Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 031 57 61 69;
www.grandimostrecomo.it
; Via Cantoni 1; adult/reduced €10/8; villa during exhibitions
9am-12.30pm & 2-5pm Mon-Sat, gardens 7.30am-7pm Sep-May, 7.30am-11pm Jun-Aug)
Set grandly facing the
lake, the creamy facade of neoclassical Villa Olmo is one of Como's landmarks. The ex-
travagant structure was built in 1728 by the Odescalchi family, related to Pope Innocent
XI. If there's an art exhibition inside, you'll get to admire the sumptuous Liberty-style in-
teriors. Otherwise, you can enjoy the Italianate and English gardens, which are open all
day.
adult/reduced full day €6/4, half-day €4.50/2.50;
9am-7pm mid-May-Sep)
, an open-air swimming pool
and lakeside bar, is open to the public.
Passeggiata Lino Gelpi
Almost as nice as the Villa Olmo gardens is the lakeside stroll from Piazza Cavour. Fol-
low Passeggiata Lino Gelpi along the water, passing the
Monumento ai Caduti
(War Memorial;
Viale Puecher 9)
, a memorial to Italy's war dead from WWI and a classic example of Fascist-
era architecture; it dates back to 1931. You'll also pass a series of mansions and villas, in-
now owned by the provincial government.
WATERFRONT
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.
A wander around takes you through the entire process of producing silk. Explanations
start with the humble silkworm and how it is raised (no longer the case in Italy, which im-
ports raw silk mainly from China) through to the creation of bundles and reels of silk, and
on to the dyeing and production of finished products.
MUSEUM
Brunate
Como is flanked to the east and west by steep and thickly wooded hills (scarred in part by
the spread of residential housing). Northeast along the waterfront from central Como, the
Funicolare Como-Brunate
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
(
NEIGHBOURHOOD
031 30 36 08;
www.funicolarecomo.it
;
Piazza de
