After the monumental view of the Matterhorn, the road led down to the Aosta Valley, where we rested the day’s excitement among the historic walls of Châtillon. The next morning we set off on the Italian motorways fresh, and although our destination was Hungary, we couldn’t resist the jewel of Lombardy: we stopped for lunch in Como. The lakeside panorama, the blue water and the embrace of the mountains formed a perfect contrast to the snowy peaks of the previous day.
Although we only spent two hours here, the atmosphere of the city immediately captivated us, before touching Milan and continuing on to the pearl of Lake Garda, Sirmione.
Lake Como (Italian: Lago di Como) is one of the deepest lakes in Europe, at some points its depth exceeds 400 meters. The lake’s characteristic, inverted “Y” shape was carved out of the rocks by ice age glaciers, which makes the shoreline extremely steep. The city of Como itself was already an important center in Roman times under the name Comum, but it later became world famous for its silk production. From the 16th century onwards, the city became a European stronghold for the textile industry, and to this day, the finest silk fabrics are produced here for the world’s most famous fashion houses (such as Chanel or Hermes).
The area around the lake has been synonymous with luxury and elegance for centuries. The Roman elite, including Pliny the Younger, built villas here, and in the 18th and 19th centuries it became a regular destination for the European aristocracy and the artistic world (such as Franz Liszt or Stendhal). This attraction has not faded in modern times either. Celebrities such as George Clooney have bought residences on the shores of the lake, which has given the region a further boost. The microclimate around the lake is extremely mild, so the gardens of the surrounding villas are home to tropical plants and rare palm trees at the foot of the snowy Alps.
The city of Como is proud of its native Alessandro Volta, the physicist who invented the electric battery (the unit of voltage is called the volt in his honor). Walking along the lakeshore, you can’t miss the neoclassical temple built in his honor, the Tempio Voltiano, and the modern symbol of the city, the “Life Electric” statue that extends into the lake, also pays tribute to his work. The historic old town is still partly surrounded by the walls that Emperor Frederick Barbarossa built in the 12th century to protect the city from attacks by its eternal rival Milan.
