Staying in Cernobbio

Cernobbio, flat rate for tourist tax: Confcommercio seeks clarifications

The Municipality of Cernobbio has announced the introduction, starting April 2025, of a flat tourist tax rate of 3.00 euros per person. This is reported by quicomo.it, comozero.it and ilgiorno.it, which agree on the measure decided by the administration led by Mayor Matteo Monti, according to comozero.it and ilgiorno.it.

The change has prompted Confcommercio Como, described by quicomo.it and comozero.it as the most representative association in the province for the tourism and hospitality sector, to approach the mayor directly to find out the details and timing of the measure, put forward proposals, and inform its member businesses. All three outlets agree on this development, noting that, according to quicomo.it and comozero.it, the request for a meeting falls within the association's ordinary activities, aimed at constructive dialogue in the interest of the sector and the local economy. The same two sources also point out that regulations require municipal administrations to consult the most representative association when deciding how tax revenue should be allocated.

According to quicomo.it, comozero.it and ilgiorno.it, Confcommercio states it has repeatedly contacted the Municipality without ever receiving a response or being granted a meeting. The same sources note that accommodation businesses reportedly received no formal notice of the tariff change, which could create problems for bookings already made, and that the association also reportedly sought clarification—without success—on IMU and TARI charges for holiday homes. This is why Confcommercio hopes, as all three outlets report, for an urgent and constructive round of talks with the municipal administration.

The same sources highlight that Cernobbio's accommodation offerings vary widely in location and character, ranging from luxury apartments to small B&Bs, and that, according to Confcommercio, the announced increase risks having a heavy, negative impact especially on the majority of small businesses. For this reason, the association is proposing that the mayor return to the method used the previous year, with a per-person rate calculated by dividing the cost of accommodation by the number of guests.

Sources differ on the name of the president of the group representing non-hotel accommodation businesses within Confcommercio Como: quicomo.it and comozero.it name Paola Gonella, while ilgiorno.it does not confirm this. Comozero.it also dates the release of Confcommercio's statement to January 21, 2025, a detail not picked up by the other outlets.

The tourist appeal of Cernobbio

Beyond the administrative dispute, Cernobbio remains one of the best-known destinations on Lake Como. The town sits on the western shore of the lake, at the foot of Monte Bisbino, as reported by in-lombardia.it and mylakecomo.co; the latter source adds, without further corroboration, that the town lies just a few kilometers from Como, in a strategic location near the Swiss border.

Among its landmark sites is Villa d'Este, built in the 16th century according to wallstreetitalia.com, in-lombardia.it and explorecomolake.com, and converted into a luxury hotel in 1873, as confirmed by wallstreetitalia.com and in-lombardia.it. Wallstreetitalia.com also reports, without confirmation elsewhere, numerous details about the villa's history and operations: it was reportedly built for Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio, while according to in-lombardia.it the design is credited to architect Pellegrino Pellegrini, known as Tibaldi, and the property later passed to Caroline of Brunswick, from whom the villa takes its name. Still according to wallstreetitalia.com—unconfirmed elsewhere—the property boasts a 140-year hotel tradition, a Renaissance garden with a famous mosaic now a national heritage asset, and a guest list that reportedly includes Rita Hayworth and Orson Welles, alongside more recent regulars such as George Clooney, Woody Allen, Madonna, Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein. The same source, uncorroborated elsewhere, describes Villa d'Este as a member of The Leading Hotels of the World, with 152 rooms and suites, four rentable 19th-century villas, a Sporting Club with a floating pool and tennis courts, three restaurants including Veranda, led by chef Michele Zambanini, and as the venue for events such as the Ambrosetti Forum, the Classical Musical Festival, the Wine Symposium and the Concorso d'Eleganza—the latter linked, according to wallstreetitalia.com, to the 1949 debut of the Coupé Villa d'Este.

Cernobbio is also home to two other historic villas. Villa Bernasconi, recently restored, is open to the public with an innovative, interactive museum display recounting its history, and is an example of Liberty/Art Nouveau architecture, according to in-lombardia.it and mylakecomo.co. In-lombardia.it, with no other corroboration, dates its construction to 1906, while mylakecomo.co attributes it, again as an isolated claim, to textile entrepreneur Davide Bernasconi and describes it as the only villa in Cernobbio open to the public. Villa Erba, dating to the 19th century, is today an exhibition and conference center, according to the same two concurring sources.

Finally, in-lombardia.it and mylakecomo.co note that Cernobbio hosts several high-end hotels and villas and is well connected to the rest of the lake and to the A9 motorway, a point also confirmed by explorecomolake.com. Mylakecomo.co adds, without corroboration, that the Municipality reportedly received the "Comune Fiorito" ("Flowering Town") award in 2019, that water sports and mountain excursions are practiced in the area, and that local villas are reportedly used as settings for events, commercials and films.

What emerges from these sources is a picture in which Cernobbio's and Lake Como's luxury tourism appeal intertwines with the tensions raised by Confcommercio over the management of the tourist tax—an issue still unresolved as the requested talks with the Municipality remain pending.