While many travelers might expect the quiet roads of Como to be a breeze at night, the reality can be full of surprising detours and flashing roadwork signs. The picturesque lake region, famous for its charming evenings and peaceful scenery, sometimes trades tranquility for the orange glow of construction lights and the steady hum of machinery.
At night, Como’s serene roads transform, swapping peaceful lake views for unexpected detours and the persistent buzz of construction.
For anyone attempting a late-night drive toward Switzerland, this week has brought no shortage of unexpected obstacles and delays. In response to the closure of Colonno, authorities have outlined specific alternative routes and are closely monitoring traffic to manage the increased pressure on local roadways.
Cautious drivers, guided by their GPS, may discover that technology isn’t always a step ahead of local events. Digital maps often fail to update in real time, leaving travelers face-to-face with “STRADA CHIUSA” barriers across familiar routes.
With the main highway toward the Swiss border undergoing nighttime construction, cars are funneled through winding village streets or forced to double back, extending drives that would ordinarily take minutes into an hour-long exercise in patience.
Although the major Variante della Tremezzina project, which shut down a key artery from November 2021 to April 2022, has long since finished, echoes of such closures linger in local memory and occasionally resurface as smaller-scale projects.
Even residents, who know every shortcut, have been caught by these nighttime surprises, finding themselves in unfamiliar territory or lined up at an improvised detour. The inconvenience is often accompanied by a little neighborhood theater, where local police try their best to answer tourists’ questions in multiple languages, waving them toward alternate routes with an apologetic smile.
Those who brave the journey do get unique glimpses of Como after dark—perhaps a view of the lake shining under construction floodlights or an impromptu chance to discover a hidden trattoria while stopped for directions.
Local businesses sometimes benefit from the forced traffic, as drivers popping in for a late espresso lighten the overall mood. Even when traffic slows to a crawl, the resilience of both visitors and locals is unmistakable.
Nighttime closures may be a headache, but they add just one more story to share about maneuvering the ever-changing roads of Como.
