Como, nestled in a basin facing the lake between Mount Croce and Mount Brunate, has been an important strategic, commercial and tourist center for centuries. Its origins are ancient: the earliest human settlements date back to prehistoric times and are concentrated along the southwestern slopes of Mt. Cross and the hills surrounding the valley to the west. Remains of dwellings, rock carvings and cupmarks, dating back to the Bronze and Iron Ages, are still visible in the Spina Verde Regional Park. The Romans, with Consul Marcus Claudius Marcellus, in 196 a. C. conquered the area after defeating the Gauls, and in 59 BCE. C. Julius Caesar founded the present settlement, Novum Comum, in the valley. Given its strategic location Como was able to rival until the late Middle Ages Milan itself. And the passage of time has left precious signs in the city, with a dense series of monuments, including the truly unique ones of Larian rationalism, distinguished examples of European rationalism.
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