"Comasco Cavern" a Como Travel Page by Flamegirl

I first fell in love with Como when my sister moved here in Oct '98, and I came to stay for a few months to babysit my niece and learn Italian (not to mention sample the local cafes and go shopping!).

I was very lucky because I arrived in time to do one of the free Italian courses for foreigners, run by town councils (comuni) throughout Italy and which I can thoroughly recommend. The following year I began university in Scotland, studying Italian and French.

I returned in August 2002 for my year abroad (part of my degree). I had a job in Milan and lived with my sister's family just outside Como.

Como is a lovely little town nestling in the foothills of the Italian Alps, which will always hold a little place in my heart. However I eventually got fed up of the long commute into Milan and my lack of social life, so I found a flat in Milan... (see my Milan page).

Como has often played a key part in the history of northern Italy due to its geographical location (as the crossing point between central Europe and the Mediterranean), and has attracted visitors since Roman times (Pliny the Elder and Younger came from Como) thanks to its gorgeous scenery. The wedding scene from Star Wars: Attack of the Clones was filmed here at Villa Balbianello.

This is a picture of the duomo, or cathedral. The square is just in from the lake, and due to its narrow width it's very difficult to get all of the duomo in one photo.

This picture was taken in front of one of my favourite bars (see tips!)

My sister lives in a small village on the other side of the mountain from Como. The view towards Como/Brunate can be seen on my Brunate/lighthouse must-see tip. This is the view looking the other way, towards Switzerland.

Here are some great sites for learning more about Lake Como, although not all are in English:

www.larioonline.it/
www.travelplan.it/reg_lom_com_page.htm
www.italyheaven.co.uk/lakecomo.html
www.bellagio.co.nz/history/
www.provincia.como.it/turismo/index2.html