The Province of Como is located in the north of the Lombardy region and runs along the whole of the western shore of Lake Como, including the peninsula at the center of the lake. It borders the provinces of Sondrio and Lecco to the east, Monza and Brianza to the south, Varese to the west and Switzerland to the north. The province used to be larger, but with the creation of the Province of Lecco in 1994, it was reduced by one-third.

The famous and fantastic Lake Como was called Larium by the Romans. Under the rule of Julius Caesar, wealthy citizens began cultivating olive trees and building exquisite villas for holiday retreats, a practice that still continues two thousand years later.