travellers. A climate station is established
on the hill of Brunate (2350 ft.) above the town to the E., reached by a
funicular railway. The Milanese possess many villas here. Como is an
industrial town, having large silk factories and other industries (see
LOMBARDY). It is connected with Milan by two lines of railway, one via
Monza (the main line, which goes on to Chiasso--Swiss frontier--and the
St Gotthard), the other via Saronno and also with Lecco and Varese.

Of the Roman Comum little remains above ground; a portion of its S.E.
wall was discovered and may be seen in the garden of the Liceo Volta, 88
ft. within the later walls: later fortifications (but previous to 1127),
largely constructed with Roman inscribed sepulchral urns and other
fragments, had been superimposed on it. Thermae have also been
discovered (see V. Barelli in _Notizie degli scavi_, 1880, 333; 1881,
333; 1882, 285). The inscriptions, on the other hand, are numerous, and
give an idea of its importance. The statements as to the tribe which
originally possessed it are various. It belonged to Gallia Cisalpina,
and first came into contact with Rome in 196 B.C., when M. Claudius
Marcellus conquered the Insubres and the Comenses. In 89 B.C., having
suffered damage from the Raetians, it was restored by Cn. Pompeius
Strabo, and given Latin rights with the rest of Gallia Transpadana.
Shortly after this 3000 colonists seem to have been sent there; 5000
were certainly sent by Caesar in 59 B.C., and the place received the
name Novum Comum. It appears in the imperial period as a _municipium_,
and is generally spoken of as Comum simply. The place was prosperous; it
had an important iron industry; and the banks of the lake were, as now,
dotted with villas. It was also important as the starting-point for the
journey across the lake in connexion with the Splugen and Septimer
passes (see CHIAVENNA). It was the birthplace of both the elder and the
younger Pliny, the latter of whom founded baths and a library here and
gave money for the support of orphan children. There was a _praefectus
classis Comensis_ under the late empire, and it was regarded as a strong
fortress. See Ch. Hulsen in Pauly-Wissowa, _Realencyclopadie_, Suppl.
Heft i. (Stuttgart, 1903), 326.

Como suffered considerably from the early barbarian invasions, many of
the inhabitants taking refuge on the Isola Comacina off Sala, but
recovered in Lombard times. It was from that period that the _magistri
C