Como-Brunate cable car

From the Lake to the Alps in 6.5 minutes

The cable car connecting Como to Brunate is absolutely unique in all of Europe. In just a few minutes it travels from the shores of Lake Como to the balcony of the Alps. Opened on November 11, 1894, it follows a straight-line route up a hillside with a 55% maximum slope, on a track measuring 1084 meters, effectively covered in just 6 minutes and 30 seconds. A public means of transportation that permits one to cover significant gaps in elevation, the cable car is one of the symbols that best represents the dream of nineteenth century progress based on science and technology. The Como-Brunate cable car immediately became a prime example of public transportation development of the times, a project that was coherent with Como’s geographic location as a natural connection between Italy and Europe. In fact, it was during the first half of the nineteenth-century that a fleet of steamships first began connecting several towns on the lake, and it was in the second half of the century that the San Gottardo railroad tunnel was also completed. Como and the other towns on the lake were thereby connected with Milan and with Lucerne, with great satisfaction for the travel and tourism aristocracy.

The extraordinary industrial development on that period is also well represented by the opera “Ballo Excelsior”, first presented at the Teatro Alla Scala in Milan on January 11, 1881. This opera is based on the “triumph of science”, a predominant idea of society in the late 1800’s. The symbolic representation of Light and Civilization winning against Obscurantism, enemy of Progress, is also reflected by paintings that glorify the important works and inventions of that period: Alessandro Volta’s battery, the telegraph, Thomas Edison’s light bulb, the Suez Canal, the steamboat. Steam also operated the Como-Brunate cable car up until 1911, when the electric engine was introduced. Since then, the structure has been continually renovated in order to meet the most rigorous safety standards.

Why visit Brunate? In addition to its historic cable car, Brunate offers both an incredible panorama over Lake Como as well as a stunning view of the Alps. Brunate is the starting point for several touristic paths, such as the one that leads to San Maurizio, site of the Volta lighthouse constructed in 1927. From this point, the view of the Alps and Mount Rosa is priceless.

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