Path 7. The Plinian Como Walk «tantis compta muneribus»

This special entirely urban itinerary guides the visitor on a journey into the ancient heart of Como city: that of Roman Como, and in particular, the Como of the Pliny era, at the height of the splendour and power of the empire. The journey takes us to an “invisible city”, hidden, mostly now buried, incorporated in modern buildings or even lost, but always described by sources as “rich in beauty” (“tantis compta muneribus”). And from what can be deduced from the urban fabric, from what, very often by chance, emerges from excavations and discoveries, we can confirm the picture of a beautiful, important city, an outpost of trade and conquest.

There is certainly still a lot more to discover, many mysteries to be solved, many possibilities for making everything more accessible and readable. This “path” seeks to offer visitors (slowly and carefully) a special interpretation, immersive and cohesive, of Roman Como, in the belief that the city can still reveal and say much about its most ancient past.

Good luck, therefore. We also thank the Municipality of Como, which supported us in this new initiative for sustainable tourism, and to the Archaeological Society of Como, who supported and encouraged us with its extraordinary expertise.


Stages

 STAGE 1  – From the ancient port to the Southern Walls

 STAGE 2  – from the Southern Walls to the roman villa situated in via Zezio

Points of interest

Roman Como, Ancient Port of Como*, Western Walls*, The Necropolis*, Roman Columns, Porta Pretoria*, Southern Walls*, Roman Baths*, Eastern Walls*, The Two Plinys, Amphitheatre*, The Decumanus Maximus, The Area of the Forum*, Archaeological Museum “Paolo Giovio”, Suburban Villa*

* Buildings destroyed or only partly conserved

Path details

Point of departure: Como, area of the ancient port of the Roman city (Piazza Cacciatori delle Alpi)
Point of arrival: Como, area of the suburban villa of via Zezio
Path type: urban
Environment: urban
Total length: approx. 4 Km
Travel time on foot: approx. 1 hour (excluding visiting times)
Difficulty: Tourist
Access: see single descriptions of the buildings still in existence and accessible
Other ways of access: bicycle
Rise -37 m
Maximum height 237,6 m
Paving: asphalt, porphyry tiles, porphyry cubes, stone tiles, stone slabs, cobblestones, gravel, cement, grit cement tile, dirt road
Public transport to reach the ASF bus departure point in the surrounding area: train Trenord Como Lago station in Largo Leopardi; train Como San Giovanni Piazzale San Gottardo 1
Public transport in the surroundings of the ASF bus arrival point: train station Trenord Como Borghi in Piazzale Gerbetto
Parking at the starting point parking available in Viale Varese, car park in Piazza Jasca and Via Recchi / Viale Cavallotti

Overlapping / Intersections with other paths

This path partly overlaps with Como Path 1 – Stage 1 and Stage 2; with Como Path 2 – Stage 1, Stage 2 and Stage 3; with Como Path 5 – Stage 1 and Stage 2 and with Como Path 6 – Stage 1

Texts

Silvia Fasana, Ambra Garancini, Mimosa Ravaglia

We would like to thank for their cooperation on this project:
Fulvia Butti (Archaeological Society of Como); the staff of the High School “Teresa Ciceri”; Michela Bertolini, archaeological curator of the City Museums of Como.

Photos

Archives of the Iubilantes Association and of the Archaeological Society of Como

Drawings

…

Want to know more?

Historical figures:
Pliny the Elder
https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/plinio-il-vecchio/
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plinio_il_Vecchio
 Pliny the Younger
https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/plinio-il-giovane/
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plinio_il_Giovane
https://www.visitcomo.eu/export/sites/default/it/scoprire/itinerari_escursioni/itinerari-in-citta/como-romana/mappa-Como-romana-web-rd.pdf
LacusCurtius • Pliny the Elder’s Natural History (uchicago.edu)) 

To find out more about Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger and about Roman Como in general, please refer to the extensive bibliography on the subject. The most important sources of information are the Naturalis Historia of Pliny the Elder and the letters of Pliny the Younger.

Bibliography

The descriptions of this path rely principally on the following publications:
F. Butti, B. Grassi, S. Jorio (a cura), RI-trovamenti. 7000 anni di storia comense, Catalogo della mostra, Società Archeologica Comense, Como, San Pietro in Atrio, 1 dicembre 2022 – 16 aprile 2023.
F. Cani, G. Monizza, Como e la sua storia. La Città Murata, Nodo Libri, Como 1994.
Guide della Provincia di Como – La città di Como, Provincia di Como, ISAL, Nodo Libri 2003.
Storia di Como, Volume I, Tomo II, Società Archeologica Comense, Como 2013.
P. Gioacchini, F. Butti et alii, Como nell’antichità. I passi della storia, Società Archeologica Comense, Como 2008 (pp. 55-106).

Websites:
Tourist site of the Municipality of Como
Tourist site of Lake Como
Archaeological Society of Como