Piramide di Laglio

The Piramide di Laglio is the monumental tomb of Joseph Frank, a German physician who settled in Como. Its pale marble-clad form rises beside the village cemetery, giving funerary architecture a conspicuous place in the lakeside landscape.

Why it matters

Frank specified a pyramid in his will, linking personal remembrance with a wish to contribute to the beauty of the lake shore. His instructions referred to the Pyramid of Caius Cestius in Rome, connecting the monument with a classical model familiar through architectural guidebooks.

What to notice

The square-based pyramid rises approximately twenty metres. Three portals use Egyptian-inspired forms, and a portrait medallion introduces the person commemorated. White marble cladding and the strong geometry distinguish the monument from the neighbouring cemetery's smaller memorials.

Context and history

Frank died in 1842. Architect Francesco Durelli developed the tomb's final form, and construction and marble cladding took place in 1850–1851. The monument was inaugurated in June 1852, when Frank's remains were transferred from the adjacent cemetery. Its position outside the cemetery reflects the space required by the unusually large design.