Layover in Milan: visiting Lago di Como

Milan, January 2026

Last time I visited the city center of Milan was in 2017 and since the weather forecast was favorable, I considered doing it again. But some members of the crew suggested going to Lake Como instead - something I have never done before. And so we caught the train to Como. From Saronno to Como (last station) it takes around 30/40 minutes.

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Como City

Lake Como panorama

Tempio Voltiano

Tempio Voltiano is a museum dedicated the inventor of the electric battery, Alessandro Volta. I didn't visit it, but I'm curious to do it on a next time here.

Palazzo del Broletto / Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta

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Lake Como

Our initial idea for this trip was to take a boat to the famous Bellagio, but tickets for the public boat were already sold out. So we chose Cernobbio instead.

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Cernobbio

As soon as we arrived in Cernobbio, we had lunch at osteria Cantina Frasca, a lovely place where I had some very good gnocchi and an Aperol Spritz.

After that we visited the Giardino della Valle, a garden that was previously an illegal landfill.

Celtic spirals on the ground...

... and a nice representation of a snail.

Chiesa Prepositurale del Santissimo Redentore

Before going back to Como, some photos of Piazza Risorgimento where the ferry terminal is:

Monumento ai Caduti di Cernobbio

Chiesa di San Vicenzo

Seaplane tours also seem to be a thing in Lago di Como, since I saw many flying over the lake!

Saronno, Lombardy, Italy

Saronno, September 2024

So we changed our layovers in Milan from Somma Lombardo to Saronno. And I think we are way better here.

Saronno was totally unknown to me so I dediced to explore it instead of going to Milan which I already know. Catching the train at Saronno train station, Milan is only a 15 minute trip, I was told.

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Santuario della Beata
Vergine dei Miracoli

This church is close to our hotel, so obviously it was my first stop. It has an impressive dome and a nice cloister.

One of the paintings in the cloister,

...the interior and detail of the facace.

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Centro Storico

I did not make any research about Saronno before coming here, so I was just literally wandering and getting surprised about how interesting the historic center of Saronno is. Dominating the Piazza Libertà is the Santi Pietro e Paolo church.

 

Barcelona & Malpensa Airport

Barcelona, February 2024

Just a quick post to show a couple of photos I took in Barcelona, last February: the Sagrada Família seen from my hotel and a nice close-up of Torre Glòries at night, located in the Poblenou neighbourhood.

Before going to Barcelona, and part of the same flight pairing, we did a turnaround flight to Milan - Malpensa:

Overflying the Alps

Milan Airport, February 2015

It's always an amazing sight overflying the Alps within the winter season. These photos were taken during the outgoing leg on a roundtrip to Milan/Malpensa Airport. Aircraft was the A320 CS-TNT named "Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro".

I think the Mont Blac (the highest peak in Europe) is visible in the following photos:

And now, during our approach to Malpensa with the Alps on the background.

Turnaround time with airBaltic and Finnair as our "neighbours".

Strolling around Milan

Milan, June 2013

Most of you already know my opinion about Milan so I won't insist :-) Exactly one year later there I was again.

Some nice weather and warm temperatures invited me to get out of my room and do the very same circuit. Parco Sempione is really worth it during the summer!

But don't be thinking this is an easy life... Just before going to Milan we were awarded with a LIS-BRU-LIS roundtrip.

Arriving at night, only in the next day, it was time to visit Milan!

Arco della Pace

Parco Sempione

Beautiful...

 

 

And time to go back in Lisbon... at Linate Airport:

Meridiana Fly

Sunny Lisbon :)

Next time I plan to cacth a train to Lago di Como even if I have to make it alone.