Faro Voltiano

What Happened

The Faro Voltiano has been closed since 2024 for repair work that has never been carried out. The Comune di Como owns the monument. The Comune di Brunate owns the land it stands on. The management agreement between the two towns expired and was not renewed, and the repairs were never started.

In April 2026 the regional administrative court, TAR Lombardia, issued an interim order siding with Como. Brunate handed the keys back and said it would not appeal. The merits hearing is set for 13 October 2026. Como's mayor, Alessandro Rapinese, said he aims to make the Faro usable for 2027. Brunate's own statement linked the court's reasoning to the aim of having the lighthouse working for the bicentenary of Volta's death, which falls in 2027, since Volta died on 5 March 1827.

What This Means For A Visit

You cannot climb the tower and there is no ticket office. No reopening date is published by either Comune. A reporter looking at the building from outside in April 2026 saw cracks, peeling and blackened surfaces, graffiti and padlocks on the railings, so expect a shuttered monument rather than a polished one.

Do not rely on the Comune di Brunate's own Faro page. Its hour tables end in spring 2024, and it still prints the old ticket prices as if the tower were open. Brunate's separate news notice about the closure no longer loads at all. For the latest, ask at the Brunate infopoint on the day (May to September daily 10:00-16:00, October to April on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays 10:00-16:00), or phone the Comune di Brunate on +39 031 220301.

Como's Gift To Volta

The Comune di Brunate tells the story in two lines: in 1927, one hundred years after Alessandro Volta's death, Como gave its most famous citizen a monument on the San Maurizio ridge above Brunate, the high ground that looks down on the city. The engineer Gabriele Giussani designed it.

The building is an octagonal tower, 29 metres high, with a long access stairway and a panoramic terrace, and it overlooks the whole valley. The Comune's page says that at night it lights Como and the valley with white, red and green beams. That is the lighthouse part of the name: a light for a city, set on a hill rather than on the shore.

What You See Today

The tower still stands on its ridge, but the stairway and the terrace are shut. The reporter who looked at it closely in April 2026 described cracks, peeling and blackened surfaces, graffiti and padlocks on the railings. Treat it as a walk to a viewpoint with a closed monument at the end, not as a paid attraction.

If you want Volta indoors, the Tempio Voltiano on the Como lakefront is open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00-18:00.

The table compares the four ways of reaching the Faro Voltiano area, with what each costs and what to watch out for. Funicular and parking figures come from the operators and the Comune di Brunate, the walking time from Italia.it.

The Panorama

Italy's national tourism portal calls Brunate the balcony over the Alps, with views on clear days from the mountains to the lake. The Faro stands above the village at San Maurizio and, per the Comune, overlooks the whole valley. The tower is also part of the skyline seen from Como, so walking up to it closes a loop.

The Building

The access stairway is shut, so the building is seen from outside. Expect the state reported in April 2026: padlocks on the railings, some graffiti, weathered surfaces. The Comune's description of the white, red and green night beams dates from before the closure, and nothing published says whether they still run.

Making A Walk Of It

The Faro is the natural end point of an afternoon in Brunate. The Brunate page covers the village, the Como to Brunate walk page covers arriving on foot, and walks in Como lists longer outings. The last funicular leaves at midnight.

• Como paid for the lighthouse in 1927, one hundred years after Alessandro Volta's death, and built it on the ridge above Brunate (Comune di Brunate, Faro Voltiano page).
• The tower is an octagon 29 metres high, designed by the engineer Gabriele Giussani (Comune di Brunate, Faro Voltiano page).
• There are 143 steps to the circular balconies (italia.it, Como Brunate Funicular page).
• Two towns share it: the Comune di Como owns the monument and the Comune di Brunate owns the land, and their management agreement lapsed (EspansioneTv, 14 April 2026).
• The Comune di Brunate's Faro page still prints ticket prices and hour tables that stop at 1 April 2024, for a tower that is closed (comune.brunate.co.it, Faro Voltiano page).

The estimates below assume the tower stays shut. If it reopens, italia.it counts 143 steps to the balconies, so add the climb.

For a compressed first visit that still touches the mountain, our one day in Como plan and things to do overview slot Brunate into an afternoon. If you would rather hand the routing to someone else, the Brunate guided walk covers the lighthouse area, the cathedral and the lakefront in a single four-hour outing.

Morning In The City, Afternoon On The Ridge

Start with the city: the cathedral and the historic centre, then the Tempio Voltiano on the lakefront, open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00-18:00, entry $6.92 (€6). That gives you Volta indoors before you climb towards his monument. Take the funicular up, walk through Brunate to the Faro for the panorama, and come down on a car that runs until midnight.

If you want the whole thing narrated, the Brunate guided walk does the cathedral, the lakefront and the lighthouse area in one four-hour outing, or the boat and funicular combo adds an hour on the water. For a self-guided day with more structure, our one day in Como plan and our things to do and what to see in Como overviews both slot Brunate into the afternoon, and the Como tours page compares every bookable option. The Como map puts Brunate in place against the rest of the city.