Lake Como and the Life Electric sculpture dedicated to Como native Alessandro Volta, the inventor of the battery.

The drive through the mountains to Como was again dramatic and again difficult to stop to take photos. Fabulous scenery as we have come to expect.

Fort Bard, a restored 19C fortification in the Aosta Valley.

The Old Town of Como was very pretty and set up for heaps of tourists. It had a great vibe, some interesting sights and some great shopping. What we saw of Como on the bus into town was very different and not nearly as pretty.

The Cathedral of Como was a surprise and one of the best we have seen on this trip.

One of the many huge tapestries in the cathedral.

An amazing ceiling.

The wooden altar at the rear was built in the 1300’s. When they restored it they found the white marble altar inside dating from the 1100’s.

We paid 4E each for a guided tour of the balcony which included signing a waiver to climb the 70 steps to the top. The detail in the ceiling and the view was worth the climb.

Mr Volta without whom we would be carrying very long leads.

The funicular rises 500 m above the lake for some great views.

The funicular was built in 1894 and still going strong.

The cathedral from on high.

Villa Olmo, built 1797.

Italy has some fantastic food and places to visit, some wonderful sights, and lots of great people. Como is certainly amongst them. But it is a challenging place to travel around. Corruption is rife. Nothing ever seems to be on time or work quite right. It is hard work.

So tomorrow we head for Lake Constance for some Swiss / German / Austrian culture.

David & Collette