Page 413 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Europe

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the 38 rooms of the Pinacoteca an upside-down Y, and offers
di Brera. Works by some of fine views of the Alps.
Italy’s 20th-century artists are In the heart of the town
also on display. of Como lies the elegant
The beautiful 15th-century Piazza Cavour. The beautiful
Renaissance convent of Santa 14th-century Duomo nearby has
Maria delle Grazie, in the 15th- and 16th-century reliefs
southwest of the city, is a must- and paintings, and fine tombs.
see because it contains one of Bellagio, at the junction of
the key images of western the “Y,” has spectacular views,
civilization: the Last Supper (or and is one of the most popular
Cenacolo) of Leonardo da Vinci. spots on Lake Como.
The large wall painting has In the lakeside town of
deteriorated badly but remains Tremezzo, the 18th-century
an iconic work of great subtlety. Villa Carlotta is adorned with
Sant’Ambrogio is a mainly sculptures and celebrated for
10th-century Romanesque its terraced gardens.
basilica dedicated to the patron Statue of Carlo Borromeo, patron saint of
saint of Milan whose tomb lies Lake Maggiore, in Arona t Lake Garda
in the crypt. The 4th-century
church of San Lorenzo holds an From here Monte Mottarone, £ to Desenzano and Orta San
important collection of Roman a snow-capped peak offering Giulio. @ 4 Navigazione Lago
and early Christian remains. spectacular panoramic views, di Garda (800-55 18 01). n Piazza
can be reached by cable car. Virgilio 52, Colombare di Sirmione
R Duomo (030-990 91 84).
Piazza del Duomo. & roof, baptistry r Lake Como
and treasury. 7 Museo del Duomo: Garda, the largest of the
Tel 02-72 02 33 75. Open daily. £ to Como and Lecco. @ 4 northern lakes, borders the
+ Castello Sforzesco Navigazione Lago di Como (800 55 three regions of Trentino,
Piazza Castello. Tel 02-88 46 37 00. 18 01). n Piazza Cavour 17, Como Lombardy, and Veneto.
Open Tue–Sun. Closed public hols. (031-26 97 12). ∑ turismo.como.it Hydrofoils and catamarans
7 limited. ply the lake, offering stops at
Set in an idyllic landscape, Sirmione, site of a medieval
E Pinacoteca di Brera
Via Brera 28. Tel 02-72 26 31. Como has long attracted castle, Gardone with the
Open daily. Closed Jan 1, May 1, Dec visitors who come to walk curiosity-filled Villa il Vittoriale,
25. & 8 7 = in the hills or to go boating. and Salò where Mussolini
The long, narrow lake, also established a short-lived
R Santa Maria delle Grazie known as Lario, is shaped like Republic in 1943.
Piazza Santa Maria delle Grazie 2.
Cenacolo: Tel 02-46 76 11 25.
Open daily (booking compulsory).
Closed public hols. & 7
e Lake Maggiore
£ to Stresa and Laveno. @ 4
Navigazione Lago Maggiore (800 55
18 01). n Piazza Marconi 16, Stresa
(0323-301 50).
Lake Maggiore is a long
expanse of water that nestles
right against the mountains
and stretches away into Alpine
Switzerland. In the center lie
the exquisite Borromean
islands named after the chief
patron of the lake, St. Carlo
Borromeo, of whom there
is a giant statue in Arona.
Further up the western coast
of the lake is Stresa, the chief
resort and main jumping-off
point for visits to the islands. The attractive town of Menaggio on the western shore of Lake Como

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