Fitzgerald Building by "The House Of Travelers"
Como, Italy · Rental
Fitzgerald Building by "The House Of Travelers" in photographs
When to go
The cheapest month we have found is November, at around USD 174 a night - -17% against what this hotel usually asks.
Where to book
- Book on Booking.com - Free cancellation options, guest reviews and a familiar checkout.
Our notes
Apartments a few minutes from the cathedral
Fitzgerald Building is not a hotel but a small set of serviced apartments in central Como, run by The House of Travelers, a local operator that manages around 150 villas and apartments around the city and the lake. It is about three minutes on foot from Como Cathedral and a seven-minute walk from Como San Giovanni station, and the Tempio Voltiano on the lakefront is around 700 metres away. The units - Fitzgerald 1, Fitzgerald 2 and an attic penthouse - are done in pale wood panelling against dark timber beams and black kitchens, with large vintage posters on the walls.
Each apartment is self-contained, with a kitchenette, air conditioning and its own bathroom; the one we track is the 50 square-metre Deluxe Apartment for two. Check-in and check-out are private, without a reception desk. It suits travellers who want their own space in the old town at a lower price than the lakefront hotels. Guests rate it 8.6 from 214 reviews on Booking.com (read August 2026). There is no website of its own, so the photos come from its Booking.com listing.
The area
The lake works best from April to October, and it is busiest where the famous names are. Bellagio and Varenna fill up by mid-morning in summer. The western shore is the better base: take the ferry to Brienno and Laglio, or walk the Greenway path through Lenno, and you get the same water and mountains with a fraction of the crowd.
Como itself deserves more than a change of ferry. Caesar founded it as a Roman settlement, the twelfth-century Porta Vittoria tower still stands, and the covered market has run since 1934. The villa gardens along the shore were built as botanical showpieces by the families who made their money in silk, and several are open to visitors.
Eat where the locals go: an old stone house above Tremezzo for mountain cooking, or a crotto on the eastern shore that has served lake fish since 1832.
Background: The New York Times, 36 Hours on Lake Como, Laura Rysman, September 2026.
In the blog
Lake Como without the Lake Como price
The famous names on this lake now start around USD 1,800 a night, and a new wave of luxury openings is pushing that higher. Five minutes from the station, the same water and the same light go for under USD 241 - and the quiet western shore is a ferry ride away.
2026-09-24 · Como, Italy
What it costs through the year
| Cheapest we have seen | USD 165 ≈ €147 |
|---|---|
| What it usually costs | USD 210 ≈ €188 |
| Dearest we have seen | USD 278 ≈ €248 |
| Times we looked | 15 |
| Gap between the two | 54% |
| Last checked | 2026-10-31 |