Cascina Respaù

Top choice in Como


Amid the lush greenery high above Como, this small rustic restaurant feels like an idyllic escape from the sometimes maddening crowds along the lake. Charming hosts, delicious homemade dishes and a cosy setting (with outdoor seating on warm days) add to the appeal – as does the attention to locally sourced ingredients, like fall-off-the-bone pork and organic wines from small producers.

Call ahead to let them know you're coming. There's also a delightful hostel (dorms from €21) here.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Como attractions

1. Basilica di Sant'Abbondio

0.53 MILES

About 500m south of Como’s city walls is this austere 11th-century Romanesque church, once the seat of a bishopric built on the orders of St Amantius of…

2. Porta Torre

0.86 MILES

The southern gate in Como's defensive walls, bordered by a 40m 12th-century tower.

3. Museo della Seta

0.86 MILES

Far from being a flashy collection of silk scarves, this highly educational study of Como’s long-standing textile industry explains the full silk-making…

4. Pinacoteca Civica

0.89 MILES

Despite its inadequate labelling, Como’s art gallery has a sizeable collection with some rich pickings. Most interesting are the frescoes and sculpture…

5. Basilica di San Fedele

1.05 MILES

Hemmed in by houses these days and enclosing one side of what was once a medieval grain market, this Lombard Romanesque basilica dates back to the 7th…

6. Duomo

1.19 MILES

Como’s awesome marble-clad cathedral is one of the most important buildings on the lake, incorporating a variety of styles – Romanesque, Renaissance and…

7. Broletto

1.2 MILES

The polychromatic Broletto, or medieval town hall, sits right beside Como's towering duomo. Unusually, it butts right up against the cathedral and is very…

8. Tempio Voltiano

1.42 MILES

The photogenic lakeside Tempio Voltiano was built in 1927. This neoclassical temple is now a museum devoted to Como-born ­electric-­battery inventor…