Tag Archives: History

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

Escaping the Holocaust: Hiding from Home in Varese

Posted on January 29, 2025 by comocompanion

Personal testimonies can help us understand the reality of living through historical events. These diary extracts convey some sense of the constant anxiety in avoiding deportation to a Nazi death camp. Continue reading →

Posted in crime, History, People, Uncategorized | Tagged Auschwitz, cernobbio, Como, De Danonis, Fargion, germany, History, holocaust, Italian Jews, jews, nazifascists, Race Laws, Shoah, Varese, Wartime | 2 Comments

Saint Barbara at Como

Posted on December 17, 2024 by comocompanion

Why is there a third window at the top of the Porta Torre? Why was a painting of Saint Barbara commissioned for Como at the end of the war? Why do firefighters still celebrate her on 4th December? Answers lie in the legend of this saint. Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Culture, Folklore, History, Uncategorized | Tagged Baradello, bombs, Byzantium, christianity, Como, Duomo, faith, History, iconography, Martyrs, Porta Torre, Raphael, Saint Barbara, saints, travel | Leave a comment

Lake Como and Leonardo’s ‘Mona Lisa’

Posted on October 5, 2024 by comocompanion

Experts now claim that Leonardo Da Vinci set two of his best known paintings amongst the landmarks on Lake Como’s eastern leg by identifying the landscape depicted in the background of the ‘Mona Lisa’ and his ‘Virgin of the Rocks’. Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Culture, History, Itineraries, Lake, People, Uncategorized | Tagged Adda, Art, Azzone Visconti, canals, Como, Garlate, History, Le Grigne, lecco, Leonardo, leonardo-da-vinci, Mandello, milan, mona-lisa, Paris, Resegone, Vaprio D'Adda | Leave a comment

Fatal Accident on Lake Como: The Soldiers’ Story

Posted on September 11, 2024 by comocompanion

“I can’t stand this any longer” – the final cry of a British Army Officer who drowned along with Mussolini’s daughter-in-law on Lake Como, May 1946. Continue reading →

Posted in Events, History, Lake, People, Uncategorized | Tagged blevio, Como, drowning, Excelsior, Gina Ruberti, History, Hotel Vapore, Imperiale, italy, Lake Como, Mandarin Oriental, Medloc, medloc feeder, post war, Roccabruna, tragedy | 3 Comments

Como and Henry’s ‘Turbulent Priest’

Posted on February 28, 2024 by comocompanion

Thomas a Becket was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by King Henry II of England in 1162 and then executed on his orders in 1170. His martyrdom and beatification gave birth to a cult celebrated across Europe including here in Como. Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Culture, History, People, Places of interest, Uncategorized | Tagged Basilica, england, Henry II, History, Monreale, Palermo, relics, reliquary, San Giorgio, Sicily, Thomas Becket, travel | Leave a comment

Como to Auschwitz on Convoy 8

Posted on January 31, 2024 by comocompanion

Convoy 8 to Auschwitz. The story of a diverse group all arrested in Como over December 1943 but from different backgrounds forced on the same journey and to share the same fate due to their shared ethnicity. The enormity of where racism can lead us must surely never be forgotten. Continue reading →

Posted in crime, History, Uncategorized | Tagged Auschwitz, Brunate, Convoy, Fossoli, History, holocaust, jews, Memorial Day, Olgiate, Questura, RSI, Shoah, SS, world-war-ii | 6 Comments

Como Municipality’s Heraldic Confusion

Posted on July 25, 2023 by comocompanion

Como’s city council has sought to clarify a case of heraldic confusion. The new mayor has decided to clarify what must have been the most insignificant of the many issues facing the new administration, – its coat of arms. Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, History, Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged banner, Barbarossa, coat of arms, Como, Ghibellines, gonfalone, Guelphs, History, logo, mayor, Palazzo Cernezzi, sindaco, stemma | Leave a comment

Isola Comacina – A Serene Location with a Tragic Past

Posted on July 13, 2023 by comocompanion

Isola Comacina is the only island on Lake Como. Its past glory and tragic destiny results from its strategic position close to the narrow channel in the lake between the promontory of Villa del Balbianello and Lezzeno on the eastern shore. It was to pay a heavy price for its valued location. Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Culture, Events, History, Itineraries, Lake, Places of interest | Tagged Antiquarium, Barbarossa, Campo, Colonno, History, isola comacina, milan, naval battle, Ossuccio, Pietro Lingeri, Sagra, Sala | 4 Comments

Lake Como’s Condottiere – The Marquis of Musso

Posted on April 28, 2023 by comocompanion

Gian Giacomo De Medici, 1495 to 1555, developed from paid assassin in the court of the Milanese Sforzas to become ruler of Lake Como entitled Marquis of Musso and Count of Lecco, and one of the most successful condottieri in the 16th century. Continue reading →