The bus ride from Bellagio to Como is the most picturesque I have ever dozed through. Weaving through narrow hamlets on more narrow roads, the pastel mortared buildings tumbled down the hillside and came to a halt at the lapping edge of the lake. Beyond the manicured lawns and jetties, the water glittered in the morning light, enclosed by the rolling green hills and distant peaks of the Alps, still sprinkled with a scattering of snow despite the rising spring temperatures. Each bump and turn in the road nudged me from my slumber to see yet another postcard-perfect town come and go.
Lezzeno, Nesso, Torno; all names that evoke the image of sitting in the sun-kissed water-front whilst sipping that first Aperol Spritz of the afternoon. All names of places that I wish I had the time to stop in, wander through their piazzas and peruse their churches.
I was making the hour-long journey down Lake Como’s eastern limb to visit the lake’s eponymous city, a place where we had arrived by train a few days earlier only to hop aboard a northbound bus without getting the chance to explore. Alighting the bus I could see that the rest of Europe had the same idea as me; the waterfront cafes and promenade were already crowded with tourists, even at this early hour. I decided to go against the crowds and make my way to the centre of town, the towering dome of the Duomo guiding me to Palazzo Broletto where I could escape the morning heat under a cafe awning, coffee in hand.
I found the most Italian of scenes; tables and chairs spilling from the cafes into the beautiful square, musicians pumped away at their accordions for the passersby while nuns rushed from the cathedral – to where I have no idea – holding on to their habits as they push through the queues of people waiting to go inside. Pastel yellow paint peeled from the buildings that boxed us in, the dark green shutters on their windows remained closed to keep the interior cool. It seemed the perfect place to get my morning caffeine fix.
What was planned as a leisurely breakfast became an hour-long slog as I waited on my espresso. It’s possible that the customers don’t mind waiting in a setting such as beautiful as this, but when it is getting on to 10 am and my first coffee fix of the day is yet to arrive, I am not one of those customers. My patience gradually being eroded by every moment that my bloodstream remains caffeine-free.
The slow pace is something that seems emanate throughout the city. I joined a queue in Piazza De Gasperi to take the funicular up to Brunate – a hilltop village with a spectacular view of the water – and found it static. People looked as though they had been stood there in the baking heat for hours. Occasionally someone would ask a neighbouring queuer to save their position while they took a breather in the shade of a nearby umbrella. When I finally made it inside the terminal I could see why any movement was so slow; four ticket counters sat shuttered while the one open window was manned by a clerk that would make even the laziest of sloths seem dynamic. He slowly raised his eyes to greet each frustrated customer with the most apathetic of looks, prodded at his keyboard for what felt like minutes before glacially sliding a ticket across the desk. Only 20 people had made it past this lethargic gatekeeper before each tram left – a tram that could probably hold twice that number.
The funicular itself is a small railway that travels a kilometre up the steep hill between Como and Brunate and has been running since 1894. How people made the journey before it was built I will never know. In fact, my mind also boggles as to why Brunate was built in such an inaccessible position in the first place. One answer may be that the view from the town is spectacular. Less than a minute from the funicular station is a viewpoint that gives a panorama over the whole of Como and the southern edge of the lake. Down below I could see the maze-like grid of winding cobbled streets, the terracotta rooftops rising between them like the studs on a Lego brick. The wake of speedboats cut white lines across the lake’s shimmering blue surface and in the hazy distance, beyond the hills, Switzerland was just about visible. In the centre of town, the dome of the Duomo dwarfed all other buildings and in front of me I could just make out the tiny specks of people bathing in the sprawling grounds of Villa Olma.
Brunate began life as a commune but soon became the home to Milanese royalty, living in the lavish liberty villas that still cling to the hillside. The town is home to just 1,800 residents but swells in the summer as tourists make their way up the funicular to see the villas, the elegant Chiesa di Sant’Andrea Apostolo church and Brunate’s famous Faro Voltiano lighthouse – built and named in honour of Alessandro Volta, a short-term resident of the town.
Back at a reasonable altitude, it was strange to be in a busy, living city as opposed to the quiet, postcard-perfect towns of the mid-lake – It felt like a metropolis compared to the likes of Varenna and Bellagio. Como is the administrative hub of the region with a population of 90,000 people. However, for a working city, there wasn’t a whole lot of work going on. The whole population of Como, it seemed, was making the most of the blistering heat and gathering by the lake’s edge to sunbathe and swim. Every patch of grass in the Giardini del Tempio Voltiano was covered in the blankets of people picnicking or basking. There wasn’t a section of the waterfront where people weren’t making the most of Como’s cooling water. It had the feeling of a national holiday despite it being mid-afternoon on a working day.
We walked along the promenade towards majestic Villa Olma in the hope of using its public lido. The villa is a sprawling neoclassical mansion, built-in 1812 by marquesses Odescalchi. Today it is owned by Como municipality and used for cultural events and art exhibitions. Of all the villas on the lake, it is, without a doubt, the most impressive. It would have been the perfect setting for a swim had the pool been open, which I was disappointed to find it wasn’t.
Instead, we made my way to the Duomo, looking to shelter from the sun inside its insulating stone walls. Built between 1396 and 1770, this gothic masterpiece is the city’s crowning jewel, the marble-clad interior as impressive as any I have seen before. It is clear to see why the construction took so long.
We wandered aimlessly through the labyrinthine alleyways of the historic centre. At each turn I found a street prettier than the last; cobbled pavements hemmed in by canyon-like pastel coloured walls, the windows decorated with vibrant displays of flowers. Occasionally we would come across yet another romantic Piazza where couples were huddled intimately over their aperitifs, waiters weaving through the tables with plates of steaming pasta for their guests. I could have stopped in any one of them but settled on the secluded Piazza Del Duca, hidden away on the backstreets and empty apart from one other couple who sat sipping their Aperitivos.
The Italian aperitivo is a concept I can truly get behind and one that I wish the rest of Europe would adopt. It is the tradition of having a pre-dinner drink with snacks to apparently get you in the mood for your meal. We lingered over our cocktails, reluctant to be saying goodbye to this beautiful town. If we were heading anywhere other than the mid-lake region I would have been more hesitant to leave, but our bus was due and dinner in Bellagio was calling.
15 Responses
Como is a great city and I love this como. those information will be helpful for me
I’ve heard so much about Como recently and I feel like I am majorly missing out! It looks absolutely stunning! #farawayfiles
It’s been a long time since I’ve lingered around Lake Como. Thank you for the lovely memory jog and inspiration. Cheers from Copenhagen, Erin #FarawayFiles
Looks like a nice and quiet place. My kind of place in other words 🙂
Got to love that Italian pace – work to live and drink your coffee as relaxed as you like. We stayed in Como because it made sense for the rest of our activities that holiday and I’m glad we did. It’s a proper living city with great aperitivo as you pointed out. Take me back to Como! And thanks for the memories on #FarawayFiles
What a beautiful post, Dave. I could visualise everything that you did, your thoughts and observations. I laughed kinda loud when I read the long queue and slow service to go up the funicular so much so the person sitting next to my table at the cafe looked at me! It reminds me of slapstick comedies, lol! 🙂 #FarawayFiles
I love towns that emanate a slower pace. It forces you to stop and smell the roses! #FarawayFiles
I love the fact that Como isn’t a big touristy area. The small, colorful town would be so fun to photograph. And the scene from the viewpoint is stunning!
Isn’t every place in Italy beautiful. I’ve been to 3 cities and I was just flattened by the beauty of the country. I guess I need to spend at least 6 months to feel like I’ve seen something. Thanks for this virtual trip of Como. Let’s see if I’ll get to visit it myself!
I’d never heard of Como before reading this, I had to Google it. The clerk at the funicular sounds like one of the sloths from Zootopia! Is it possible to walk up to the viewpoint Tthat would be good exercise in the heat! The aerial shots of the city you took are amazing, especially the first picture.
I have been to Como years ago, when I was Interrailing in Europe. I used to watch an Italian series back then which was filmed there so I had to include it on my itinerary list. Even if the weather was not good when I visited and it was raining, I still enjoyed it so much. I remember feeding the swans by the lake and then go for an aperitivo, same as you did. 🙂
Another great post Dave that evokes the feeling of actually being there! I understand every point you wrote about, from the beautiful piazzas and the Duomo, to the sloth-like guy selling tickets! You’ve got to embrace the Mediterranean vibe! I’m in Italy quite often and we drink aperitivo even before lunch! Never too early for an Aperol spritz 🙂
I must be partly Italian cause I’ve been doing aperitivos my whole life haha! Lake Como keeps popping up in my insta feed for some reason but didn’t really get what all the hassle was about before reading this. Seems like a perfect village escape for me. Love your writing style btw 🙂
Wow! The view of Como from above looks like a dream. Your travel photos are beautiful ! Looks like you had an amazing time in this lovely village 🙂 PS – The Italian aperitivo is always a yes, without a doubt! haha
These small European towns/villages look so dreamy. I personally prefer them over the more touristy attractions. The architecture is absolutely stunning and that lookout point is the best to enjoy those views!