Isola Comacina

About this place

Lake Como's only island once belonged to a Belgian king. In 1917 its Italian owner, Augusto Caprani, left it in his will to Albert I, King of the Belgians; in May 1920 the king gave it to the Italian state on the understanding that it would belong to artists, and Italy handed it to the Brera Academy in Milan, which owns it still. Eight centuries earlier it had been a rebel stronghold that took Milan's side against Como, and in 1169 the Comaschi and their allies burned it and left not one stone standing. Local tradition adds that a bishop cursed the ground that day, so that no bell would ring and nothing would ever be built there again. The island stayed empty for centuries, and today its only resident is the caretaker who looks after it for the Academy. What you see now is small but honest, and it resembles nothing else on the lake: an archaeological trail you can walk in under an hour, past the ruins of the Romanesque basilica of Sant'Eufemia — once the island's greatest church, now low walls and a crypt — the footings of older churches, a medieval tower house, and the church of San Giovanni Battista standing alone among the trees. At the far end are three artists' houses designed by the local architect Pietro Lingeri and finished in 1939-40, hard Rationalist boxes that look wonderfully out of place among the olives and chestnuts; restored in 2010, they serve as artist residencies and are admired from the outside, one of them being the caretaker's home. The rest is gravel, olive trees and water. Getting here is half the decision. The island sits about 25km north of Como town and the journey begins on the Ossuccio shore: the C10 bus from Como takes roughly an hour, the slow ferry closer to two hours each way, and the fast hydrofoil under an hour — though it runs rarely and not every service calls here. From the jetty by the Antiquarium a small private shuttle boat crosses in a few minutes for about eight euros return, paid on board and not included in your admission. Most important of all, the island is entirely seasonal: open daily from May to the end of October, roughly 10:00 to 18:00, and shut completely the rest of the year. If you are visiting between November and April, cross it off the list without hesitation. The last shuttle over leaves around 17:00. One warning genuinely matters here: the famous restaurant, the bar and the toilets are all closed indefinitely after a dispute over the running of the place, which means the island currently has no food, no drink and nowhere to go; the municipality has put the hospitality out to tender hoping to reopen, but not before 2027. Bring water, use the facilities before you board, and do not count on lunch here — the restaurants of Ossuccio, Lenno and Sala Comacina are minutes away. The paths are dirt with a gentle climb and some steps, so no good for pushchairs or anyone who struggles on their feet, though children are perfectly safe running among the ruins with no traffic and no crowds. Our honest verdict: do not cross the lake for this alone. Make it half a day paired with Villa del Balbianello in neighbouring Lenno, and the trip becomes excellent value.