The Como Companion

Baradello Castle Welcomes Swallows and other Summer Visitors

Posted on April 18, 2016 by comocompanion

S castello baradello tanding sentinel over the city and as testament to Como’s eventful past, the Baradello Castle reopens its doors for the summer with one-off openings on Monday 25th April and Sunday May 1st. Thereafter it is open every Sunday from June to the end of September.

As everyone entering Como from the direction of Milan can appreciate, the castle occupies a strategic position perched on the so-called Baradello hill with a 360 degree view taking in the Po Valley and the foothills of the Alps.

Baradello Castle overlooking Lake Como

The site seems to have been occupied from the Bronze Age with the first fortification dating to the 10th century but nothing is too certain until we get to Frederick Barbarossa, the Holy Roman Emperor who built the castle in 1158 having just pacified Milan. The original construction consisted of the square tower that still remains, a residential palace, a chapel and two large water cisterns built to withstand siege.

Porta Torre

The tower and the additional fortifications constructed by Frederick Barbarossa including the Porta Torre and City Walls helped establish the validity of Como as a city independent of Milan and able to define and enforce its own ordinances. Barbarossa gifted the tower to the city in 1178 and it helped maintain Como’s independence of Milan and the Lombard League up to the 1330s.

A document from 1216 gives some insight on the custodians of the castle. There was a regular guard of 12 citizens elected to serve for a 6 month period with 2 of them designated as captains. They each had to provide their own armour and were obliged to sleep there at night although only 8 were required to stay over during the day. They had a monthly salary of 30 ‘soldi’ a month. My guess is that, outside of moments of conflict, this was an honorary role.

palio del baradello

The Baradello Castle also gives it name to the annual Palio del Baradello which is an enactment of the games and triumphal march organised in the summer of 1159 by the citizens of Como as a mark of gratitude to Barbarossa for securing their independence from Milan.

“The city of Como gives him a hearty welcome with great feasts and revel: big banquets, illuminations, contests and equestrian tournaments are organized in his honor”.

See calendar entry for August to see more information on the Palio although details of the event are not yet ready.

Getting back to the Castle, it is open from 10.00 – 18.00 (last entry 17.30) on April 25th, May 1st, and all subsequent public holidays and Sundays from June to September. The entrance fee is €5, €4 for those over 65 whilst children of 13 years and under are free. The interior has been renovated since last year and the exhibition updated with a range of objects found during recent archaeological digs. The exhibition has been organised in conjunction with Como’s Museum of Archaeology. The castle itself is managed by the Parco Regionale Spina Verde who are responsible for marking out the walks. Follow footpath No. 10 from Piazza Camerlata to get to the castle.

Posted in Architecture, Events, People, Places of interest | Tagged Baradello, Barbarossa, Como, Lake Como, Lombards | Leave a comment

Villa Olmo Restoration – Sala del Duca opens to the public

Posted on April 14, 2016 by comocompanion

Villa Olmo is the jewel on Como’s lakefront – the most prominent and arguably the most attractive of the villas that line out along the so-called ‘Chilometro della Conoscenza’ from the Villa Saporiti to Villa Sucota – and it is being restored. villa olmo big This Saturday (16th April) marks a milestone in the project as the council (owners of Villa Olmo) open up the Sala del Duca on the first floor of the villa to visitors for the first time.

sala del duco med

Each tour is limited to 25 persons, takes about 30 minutes and start from 10.00 on Saturday morning with last entry at 12.00. There should be another opportunity to visit the Sala on Saturday 23rd April but further details are not yet available. Although the room may well be opened on future occasions to the public, it will primarily be available for private or corporate hire.

The Sala sala del duca 2 med del Duca is named after the last private owner of the villa, Duke Visconti di Modrone, who used it as his bedroom. The renovated decoration was executed in the neo-baroque style towards the end of the nineteenth century with a large fresco depicting Fortune by Ernesto Fontana.

The restoration of the Sala, partially financed by a contribution from Bulgari, is just one aspect of a project that will be completed by June next year. Included in the project is restoration to parts of the exterior of the villa, to the statues in the park and the monumental fountain, to the botanical gardens and to the massive greenhouses which represent the finest examples of their kind in Lombardy. Also the nearby Villa Saporiti (owned by the Province and occasionally open to the public) will profit from a face-lift to the ground-floor rooms and to its gardens.

Posted in Architecture, Events, Places of interest | Leave a comment

‘Rationalism’ – Open Days from 15 to 17 April

Posted on April 12, 2016 by comocompanion

rationalism open day Rationalism – the Italian flavour of Modernist architecture – is particularly well represented in and around Como. Take for example, the Casa del Fascio in Piazza del Popolo – an internationally renowned masterpiece by Giuseppe Terragni (1904-1943), who lived and worked in Como.

Casa del Fascio by Giuseppe Terragni, 1936

He and other colleagues have left a rich and varied heritage which the city and provincial authorities and various local architectural associations wish to celebrate for the second year running with a ‘Razionalismo Open Day’ over the next weekend (15th – 17th April).

Interior of the Casa del Fascio

This initiative includes free guided tours of the principal buildings in Como, Erba, Isola Comacina and Cernobbio. Giovanni Vanosi, the Cultural Councillor for the Province described the initiative as ‘… cultural appreciation for the architectural heritage of our area.’ Luigi Caradini for Como Council observed that the Open Day ‘is an additional stimulus to a cultural tourism to accompany the already well-established appreciation of our landscape.’

Grace and simplicity – the Diving Board at the Como Rowing Club building, Via Puecher, Como designed by Gianni Mantero, 1931.

Open this link to get details of the various events scheduled for the weekend. Unfortunately the guide is not available in Italian but please leave a comment below if you want more information.

Monumento ai Caduti, Via Puecher Como, Giuseppe Terragni 1933

In addition to the open days, there is an excellent app guide for Android and IOS with maps and audio commentary outlining information on most of the best-known buildings. with an option for English. Why not also check this link if you actually want to buy a rationalist-style villa.

Posted in Architecture, Events, Places of interest | Leave a comment

Villa del Grumello start of season

Posted on April 7, 2016 by comocompanion

Reopening of the Villa del Grumello and Villa Sucota Gardens.

Villa del Grumello These two villas on the road from Como to Cernobbio, owned by the Ratti Foundation, have glorious gardens with great views out to the lake and will be open again to the public from Sunday 10th April.

Lake Como does seem to go into hibernation over winter which can be a little disappointing for those visiting in February or early March but then suddenly, with the arrival of Spring, there is a glorious reawakening palpable in the many parks and gardens that surround the lake. Note in particular Villa Carlotta at Tremezzo and Villa Melzi at Bellagio, to mention two of the better known gardens.

For those of you who have never seen the parks of these two villas, be assured that a visit is well worthwhile and makes a great continuation to the Passeggiata on the lakefront to Villa Olmo. Cross the pedestrian bridge at the back of Villa Olmo and turn right into the grounds of Villa del Grumello.

For those who already know the villas, there are some excellent reasons for returning this year given that the park of Villa Sucota will be opened up for the first time. Additionally the Villa del Grumello gardens have been spruced up, more of the greenhouses have been renovated and various pieces of contemporary art have been distributed around the site.

Villa del Grumello gardens

The gardens are open free of charge on Sundays from 10th April from 10.00 – 18.00 and also throughout the month of August.

Posted in Gardens, Places of interest | 1 Comment

Planning Ahead

Posted on April 6, 2016 by comocompanion

With Spring now well established and our centralised heating systems about to be turned off, we can definitely sense summer is just around the corner. Use the Como Companion to help plan your summer in Como. Check out our calendar so as not to miss out on key events. The calendar will be updated regularly as details of new events become available. Leave the cursor over each entry to get details on the event. You may also find more information in either the Culture or Recreation pages.

Vittorio Sgarbi, curator of ‘Incontri d’Arte’

However for now, let me put out a reminder for two immediate events. The first is the ‘Incontri d’Arte’ exhibition of 40 emerging Italian artists organised by the Platinum Collection and curated by the art critic Vittorio Sgarbi. This exhibition opens its doors on Friday 8th April, includes a presentation by Vittorio Sgarbi on Sunday 10th and then leaves doors open until 24th April. It is held in the ex-San Franciscan Church at Largo Spallino 1, (near the covered market) in Como.

The second event has in fact just started and is further afield – in Milan. It is the 21st Triennale di Milano International Design Exhibition whose exhibition and series of activities run from 2nd April until 12th September.

Here is their description of the exhibition:

The XXI Triennale di Milano International Exhibition has a vast program of exhibitions, events, competitions, festivals and meetings throughout the city, in venues ranging from La Triennale (Palazzo della Triennale) to the Fabbrica del Vapore, Pirelli HangarBicocca, the Politecnico di Milano campuses, the IULM campus, MUDEC, the National Museum of Science and Technology “Leonardo da Vinci”, BASE Milano, the Palazzo della Permanente, the Pirelli Tower, the Ex Expo Site, the Museo Diocesano, the Pirelli Foundation, the University of Milan, the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera, the Triennale Expogate through to the Villa Reale in Monza, the historic site of the first International Exhibitions.

21st Century. Design After Design touches on key questions, such as the new dramatic art of design, which consists mainly in its ability to deal with those anthropological issues that classical modernity has excluded from its brief, such as death, the sacred, eros, destiny, traditions, and history; the issue of gender in design; the impact of globalization on design; the transformations brought about by the dawn of the twenty-first century and the crisis of 2008; the relationship between city and design; the relationship between design and the accessibility of new information technologies; and the relationship between design and craftsmanship.

The Design Museum is in Viale Allemagna 6, Milan. The exhibition is open from 10.30 – 20.30 from Tuesday to Sunday.

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Announcing the birth!

Posted on March 28, 2016 by comocompanion

birth cartoon Welcome to The Como Companion. This site will grow into a newsletter in English for residents and visitors to Como, its lake and surroundings. Congratulations to those of you who join us from the start – I am certain you will see the site rapidly grow in content and usefulness.

This newsletter aims to share and communicate local information amongst the English-speaking community (both permanent and temporary).

My hope is that the newsletter becomes a true information exchange with as many as possible contributing to the content and discussions. I am open from the start to share editorial and administrative duties and would welcome all offers to assist. I am seeking collaborators who may wish to contribute articles, offer technical assistance, help define editorial strategy or just spread the word about us.

I recognise that the newsletter needs much more development before it becomes an invaluable ‘companion’ to the local English-speaking community but with your help we can speed through its stages of infancy and adolescence towards a glorious early maturity.

The founding objectives of the newsletter are to:

enrich our experience of living in or near Como through the mutual sharing of information and opinions.
make our contributors’ combined knowledge of Como’s facilities and attractions available to all including visitors or newly-arrived residents.
support the participation and engagement of our readers with local commerce and cultural or recreational activities.

Do not hesitate to reply, like or follow!