George Clooney’s villa is a 20-minute drive up the lake shore road from Como’s stadium. Kate Beckinsale was a spectator in the stands last weekend.
Celebrity spottings and weddings have long been a pastime on Italy’s famous lake, known for its majestic Alps view.
Now, there’s another reason to visit: The local football team is making rapid progress in their first season back in the top division in more than two decades.
Since Indonesian tobacco billionaire brothers Roberto Budi Hartono and Michael Bambang Hartono purchased the club five years ago in Serie D, the club has also attracted football celebrities.
Como coach Cesc Fabregas and former France striker Thierry Henry — both World Cup winners and former teammates at Arsenal — are minority owners.
“We chose to invest in Como because investing exclusively in football comes with unpredictable risks,” said Mirwan Suwarso, who manages Como for the Hartonos.
“Here we’re relying on a brand: We want to make this the top football tourism destination in the world.”
The heavy foreign investment has attracted a mix of well-known veteran players and rising prospects.
Veterans such as former Liverpool and Napoli goalkeeper Pepe Reina and former Barcelona captain Sergi Roberto are there. Plus former France and Real Madrid centre-back Raphael Varane, who then decided to retire but plans to remain with the club in another role.
Alberto Moreno, a 32-year-old left-back, has played every minute of the opening six Serie A matches after signing as a free agent in July after leaving Villarreal — having previously played for Liverpool. Then, there’s Nico Paz, a 20-year-old attacking midfielder signed from Real Madrid; and Alieu Fadera, a 22-year-old Gambian winger signed from Genk.
Add in Como-born striker Patrick Cutrone (formerly of AC Milan), who is tied atop the league scoring chart with four goals in six games, and it’s clear that there’s a mix of players not usually seen at a promoted club.
“Como is the revelation of the season,” Napoli coach Antonio Conte said.
Napoli beat Como 3-1 with goals from Scott McTominay, Romelu Lukaku and David Neres at home on Friday.
In their last three games, Como held Champions League side Bologna to 2-2, won at Champions League side Atalanta 3-2 and beat Hellas Verona 3-2 to move into the top half of the table in 10th.
After a winless start to the season, the way they have turned things around is impressive. But their defensive frailties have been exposed time and again. Fabregas’s side have conceded 11 goals in their first six matches — the joint second-worst record in the league behind Atalanta and Parma with 12 each.
“The ambitions are high,” Cutrone said. “But, the first objective remains avoiding relegation. Then, we’ll see about the rest.”
The club is collaborating with Lake Como Tourism to help attract more visitors to the area. Already 40 per cent of Como’s tickets are being purchased by foreigners.
“But, we also wanted to award our most devoted fans who have been season-ticket holders since Como was in Serie C,” Suwarso said in Corriere della Sera. “For them, we haven’t increased the ticket prices from last season.”
