Lake Como: our city
A place that never stops giving us emotions
Lake Como, for us a unique place in the world!
Introduce you to Lake Como and to our city it's not easy for us. It is not easy to describe in words its intrinsic beauty, the flavor of history that its walls exude, the affectionate embrace of its squares, the playful interweaving of its streets, the sweet quiet of its shady parks, the light breath of its breva summer, the docile grandeur of its mountains, the moving glow of its sunsets and the deep and mysterious blue of its waters.
It is not easy to make you understand the sincere affection and the deep-rooted respect we have for our city, For its culture And its traditions.
Throughout the time span of the history of Como, which boasts human settlements already in prehistoric times, many have let themselves be enchanted by this wonderful jewel nestled between the Alps and the Lombard Pre-Alps, and among these are numerous poets, writers, philosophers and scientists.
Lake Como, a destination for historical figures
From the author of Frankenstein Mary Shelley, who took over a lake house for a time, to the passionate Hugh Foscolo, who consummated his love for the countess Francesca Giovio; by the Nobel Prize Hermann Hesse, who took us on a boat trip, to the audacious futurist Marinetti, to whom we owe the geometry of the Monument to the Fallen which draws the skyline of the city. Goethe he was enraptured, Sthendal, neither The Charterhouse of Parma, described it as a “sublime and graceful show”, Rod she loved him for his bittersweet beauty.
Alessandro Manzoni and The Betrothed
The poetess Alda merini remained inextricably linked to the city and in particular to Brunate, which gave birth to his grandfather Giovanni and his father Nemo. Alda loved to tell an anecdote related to the funicular: being a hypochondriac, seized by a moment of anxiety, one day she said: “My heart is attached to a thread!”, and a relative replied thus: "But go there, your heart is attached to the cable of the funicular!".
We all remember one of the most famous incipits of Italian literature: “That branch of Lake Como, which turns towards midday […]” contained in the novel The Betrothed Of Alessandro Manzoni, set right along the banks of the Lario and which for decades has aroused love and hate in all Italian high school students, and beyond!
Alessandro Volta, the inventor of the battery
Among the historical figures, natives of Como, the best known is certainly the scientist Alessandro Volta who, in addition to being the inventor of the battery (it is no coincidence that the unit of measurement of electric potential is the volt), was the first to use methane gas in what we now call the "Volta lamp", which opened the doors to gas lighting.
Volta also wrote poems and in an ironic youthful text he mentions the area where his Temple now stands and then the boys flirted with the girls: “They revolve around this and that / especially in a certain district / which today we call meadow d'Orchi”. The "Orcs", were the mosquitoes called from the mouth of the Cosia stream. Already in the 18th century they were the number one torment of summer nights!
Not just historical figures.
In recent years many international VIPs
they took home on Lake Como
International VIPs on Lake Como
In recent years, many international VIPs have suffered the Larian magnetism, and among these the actor certainly stands out George Clooney and his now iconic villa Oleandra near Laglio.
Even the late one robin williams, Oscar winner and protagonist of many successful films, in 1998 he visited Como and in particular he stayed in the splendid Villa D'Este. He was completely struck by it, so much so that he uttered one of the most beautiful and sincere sentences that have ever been inspired by our city: “It is clear that there is a God when you look at the sky over Lake Como”.
So it won't be easy, but with great pleasure and dedication we will try with the LariusWay project to tell you our best version of the city of Como, hoping to fascinate you, intrigue you and why not, to stimulate future poets and writers to talk about the Lario.
