The Faro Voltiano is a 29-metre octagonal tower on Monte Tre Croci, at San Maurizio above Brunate: the people of Como built it in 1927 to remember Alessandro Volta a hundred years after his death. In 2026 you cannot climb it, but the tricolour light has been lit again and reopening is planned for March 2027.
History
The tower was a gift from Como to its most famous scientist, designed by the engineer Gabriele Giussani. In the central vault a bust of Volta in old age was placed, donated by the postal and telegraph workers, and the lighthouse was inaugurated on 8 September 1927 by the Minister of Communications Costanzo Ciano (a local site gives 27 September instead). The same year the Tempio Voltiano rose on the lakeshore, for the centenary celebrations. The lighthouse is not for navigation on the lake: it is a monument to light and science.
What to see
A spiral staircase of 143 steps leads to two circular balconies: one above the entrance, the other outside the lantern. From sunset to dawn the light shifts from green to white to red, the colours of the Italian flag. From the top, on clear days, you see Chiasso and Cernobbio, the western Alpine arc as far as Monte Rosa and, according to the regional tourism site, the Madonnina on Milan Cathedral. The terrace at the base is a good place to stop even with the tower closed.
Status in 2026
The tower is closed to the public after a dispute between Como, the owner of the monument, and Brunate, on whose land it stands and which had revoked the concession of the area. On 14 April 2026 the Lombardy administrative court (Tar) sided with Como in an interim order and the keys went to Como’s mayor; Brunate, which did not appeal, says it handed them over of its own accord and states that the order does not settle the management question, which stays open until the merits hearing on 13 October 2026. On the night between 24 and 25 April the tricolour light was lit again (Il Giorno).
On 10 July 2026 Como’s council approved the guidelines for extraordinary maintenance works, for 400,000 euros: the approved document notes spalled concrete cover on the inner staircase, rusted railings, flaking plaster and a staircase and parapets that do not meet safety rules for the public. The works are planned between October 2026 and February 2027, with testing and reopening in March, the month of the bicentenary of Volta’s death (5 March 1827). These data should be rechecked after the 13 October hearing and at the end of the works.
Getting there
From Brunate you walk: from the upper station of the Como-Brunate funicular a scenic mule track starts, in a wood of chestnuts, birches and pines, with votive chapels along the way. The length varies by source: about 1.2 kilometres for the regional tourism site, 1.8 for Wikipedia, and about half an hour of uphill walking for a local blog. From Como you can climb on foot from the Eremo di San Donato with about 650 metres of ascent (Wikipedia). We have not verified difficulty and times on an official source.
Practical information
- Address: via Giacomo Scalini, località San Maurizio, Brunate. The Comune di Como’s tourist portal says “currently closed” (info: infopointcomo@comune.como.it).
- Before climbing it is best to check the state of the works on the Comune di Como’s site.
Sources
- Oggi a Como, Faro Voltiano (Brunate)
- in-Lombardia, Brunate Lighthouse
- QuiComo, La luminosa storia del faro di Brunate (11 May 2026) and Brunate: “Ordinanza Tar non risolve la vicenda” (14 April 2026)
- EspansioneTv, Faro Voltiano, corsa contro il tempo per la riapertura (10 July 2026) and CiaoComo, Faro di Brunate, il Tar dà ragione a Como (14 April 2026)
- Wikipedia, Faro Voltiano entry; Il Giorno, 25 April 2026.