EXPERIENCE

LIFE IN
Como Brunate

BACKDROPPED BY THE ALPS, BLESSED WITH THE
MOST IDYLLIC LAKE IN ITALY AND BRIMMING WITH HISTORY,
COMO BRUNATE IS THE DESTINATION OF THE STARS

Welcome to Como!

Synonymous with elegance, Como has been an
aristocratic retreat since Roman times, the well-to-do
attracted by the glacial lake that lends the city its name.
Beyond beckon the Alps.

Just north of Milan, their historic rivalry re-enacted each year at the Palio del Baradello festival, Como developed under medieval nobles. It became part of Italy after 1859, when Giuseppe Garibaldi forced out the Austrians in a nearby battle, illustrated at Como’s Garibaldi Museum. Also of note is the Tempio Voltiano, a museum dedicated to locally born scientist Alessandro Volta, an early pioneer of electricity. Also commemorating his achievements, a contemporary statue by Daniel Libeskind, Life Electric, stands at the end of Diga Foranea pier jutting out into Lake Como. Show more

Take your own private boat excursion around idyllic Lake Como then select from one of the many restaurants lining the waterfront. Look out for the local delicacies, fish risotto in summer and polenta in winter. You may also visit Como Cathedral, the last of its kind to be built in Italy, originally dating back to 1396. Show more

WELCOME TO BRUNATE!

Lost in the clouds above Lake Como, Brunate offers a
picturesque escape for locals, nearby Milanese and
visitors to Lombardy alike.

Summers are relatively mild, snowy winters spectacular and the air purer than pure. Light pollution is relatively minimal – expect to do plenty of star-gazing. Brunate is very much Italy as it used to be. The lofty domain of a couple of hundred nuns and peasants in the 1500s, it was made more accessible by a mule track in the early 1800s, then a carriage road and finally the funicular, electrified in 1911. Significantly reducing travel time from Como, this turned Brunate into a popular retreat for those seeking aerotherapy and others looking to win big at the roulette table. Show more

As well as the Grand Hotel Milano and its casino, the first villas were built, showing the Art Nouveau influence of the day, complemented by boutiques that catered to tourists arriving by funicular. The elegant villa quarter contrasted with the nearby Old Town of courtyards and more modest residential housing.

Two curious landmarks were later built to celebrate different aspects of Italy’s heritage. In the heights of San Maurizio, Upper Brunate, the Voltiano Lighthouse beams out the colors of the Italian flag, green, white and red, also symbolizing the beliefs of local inventor Alessandro Volta in faith, science, and charity. It was erected in 1927 on the centenary of the death of the pioneering electro-physicist, also commemorated today in the word ‘volt’.

In the mid-1930s, as part of a nationwide campaign to promote the fashionable spirit Campari, a series of fountains were installed across Italy dispensing drinking water. Few remain today – one is found here, near the funicular station. Beyond stretch hiking trails and an adventure park, ideal for travelling as a family. Show more

Book a room