ITALY
Visiting Como,
in September
omo was the second stop (after Milan) in our Italy tour. A hot summer destination, we had to explore it in September, when the weather was a bit cooler and the skies were cloudy, so here's how that went.
It was a nice surprise to see more of this city, beyond the lake
We arrived in Como by train and as soon as you’re out you realize there are parts of it you’ve never seen online, like the park in front of the station or the more urban areas.
The thing is, you have to visit Como but only as a day trip. We spent the night and it was convenient because our first day was cloudy but if you visit it during summer, it’s best if you do it for a few hours. Nevertheless, it’s a beautiful city Como at the southern tip of Lake Como in northern Italy and you will spend most of your hours there by the lake. Which is not a bad thing. It’s actually the expected thing.
We stayed at an AirBnB, 20 minutes or so from the lake so we got to see a different part of the city which was not bad. The train station was 15-20 more minutes from our house and keep in mind that taxis are hard to find. Trust your feet, we did too.
The first stop is the Cathedral of Como, with its striped arches. It is commonly described as the last Gothic cathedral built in Italy. Construction began in 1396, 10 years after the foundation of Milan Cathedral.
Once you start walking towards the lake you get to see the city you’ve been waiting to see. You will get to Piazza Vittoria where the statue of Giuseppe Garibaldi is and, of course, Porta Torre and that’s where the main attraction begins. Porta Terre is 40 meters high fort that was built in 1192 to defend the main entrance of the city.
Walk through, let the picturesque neighborhoods sink in. Just walk around the alleys until you reach the lake. You will pass though numerous cafes, shops, bakeries, ice cream shops and you will most likely want to visit most. We had lunch (a lot of lunch) at Funicolare that included pasta with seafood, risottos, pizzas, the whole 101 of Italy.
You have to visit Sottozero for an ice cream. Delicious flavors in cones, nicely decorated with mini colorful cones. We came across it by accident – mostly because I was craving ice-cream – and ended up with super Instagrammable treats.
Como is a nice, casual getaway for a day or two. Walk around, eat ice-creams, see some architecture, enjoy the view. Its a tourist location with good food and good mood. However, as I said, it was a nice surprise to see more of this city, beyond the lake so, who knows? Como may surprise you.