My best football related moment in Como
by Calcio
Normally when I go to games I'll go all by myself. Out of 50 games I see, I'm all alone on 40 of them.
So everytime I get someone with me it's a very good moment! :)
My best game in Como was in april 2003 when I went there to see Como-Modena. With me I had a great american friend, and we had a great time together, although the game was quite much crap...
The weather was fantastic, so we were sitting there in just t-shirts, enjoying the sun, and watching the football.
My friend hadn't been to so many games before, so her fondest memory of that game was all the bad words the italian guys around us used for the referee and the opponents. :D
Takumachi sister city
by Aurorae
I hope I reembered the name well, if not, my apologies... In front of the Aero Club, there is a small park with this bizarre and hideous monument, that was errected to celebrate anniversary of sister city of Como, Takumachi in Japan. There are inscriptions in Japanese and Italian, and the sculptures show children trapped in strange positions, as if tortured, I really thought it was awful. :(
annual Palio competition
by Flamegirl
Back in 1159, Como aided the holy Roman Emperor Frederick I, called Barbarossa (Redbeard) in his defeat of Milan. At that time, Barbarossa had a castle built on the mountain overlooking Como - still there today - which is called Castel Baradello.
The Palio del Baradello (which dates back to the 1970s) takes its name from that castle, and its three competitions evoke the tournaments and celebrations of medieval times.
It takes place every September, and around a dozen teams representing different local villages take part, dressed up in mock-Medieval dress. It's also an excuse for processions in costume, historical reconstructions, food tasting and other attractions. The opening ceremony is the first Saturday of the month.
On the following day (the first Sunday) the competitions begin with the "giostra saracena", the jousting competition where participants race on horseback at a rotating Turk.
On the second Saturday you can see "la cariolata", almost like a wheelbarrow race where pairs of men race up and down the Via Milano, one pushing whilst the other sits on top, taking turns.
Lastly on the second Sunday comes the "regata delle lucie"; lucie are the old-fashioned Comasco boats (see my travelogue "more photos!" for a picture).
If you're in Como in September, it's worth taking a look!
Christmas play in Piazza Duomo
by icunme
A significant number of local residents participated in the Nativity production staged for the community in front of the Duomo today, December 9th, 2007. A very professional enactment of the Nativity featured a choir, overhead lighting, excellent sound, and even a few sheep and a huge camel in addition to the principle actors and numerous children. See more photos on the Nativity travelogue.
Cernobbio
by Aurorae
It comes right after Como on the lakeside, actually, Como continues into Cernobbio and you can practically walk there, they merged into one town in fact. Cernobbio is a lovely picturesque town with narrow streets, colourful houses, nice pier and lake boat transport station, wonderful square with some heroic monument and incredibly nice restaurant all in glass right there.
It's a place of many chic conferences, as they're all held in the famous pompous villas.
This is the site of the fictional Villa Baglianello, the elegant family-home-run-pensione featured in the film "A Month by the Lake." Nearby is one of the grandest hotels in all Europe, the Villa D'Este, whose rooms are almost like museum galleries and whose grounds boast Italy's only "floating swimming pool" (it actually sits atop the lake). Up the road is Toriggia, where you can visit Villa Passalacqua.
I find the name Cernobbio hilarious, because it reminds me incredibly of the famous Ukrainian nuclear disaster spot Chernobyl, as the prononuce is almost identical! :) So I always say I've been to Chernobyl. :))
If you want to know more, visit my Cernobbio page!
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At Piazza del Duomo
Street in Bellagio
Il Duomo in Como
Yummy hot chocolate with whipped cream
