Piazza Cavour
Piazza Cavour is the principal lakeside square of Como, a city and provincial capital in Lombardy set at the southern tip of Lake Como. Opened toward the water and framed by 19th-century and early 20th-century buildings, the square has functioned as the civic and commercial heart of Como’s waterfront since the Risorgimento period, named in honour of Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, the statesman who engineered Italian unification.
At a glance
- Type
- Historic civic square and lakeside promenade
- Period
- Mid-19th century; current form principally 1860s–1930s
- Style
- Eclectic historicism with Liberty (Art Nouveau) accents
- Location
- Como city centre, Province of Como, Lombardy, Italy
- Coordinates
- 45.5671° N, 9.9986° E
Overview
Piazza Cavour occupies the prime position in Como’s historic centre, directly on the lakefront at the point where the city’s main streets converge at the landing stage. The square is bordered by the Grand Hotel Terminus (1869), the Banca Popolare di Como building, and a succession of cafes and hotels whose terraces face the lake. The adjacent Lungolario Trieste promenade connects Piazza Cavour northward along the shore, offering unobstructed views across Lake Como toward the Alps.
History
Como is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in northern Italy, with Roman origins as Comum established by Julius Caesar around 59 BCE. The city became a prosperous silk-weaving centre in the medieval period and retained that industrial identity into the modern era. Piazza Cavour took its current form following Italian unification in 1861, when many Italian cities renamed central public spaces in honour of Risorgimento figures. The square’s built fabric evolved through the late 19th and early 20th centuries, acquiring its present eclectic and Liberty-influenced character during Como’s industrial and tourist boom.
What you see
The square’s most striking feature is its direct visual and physical relationship with Lake Como: from the lakeside edge, the view opens onto the water and the mountains rising steeply from the opposite shore. The buildings framing the square present a uniform neoclassical and historicist street line, with ground-floor arcades sheltering cafes and shops. The lakeside quay accommodates the Como–Lecco ferry service and private boats, maintaining the square’s role as a transport hub that it has held since the age of steam navigation on the lake in the 1820s. The nearby 1927 War Memorial (Monumento ai Caduti) and the neoclassical Duomo, a short walk inland, complete the city’s historic civic axis.
Cultural significance
Lake Como and its urban spaces have been a destination for European travellers since the Grand Tour era of the 18th century, and Piazza Cavour has long been the arrival point for visitors disembarking from the lake ferries. Como’s association with figures ranging from Alessandro Volta (inventor of the battery, born here in 1745) to the modern fashion and design industry gives the city a cultural profile that spans scientific history, industrial heritage, and contemporary luxury. The piazza concentrates these identities in a single legible urban space.
Practical information
- Address
- Piazza Cavour, 22100 Como CO
- Access
- Freely accessible at all times; lakeside terrace cafes open daily
- Ferry
- Navigazione Laghi ferry service operates from the adjacent quay to Bellagio, Varenna, Lenno, and other lake villages
Getting there
Como is served by two railway stations: Como San Giovanni (direct trains from Milan Centrale, 40 minutes) and Como Lago (Ferrovie Nord commuter trains from Milan Cadorna, 60 minutes). Piazza Cavour is a 15-minute walk from Como San Giovanni, or 5 minutes from Como Lago station. By road, Como is 50 km north of Milan via the A9 motorway.
Sources & resources
- Wikipedia: Como
- Wikipedia: Lake Como
- Cultural Heritage Online — Italy travel guides