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Como

Basilica of San Carpoforo

Book on the official site
Visit duration
30 min – 1 h
Booking
Required
Area
First Basin
The basilica and its bell tower on the wooded slope above the houses of Camerlata.Ottantafame · CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Marimari52 · CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Marimari52 · CC BY-SA 4.0

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The basilica and its bell tower on the wooded slope above the houses of Camerlata.

Ottantafame · CC BY-SA 4.0

Why go

The basilica was built at the end of the fourth century at the wish of Saint Felix, Como's first bishop, and around it the town's first Christian community grew.

Around 724 the Lombard king Liutprand had the early Christian building enlarged; after the year 1000 a bell tower and a monastery were added, entrusted first to the Benedictines and then to the followers of Saint Jerome. In 1772, under Joseph II, the monastery was suppressed and the basilica became the parish of what was then the comune of Camerlata. Inside, the altar stands high above the crypt, reached by two flights of steps; frescoes survive on the vaults and in the chapels, among them a Saint Christopher.

  • The place where Christian Como began, older than the Duomo and Sant'Abbondio.
  • With the Baradello and the Camerlata fountain, south of the town.

Highlights

  • The raised altar above the crypt
  • The Romanesque bell tower
  • The frescoes, with Saint Christopher on the vault

Getting there

  • On Via San Carpoforo, on the slope above Piazza Camerlata, south of the walled town.

Accessibility

  • The way in is through the door on the south side, as the façade has none. The presbytery sits above the crypt and is reached by two large stone staircases.

On the map

Explore the lake
ComoBasilica of San Carpoforo

© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL

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Sources and credits

Verified at source1 Oct 2026Comune di Como — Oggi a Comoopens in a new tab

Sources and credits

Verified at source1 Oct 2026Comune di Como — Oggi a Comoopens in a new tab