With its gardens with a riot of colour, wonderful villas and splendid panoramic views Lake Como has become one of the most visited tourist places in Italy. The compellingly beautiful Lake Como seems to have enchanted artists and travelers for centuries: from famous Giuseppe Verdi and Vicenzo Bellini who apparently wrote his opera “Norma” here, to Gioacchino Rossini and a French writer Flaubert.
With its gardens with a riot of colour, wonderful villas and splendid panoramic views Lake Como has become one of the most visited tourist places in Italy. The compellingly beautiful Lake Como seems to have enchanted artists and travelers for centuries: from famous Giuseppe Verdi and Vicenzo Bellini who apparently wrote his opera “Norma” here, to Gioacchino Rossini and a French writer Flaubert. Lake Como is located only 50km from Milan. It is the third largest Italian lake (right after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore) and it is the deepest lake in Italy (over 400m). Visitors can enjoy a fascinating view from its shores onto its charming villages, wonderous villas and lush gardens that wait for visitors in pursuit of places to have a proper rest. Thanks to its strategic position Lake Como has been inhabited since the ancient times. After the Galls, Como has seen many conquerors during its history such as the Romans, the Lombards and the Franks. It was at the beginning of the 11th century that the Lake Como became an autonomous municipality but never stopped having to defend itself against the enemies vying for power and their huge efforts being made to conquer it. Como Lake fell under the rule of the Lombard families Visconti and Sforza, then under the rule of the Spanish afterwards , and then the Austrians and for a short period Como was under the French rule as well. After the annexation to the Duchy of Milan, Como’s fate seems to have been sealed until the unification of Italy.
