Conveniently close to Milan (40min by train), I visited it on a Monday, when most museums are closed all over Italy.

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Como preserves important monuments from each important era of its history. Its Gothic-Renaissance cathedral was completed in the 19th century and is rich in paintings and sculptures. The great scientist Alessandro Volta, who invented the battery in the 18th century, was born in Como.

Best Way To Get Around:

There are two ways to get to Como by train from Milan: with Ferrovie dello Stato (Milano Centrale - Como San Giovani) or with Ferrovie Nord (Milano Cadorna - Como Nord), several times a day, 40min to 1h trip. Price aprox. Eur 5

One nice touch for tourists is a series of cards describing the church at various locations inside it, so as we walk around we can learn about the many artworks, styles and historical facts. They are available in three languages (Italian, English and German).

Adjoining the cathedral, there is a building called Broletto, with a remarkable façade of polychrome marbles of XV century. Broletto was erected in 1215 and later a part of it was destroyed to make room for the cathedral. It was once the town hall, then a theatre, and today it became an exhibitions center. I was especially attracted by a window with twisted columns (check the photos).

The Italian physicist Alessandro Volta is known for his pioneering work in electricity. Volta was born and educated in. In 1774 he became professor of physics at the Royal School in Como and in 1779 he became professor of physics at the University of Pavia, a chair he occupied for 25 years. By 1800 he had developed the so-called voltaic pile, a means of converting chemical energy into electrical energy formed the basis for nearly all modern batteries, which produced a steady stream of electricity. In honor of his work in the field of electricity, Napoleon made him a count in 1801.

Beginning his work in 1793, Volta observed the electrical interaction between two different metals submerged near each other in an acidic solution. Based on this principle, in 1779 he presented his first battery consisted of a series of alternating copper and zinc rings in an acid solution known as an electrolyte. He called his invention a column battery, although it came to be commonly known as the Volta battery or Voltaic cell. The term volt, a unit for measuring electrical potential difference and electromotive force, is also derived from his name.

One curious note: the alkaline storage battery, in common use today, was developed in 1914 by Thomas Alva Edison. It is so called because the electrolyte is alkaline, or basic, rather than acidic.

The gardens are another attraction. At the first years of the 19th century, this 7-hectar park was transformed in an English romantic park with a variety of plants, including some rare species introduced by princes Sachsen-Meiningen to give to Villa Carlotta the reputation of a really botanic garden. There are rhododendrons and azaleas, a water-lily pond, cacti and ferns, palms, maples, cedars, giant bamboos, magnolias and camelias, and so much more.

Villa Carlotta is located at Tremezzo, on the western shore of Lake Como. It can be reached by bus or with the boats on the Como-Bellagio route (see the entry "Boat trip in Lake Como to Bellagio"). Opens daily - a good thing considering that in Italy almost every museum is closed on Mondays. Opening times are: from April to September: 9:00-18:00; March and October: 9:00-11:30 and 14:00-16:30. Ticket price: EUR6.50.

Open from Tuesday to Friday 9:00-12:00 and 15:00-18:00. Price: EUR 8

We enter another room dedicated to the control and measurement of yarns and fabrics, in which we can see some of the instruments required for this industry: dynamometers, twist counters and balances. Then we come to the the Chemical Laboratory and the Dyeing Room, where we see a dye vat for fabrics, a copper kettle for yarns and a number of tools, including one precious dowel.

We can also see a printing table with a wide selection of wooden and metal printing blocks and hand printing table with screens, transparent foils and engraving tools. Roller printing is represented by machines for making samples and by engraved rollers in chromed copper. A further section is reserved for the display of models of small machanized machines for flat printing and for roller printing. The last room is devoted to the special finishing of textiles.

A combined ticket allows visitors to take a bus to the Faro Voltiano, a lighthouse erected in 1927 at San Maurizio. An octogonal building contains a spiral staircase of 143 steps, from which one has great views of the lake. I think it is open on Sundays only.

Bellagio is located at a tip of the promontory that separates lakes Como and Lecco. There are no great tourist attractions, but Bellagio is a nice relaxing village where you can enjoy a good meal upon the lake (fish is the local specialty). In fact, since the 18th century Bellagio is a notorious holiday resort, so if you want to avoid the crowds, don't go there in July and August. Bellagio has some nice villas, among which Villa Melzi is the most important one. The villa itself, built in early 19th century, cannot be visited, but its beautiful gardens full of statues are open from March to October, from 9:00 to 18:30, closed on Mondays.

Lake Como was created by glaciers as they went forth and back the valley in several ice ages. It has a maximum depth of 410m, a maximum width of 4.2km and a suface of 146 sqkm. Lake Como is the third largest lake in Italy, after Lake Garda and Lake Verbano.

The most famous is Villa Olmo. It is located in an area where in the middle ages there was an age-old elm, from which comes its name. The palace was built in neoclassic style and originally this area was outside Como.

Other villas in Como are Villa Saporiti, Villa Pisani Dossi, Villa Resta Pallavicino and Villa Gallia.