Hotels near Como Cathedral

Como Cathedral - Duomo di Como to locals - dominates Piazza del Duomo a 5-minute walk from Como Nord Lago station. Construction began in 1396 on the site of the older church of Santa Maria Maggiore, and the building is commonly cited as the last great Gothic cathedral built in Italy, finished as Renaissance styles were already taking over Lombardy. The cupola, designed by the Sicilian architect Filippo Juvarra, was added in 1770 and stands 75 metres above the floor.

The west front, completed between 1457 and 1498, is the cathedral's most distinctive feature. Statues of Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger flank the main portal - both were born in Como and the cathedral chapter included their imagery in defiance of the convention that pagan figures stay off church facades. Inside, nine 16th-century tapestries from Ferrara, Florence, and Brussels hang in the nave alongside paintings by Bernardino Luini and Gaudenzio Ferrari. The Latin-cross plan is 87 metres long with a Renaissance transept.

Pro Tip: Enter through the side door on Via Maestri Comacini rather than the main west portal - you arrive directly under the cupola and get the full vertical sweep of the interior on first sight. The cathedral is free to enter; check opening hours which can shift in 2026.