lake, Places of interest, rowing, wildlife | Tagged Brianza, Como, cormorants, Eugene Beauharnais, fish, italy, Lake Pusiano, nature, Palazzo Carpani, Resegone, tortoises, travel, wallabies | Leave a comment

Como’s Olympic Rowers: Past and Present

Posted on July 17, 2024 by comocompanion

On the 27th July three athletes from Como’s rowing club, Canottieri Lario, and a further three from the neighbouring Canottieri Moltrasio will be leaving for Paris to compete in the 2024 Olympics. The three Comaschi are Aisha Rocek, Giorgia Pelacchi and Jacopo Frigerio. The Moltrasini are Elisa Mondelli, Matteo Della Valle and Davide Comini. They will be accompanied by Stefano Fraquelli, Canottieri Lario’s Technical Director who is the National Italian Rowing Team’s Female Coach Continue reading →

Posted in Events, Places of interest, rowing, Sport, Uncategorized | Tagged Athletes, Athletics, canottieri lario, canottieri moltrasio, Como, Gruppo Sportivo, news, Olympics, Paris, rowing, sinigaglia, sports, summer-olympics | Leave a comment

Como’s Nostalgia For…..Wash Houses

Posted on June 23, 2024 by comocompanion

The wash house (Lavatoio in Italian) is a common architectural feature across Italy and no less so in the mountain communities around Lake Como. Technological and social changes have rendered them almost entirely redundant yet many still remain and a significant number have even been renovated and restored. Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Culture, Folklore, History, Lake, Places of interest, Uncategorized | Tagged cleaning, Como, Food, Lake Como, laundry, lavandaia, lavatoio, nature, nostalgia, travel, wash house | 1 Comment

Swimming in Lake Como 2024

Posted on April 28, 2024 by comocompanion

Many ask if it is safe to swim in Lake Como. Every year we publish the official data collected over the previous season and this year (2024) we can confidently state that the lake’s beaches are cleaner than ever. Continue reading →