Milan & the Lake District - Italy - page 411

WHY YOU'RE HERE: THE TOP SIGHTS & ATTRACTIONS Part Gothic

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and part Renaissance, Como's Duomo

(Piazza del Duomo, in the center of
town just off the lake; % 031-265244; daily 7:30am-noon and 3-7pm) is fes-
tooned with exuberant masonry and sculpture. Statues of two of the town's famous
native sons, Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger, flank the main entrance. Inside,
beneath an 18th-century dome by Juvarra—the architect who designed much of
Turin—is a lavish interior hung with mostly 16th-century paintings and tapestries,
with lots of helpful leaflets in English to explain the major works of art.
The black-and-white-striped 13th-century Broletto (Town Hall) abuts the
Duomo's left flank, and adjoining it is the Torre del Comune. As a study in con-
trasts, the starkly modernist and aptly named Casa del Fascio, built in 1936 as
the seat of the region's fascist government, rises just behind the Duomo.
Como's main drag, Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, cuts through the medieval
quarter, where wood-beamed houses line narrow streets. Two blocks south of the
Duomo, the five-sided San Fedele (Piazza S. Fedele; daily 8am-noon and
3:30-7pm) sits on a charming square. Though largely 12th-century, parts of the
church, including the altar, date from the 6th century.
To see Como's most alluring church, though, you've got to venture into the
dull outlying neighborhood southwest of the center where, just off Viale
Roosevelt, you'll come to the five-aisle, heavily frescoed Basilica of
Sant'Abbondio

( % 631-3388111; daily 8am-6pm, except during weddings,
which are hugely popular here), a Romanesque masterpiece from the 11th cen-
tury lined with great 14th-century frescoes.
Lakeside life revolves around Piazza Cavour and the adjoining Giardini
Pubblici, where the circular Tempio Voltano ( % 031-574705; € 3; Tues-Sun
10am-noon and 3-6pm, Oct-Mar 2-4pm) houses memorabilia that'll enlighten you
about the life and experiments of native son and electricity pioneer Alessandro Volta.
For a quick retreat and some stunning views, take the Brunate funicular
(Lungo Lario Trieste; % 031-303608; € 4.10 round-trip; every 15 min. in sum-
mer, every 30 min. in winter) for a 7-minute ride up to the top of the forested

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A Word about Alternative Accommodations
on the Lakes
With the exception of the B&Bs noted below, the lake region is a bust
when it comes to finding alternative accommodations. Como itself has
only four B&Bs (all too far out of town to be feasible); Bellagio has only
one in town (the recommended restaurant, Barchetta—see below—rents
five rooms for € 80 each); Varenna has none. On Lake Garda, it's a similar
story: Sirmione has precisely zero B&Bs or rental rooms (it would be hard
to find a place to stick them because almost every building is already a
hotel). Riva del Garda has one B&B (out on the very edge of town), and
of the dozen affittacamere (rooms for rent), only one is in the center; the
others are either up near the suburb of Arco or in places no visitor would
want to lodge.