Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Its 16th-century rose window and precious 16th- and 17th-century frescoes add to its
charm. The facade is the result of a 1914 remake but the apses are the real deal, featuring
some eye-catching sculpture on the right side.
MUSEUM
Museo della Seta
(Silk Museum; 031 30 31 80;
www.museosetacomo.com
; Via Castelnuovo 9; adult/child €10/4;
9am-noon & 3-6pm Tue-Fri)
Housed in the bowels of the predictably ugly 1970s buildings of
the Istituto Tecnico Industriale di Setificio textile technical school (where tomorrow's
silk-makers and designers learn their trade), the Museo della Seta unravels the town's silk
history, with early dyeing and printing equipment on display.
Funicolare Como-Brunate
FUNICULAR
( 031 30 36 08;
www.funicolarecomo.it
; Piazza de Gasperi 4, Como; adult one way/return €2.90/5.25,
child €1.90/3.20; half-hourly departures 8am-midnight mid-Apr-mid-Sep, to 10.30pm mid-Sep-mid-
Apr)
Northeast along the waterfront, past Piazza Matteotti and the train station, is the
Como-Brunate cable car, which was built in 1894. It takes seven minutes to reach hilltop
Brunate
(720m), a quiet village offering splendid views. In
San Maurizio
, a 30-minute,
steep walk from Brunate's funicular stop scales 143 steps to the top of the lighthouse,
built in 1927 to mark the centenary of Alessandro Volta's death. The Como tourist office
can provide a map with suggested walks.
Come to Bruante at sunset and make a night of it with dinner on the terrace of
Ristorante
Bellavista
(
031 22 10 31; Piazza di Bonacossa 2, Brunate; meals €30-35;
noon-2.30pm &
6.30-9.30pm Wed-Mon)
.
SEAPLANE TOURS
Aero Club Como
( 031 57 44 95;
www.aeroclubcomo.com
;
Viale Masia 44, Como; 2 people €140; Como)
For a
touch of Hollywood glamour, take one of the 30-minute seaplane tours from the Aero
Club and buzz Bellagio. Longer excursions over Lago Maggiore and Lago Lugano are
also possible. During summer you'll need to reserve at least three or four days in advance.
Sleeping
Le Stanze del Lago
APARTMENT
€
