Parco Archeologico dell'Isola Comacina

Isola Comacina is an archaeological and natural park in Lake Como, with the remains of churches and other structures from its Roman and medieval history. The island was destroyed in 1169 and later investigated through archaeological excavations beginning in the twentieth century.

Why it matters

The island was an important political, military and religious centre, particularly in the early Middle Ages. In 1169, forces from Como allied with Emperor Frederick Barbarossa destroyed it, ending its role as a fortified community. Excavations led by Ugo Monneret de Villard from 1914 and Luigi Mario Belloni between 1958 and 1978 revealed the island’s archaeological remains. It is now protected as an archaeological and natural park by the Municipality of Tremezzina.

What to notice

The archaeological remains include the basilica of Sant’Eufemia and its crypt, traces of the churches of Santi Faustino e Giovita and Santa Maria col Portico, and the fortified church of San Pietro in Castello. Excavations also uncovered mosaics, architectural fragments and remains associated with San Giovanni Battista, where earlier Roman and medieval phases preceded a seventeenth-century church. The island’s natural landscape and the three rationalist houses for artists designed by Pietro Lingeri add twentieth-century layers to its history.

Context and history

The destruction of 1169 ended the island’s long-standing role as a fortified community with its own churches. It remained abandoned and cultivated for centuries. Archaeological work began with Monneret de Villard in 1914 and continued under Belloni from 1958 to 1978. In 1920 the island was entrusted to the Accademia di Brera; three Casa per Artisti were built in 1940 and restored in 2009–2010. Today the municipality manages the site as a seasonal archaeological and natural park, with finds also presented at the Antiquarium on the mainland.