U* 



O no 



, QUO. 



MO 



the rocks, u called L'Orrido di Bellano. Farther north if Colic.., 

 whence the high-road of the Stelvio began, but it U now conti- 

 nued as far a* LMCO. A branch road strikes off to the left near 

 Colico, loading by Chiavrnna to the pan of the Splugen. On the west 

 ahore are Donaso, where the steam-boat from Como itopt; Gravo- 

 iluua, a Urge village (3200 inhabitant*), with the vast marble palace 

 of the duke* d'Alvito ; Donga, with it* iron mine* and work* ; the 

 caitle of Musso, out in the rock, where the < Vndottiera Uian Oiacomo 

 Medici of Milan, brother of Pope Pius IV., defended himaelf for eight 

 month* (gaunt all the force* of Francesco Sfona II., duke of Milan, 

 whom he obliged at last to grant him 85,000 gold sequins, and a full 

 amnesty, in K.:ii Near Muaeo are quarries of white marble, of 

 which the cathedral of Como is built. Lower down are Crenna, 

 Reuonico (Rhcctionicum), and Menagio, another large village, whence 

 a road leads over the mountains to Porlezxa, on the north extremity of 

 the Logo di Lugano, which here protrudes into the province of Como. 



In the triangle formed by the two south branches of the lake are 

 two ranges of hills, one parallel to each branch, both meeting in the 

 promontory on which Bellagio stands. Between these ranges U the 

 valley called Assina, in which the river Lambro, a feeder of the Po, 

 has it* source ; here also are the town of Asao, the little lake of 

 Segrino, and the two village* of Castel Marte and Proserpio. At the 

 south entrance of the valley stands the little town of Erba, in the 

 middle of a plain encircled by hill*, the southernmost of which form 

 the group known by the name of Colline di Brianza, which extend 

 between the Lambro and the Adda, and on the borders of the two 

 province* of Como and Milan, to within a few miles of Monza, These 

 are the nearest hills to Milan, and the favourite resort of the wealthy 

 Milanese in the summer and autumn. Among them are many man- 

 sions, country-houses, gardens, and cheerful villages. This district pro- 

 duces excellent wine, of which that of Mont' Urobio (a village which 

 perpetuates the name of the Orobii, the most ancient inhabitants of 

 this region) is the best ; but it U not carefully enough prepared to be 

 fit for exportation. Here and in all the southern part of the province, 

 extending from the Adda to the upper valley of the Olona and the 

 Lago Msggiore, the culture of the white mulberry-tree and the rearing 

 of silk-worm* form a most important branch of industry ; and nowhere 

 is the preparation of raw silk for manufacturing uso better under- 

 stood than here. lu the environ* of the city of Como there are great 

 pine-forest*. The cypress flourished in many parts of the province. 

 The roads are good, a* they are in all Austrian Italy. There is a 

 branch railroad from Como to Milan through Monza. 



The western part of the province of Como consist* of the district 

 of Varese and the east coast of the Lago Maggiore. Varese is a bust- 

 ling town with above 8000 inhabitant* and several silk factories. It 

 stands near the little lake of Varese, in a fine hill j country, where some 

 of the best silk in Lombardy is produced. The lake is about five miles 

 long and two miles wide at it* greatest breadth. This is another 

 favourite place of resort with the Milanese, and is full of handsome 

 country-house*. On a steep hill north of Varese is the sanctuary of 

 La Madonna del Monte, to which the country people resort in the 

 muuth of September. A road leads from Varese to Laveno, whence 

 boat* cross over the Lago Maggiore to Pallanza in Piedmont. On the 

 Como side of the lake is Luvino, near the river Tress, an outlet of 

 the Lake of Lugano into the Lago Maggiore. The district of Cu\ m, 

 or Valcuvio, not far from l.i.\ iim, has oeen drained of an extensive 

 marsh. To the east of Valcuvio, and separated from it by a range of 

 hill*, i* Viconago, on the west bank of the Lake of Lugano, which on 

 this side touches the province of Como, and where are lead mines 

 and works. Towards the Milanese the hills gradually sink, ami the 

 soiitheru verge of the province of Como merges into the great plain 

 of Lombardy. The districts of Tradate and Appiano are situated at 

 this. 



The province of Como is well cultivated ; it produces corn, wine, 

 fruit, and .ilk. The lake abounds with fish, especially of the trout 

 species. The people are industrious, and elementary education is very 

 widely diffused among them. A great number of young men from 

 tin- mountain district* emigrate in quest of employment; many follow 

 the trade of masons and lapidaries u in ancient times, when, un.lrr 

 the I.oinlnnl kings, master-masons in Upper Italy were generally 

 tried 'magintri Coinaceni ;' others go to various countries as pea- 

 lar*. carrjiuK barometers, spectacles, looking glasses, 4c., which are 

 manufactured at Como. 



The province of Como i* divided into 20 district* and 528 com- 

 mune*. In each commune there i* at least one elementary school ; 

 and there an also several holiday school*, charitable foundations, and 

 prir.U schools authorised by the government Tim civil, criminal, 

 and commercial court* for the whole province are held at Como. 



Beside* the capital, COMO, which U noticed in the next article 

 are hardly any places in the province deserving of special noli, 

 village* are numerous, but their population is seldom ab. 

 in many case* it is not so much as 1 i XMI. The followinK however may 

 be here given :L*trn, about 1 7 mile* K. from Como, at the point where 

 the Adds emerges from the Lago di Lecco, has about 6000 inhabitant*, 

 who manufacture *ilk, cotton, and woolli n ntufls. Mariano, 10 miles 



. has about 4000 inhabitant*. 



MO, the capital of the province of Como in Italy, is situated at the 

 south-west extremity of the lake of Como, surrounded by bills on which 



are several old castle*, in 45 48' N. lat, V 6' K. long., 22 mile* N. 

 by W. from Milan, and has a population of 20,000, including it* nine 

 suburbs. The railway to Milan (28 miles iu length) commence* at 

 Camerlata, about a mile south of the town. The city of Como is sur- 

 rounded by old wall* flanked with towers and pierced by lofty gate- 

 ways, which are remarkably fine specimens of the military architecture 

 of the middle ages. The street* are wide and regular, and the house* 

 well built ; a harbour is formed in the lake by two piers, each termi- 

 nating in a square pavilion, the view from which over the translucent 

 waters of the hike, and the bright cheerful scenery along it* shores, U 

 peculiarly interesting. The suburb of Vico, to the north of the 

 town, abounds with pleasant walks and villas; among the latter tl,.- 

 \ illn i Me.-> ,1,-hi is the moat splendid. The suburb called Borgo di 

 San Augustino is the manufacturing quarter of Como. Como give* 

 title to a bishop. 



Among the twelve churches of the city, almost all of which are 

 decorated with fine paintings, the cathedral is the most celebrated. 

 This very beautiful building was commenced in 1396, but the cu|>ola 

 or dome was not completed till 1732. In a work so long in construc- 

 tion it might be expected that different styles and taste* might be 

 exhibited, but this U not the case ; the building belong* to the Italian 

 gothic, and it is surpassed only by the Duoino of Milan and the 

 Certosa of Pavia. The edifice was built entirely by the voluntary 

 contributions of the townspeople, and is a noble monument of their 

 piety. The exterior is cased with white marble. The pilasters and 

 other portions of the facade are covered with curious religious symbols 

 in bas-relief the fountain, the vine, the lily, the church upon a hill. 

 In the arch above the port il is represented the. Adoration of the Magi 

 in large bas-reliefs. But the most remarkable ornaments of the facade 

 are statues of Pliny the Elder and his son, who are churned by the 

 Comaschi as ' fellow citizens,' and are enthroned under ornamental 

 canopies. The lateral fronts are also richly and tastefully ornamented ; 

 the doorways particularly are admired fur the delicacy and tinish of 

 their sculptures and carving. The interior is spacious, and has a very 

 imposing effect. It is lighted through stained-glass windows. The 

 groining of the vault is painted and gilt. The numerous altars and 

 other parts of the building are adorned with valuable paiutiugg. The 

 baptistry is attributed to Brauiante. The cathedral has two fine 

 organs. Adjoining the cathedral is the Broletto, or town-hull, which 

 is constructed with red and white marble in alternate courses. This 

 buihling, completed in 1215, consists of a loggia upon open pointed 

 arches, with a floor above lighted through large, round-arched win- 

 dows, the central one of which is projected, and from this sjrat the 

 members of the municipality of Como used in the olden times to 

 address the parliaments or assembled democracy. This building is 

 surmounted by a belfry i 



Como has an imperial and royal lyeeum, the front of which is 

 adorned with busts of the worthies of Como ; it contains a good 

 library, reading-rooms, a collection of natural history, a chemical 

 laboratory, &o., and is a handsome building. There are besides in 

 V "> gymnasium, a diocesan school for theological students, 

 a college for boarders called Oallio, and an inhibition for female 

 education under the direction of the nuns of St. Francis de Sale*. 

 The church of S. Fedele is still older than the cathedral ; both this 

 church and that of 8. Abondio, which contains the tombs of several 

 bishops of Como, date from the time of the Lombard kings. They 

 are both remarkable for their rude ornamentation serpents, griflius, 

 lions, Ac. The interiors of both have been somewhat modernised. 

 The palace of the Oiovio family, called JEdes Jovuc, has a collection 

 of ancient inscriptions placed under its portico and round the 

 The theatre is also a handsome building with a good facade ; it 

 stands upon the site of the old castle, and adjoin* the lyceum. On a 

 hill above Camerlata, near the road to Milan, is the ol ; 

 Haradi'llo in which Niqioleone della Torre, the popular chief and lord 

 of Milan, being defeated by his rival Ottone Visconti in 1 ::7 7, was shut 



up in an iron cage, in which ho died utter nineteen months' eonii 



in. id. i '..mo is the native country of the two Pliny*; of Paolo 

 iii. m,,. and his far more worthy brother I'M: i.,, the his- 



torian of Como, whose monument is in the cathedral ; of 1'iazzi, the 

 'l>e Innocent XL; and of Aleasanilro Volta, the 

 great discoverer iu electricity, to whom a statue by Marches! is erected 

 in th<- I'iazxa Volta. 



Com uin is said to have been built by the Orol.ii, the oldest known 

 inhabitants of the country. It was afterwards occupied by the Uauls 

 with the rest of Insubria. In the year B.C. 196 M. C. Marcellus, 

 having defeated the Boii and the Insubree, occupied Column. The 

 place was afterwards ravaged by the Ktuctians. C. Pompeius Strubo, 

 father of the great Pompey, sent a colony to Comuui ; and Ctesar is 

 said to have sent a fresh colony, among whom were 600 Greeks of 

 iihed futilities. It then assumed the name of N,,vum Comum. 

 the fall of the empire Como passed under the Cloths, Longo- 

 bardc, and Franks, and became at last an Independent municipal 

 c, ,tuumnity. It was one of the chief towns of the Uhibelines in 

 Lombardy, and as such quarrelled re|>eatedly with the Milanese, who 

 took it after a long siege, and burnt it iu 11 'il. It was afterwards 

 gradually rebuilt where it now stand*. 



Como ha* several considerable manufactories of silks, cottons, 

 woollens, and sosp. 



