21Nov
Santa Cecilia concert at Lezzeno
The village's Corpo musicale celebrates the patron saint of music.
Lezzeno
Tremezzina
Isola Comacina
The lake's only island, with the remains of the medieval settlement destroyed in 1169 and three artists' houses by Pietro Lingeri.
- Today
- Visit duration
- 1 h 30 – 3 h
- Booking
- Not required
- Area
- Centro Lago
- Vezlui69 · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Ramessos · CC BY-SA 4.0
Why go
Isola Comacina is the lake's only island: about six hundred metres long and two hundred wide.
In Roman times and above all in the early Middle Ages it was a political, military and religious centre; in the sixth century it was a Byzantine stronghold. In 1169 troops from Como, allied with the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, razed it to the ground, and the island was abandoned. Excavations, begun in 1914, have uncovered the remains of the basilica of Sant'Eufemia, with its crypt, and of the churches of Santi Faustino e Giovita, San Pietro in Castello and Santa Maria col Portico, as well as a tower house and the walls. In 1917 the island was bequeathed to King Albert I of Belgium, who gave it to the Italian State in 1920. It was entrusted to the Brera Academy, and in 1940 Pietro Lingeri built three artists' houses on it in Moltrasio stone.
- An archaeological site on an island reachable only by boat.
- The artists' houses Pietro Lingeri designed in 1940, in the Rationalist style.
Highlights
- The ruins of Sant'Eufemia
- The oratory of San Giovanni
Getting there
- Boats from Sala Comacina and Ossuccio, with seasonal sailings.
- By lake boat, Ossuccio-Isola Comacina stop.
LigaDue · CC BY-SA 4.0Accessibility
- The Antiquarium, the island's museum on the mainland at Ossuccio, is accessible to people with motor disabilities.
Practical information
- Telephone
Facilities
- Car park 366 m away
- Public toilets 217 m away
Distances from the point on the map.
Webcams
- Sala Comacina, from Villa MolliUpdated image · Villa Molli · 950 m
Updated 22 October 2026
On the map
© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
What's on nearby
Events within a few kilometres, on now or coming up.
Nearby: places, experiences, services
Distances as the crow flies.
Sources and credits
Verified at source1 Oct – 9 Oct 2026Isola Comacina — Comune di Tremezzinaopens in a new tab
- Maps, parking, services and distances: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
- Freely licensed photographs: authors and licences under Photograph credits.
Sources and credits
Verified at source1 Oct – 9 Oct 2026Isola Comacina — Comune di Tremezzinaopens in a new tab
- Maps, parking, services and distances: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
- Freely licensed photographs: authors and licences under Photograph credits.