When was lake como formed

Also for fans of automobile trips the coastal zone of the lake will offer several networks of twisting roads which will lead the visitor up to the smallest towns offering breath-taking views of the lake.

The main town of Lake Como of course is the administrative center of Como. It also gave the name to the lake. This beautiful city which is more than years old will show to the visitors how constructions and monuments of last eras can successfully be combined with the current manifestations of culture.

The old quarter of Como is closed inside medioeval walls that have different towers. Inside the walls there are the most important buildings of the town, the Duomo and the Broletto. The small town of Brunate can be reached from Como can be reached in 5 minutes using the funicular and achieving a quote of m above the sea level. From Brunate very interesting hiking traks start and they reach Torno and Bellagio walking on the crest of the mountains.

In these towns your attention can be definitely drawn to the refined historical villas, many of them are open for visit. For example Villa Carlotta in Tremezzo besides delightful architecture will be able to surprise with the unique gardens constructed on the Japanese technologies. Villa Melzi in Bellagio with a fine English garden along the lake will be able to show historical Napoleonic relics. The 20th century was also characterized by contraband , which took place in the hills and mountains that separate Italy from Switzerland.

The smuggling led to recurring struggles between sfrusaduu dialect name for the smugglers and burlanda officers who were responsible to stop them. The Italians mainly imported cigarettes and tobacco, while the Swiss were more involved in food importation. In recent times, the growth of local tourism became particularly significant for the economy of the city, replacing the silk production , which, in the past, was one of the major reasons of its grandeur.

Skip to content. Discover the history of Como and its territory! The early civilizations. Remains of Golasecca culture in Spina Verde Park picture: spinaverde. Romans and the Middle Ages. Roman baths in Como. Porta Torre. The tower of Castello Baradello. Over time, the Lombards adopted Roman titles, as well as many Roman traditions. Julius Caesar sent 5, Romans to settle in the area around what he dubbed Lake Larius. Settlers lived in the town now called Como. The settlers helped develop and protect the trade routes along the Via Regina, the road from Rome to the Roman province of Reatia modern-day Switzerland.

The area around Lake Como is dotted with beautiful examples of Romanesque churches. The churches are now peaceful symbols of what was a tumultuous history for the Lake Como region from the fifth to the 11th century as Germanic tribes moved in and out of the region. Throughout the Middle Ages, Como was ruled by a variety of powerful families.

Two of the most influential were the Milan-based Sforza and Visconti families who built the Paderno Canal, connecting the lake to their city base. Como was under the rule of various foreign rulers from the 12th century on, including Spanish and Austrian royal dynasties. In , it became part of the Kingdom of Italy. For much of the 18th and 19th centuries it enjoyed a period of peace and abundance as the area's silk manufacturing became world-renowned.

The scenery attracted visitors like poets Byron and Shelley, famed author Stendhal and great composers like Lisz and Verdi. The reputation of Lake Como as a beautiful retreat continued to grow in the 20th century, enduring a brief bit of bad press when the Italian dictator Mussolini and his mistress were caught in the area and executed.