Como town is busy with lots of restaurants, bars and shops. The Cathedral (il duomo) was built between 1396 and 1740.

Alessandro Volta, the inventor of the battery was born in Como and there’s a neoclassical temple built in his honour, Tempio Voltiano (top image).

Take the funicular to Brunate you get wonderful views over the town and the lake, or you can just eat an ice cream and wander around Piazza Cavour soaking up the atmosphere. You can walk in the gardens of Villa Olmo and the villa is open when there are exhibitions

Como also has a football club, Como 1907 which, although currently in Serie C1, have played in Serie A.

The town is also home to the Aero Club Como the only water flying school in Europe.

Further up the lake, is the popular town of Bellagio which sits at the intersection of the 3 branches of Lake Como – lots of cafes and shops selling art, silk and leather and also Villa Melzi with it’s beautiful gardens Of course, you can also drive or catch the bus to Como or Bellagio.

Argegno is a pretty town accessible by ferry and with a cable car up to Pigra (800m)…great views and you can walk from there. Also in the ferry route is the only island on the lake, Isola Comacina Visit the church, the park and the renowned restaurant, which would make a lovely holiday treat.

Villa Carlotta is a beautiful building with extensive botanical gardens. There are classical concerts held here throughout the summer. You might have seen Villa del Balbianello in the movies – it was used as a filming location in Casino Royale and Star Wars – Attack of the Clones.(middle image)

The Lake Como area is also very popular with cyclists. the Madonna del Ghisallo church, and the cycling museum are nearby at Magreglio (bottom image), and the Giro di Lombardia takes place every year, finishing in Como; in 2009 it will take place on October 17th.

Milan is only an hour away with all it’s shopping and site seeing, as well as football at the San Siro, and Monza is also in the area. This is just a small sample of things to do around Lake Como, but www.lakecomopages.com has lots of useful information about the area and www.lagodicomo.com has information on various cultural events around the lake, although it’s not always up to date.