Como

Town and resort in Lombardy, Italy, on the southwest shore of Lake Como at the foot of the Alps, 40 km/25 mi north of Milan; population (2001) 78,700. Products include motorcycles, glass, silk, furniture, optical instruments, and metal goods. Tourism is important. Como has a marble cathedral, built between 1396 and 1732.

The town stands in a valley enclosed by hills which are clad with orchards and plantations of olives and oranges. There are Roman remains, and medieval walls still exist. Other architectural features include several ancient churches, and a 13th-century palace of justice built in black and white marble.

Como was a long-standing centre of the Ghibellines (supporters of the Holy Roman Empire). It was destroyed by the Milanese in 1127, rebuilt 30 years later, and finally yielded to the Visconti in 1335. The Roman writers Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger, and the physicist Alessandro Volta were born here.