If you’re lucky enough to have vacationed near Italy’s picturesque Lake Como, it’s likely that you took home a memento to help you remember your time in the popular holiday destination.
Since October 2024, a new souvenir has been available alongside the usual postcards, magnets, T-shirts, and keychains for the millions of people who visit Lake Como annually. It’s a can of “100% authentic” Lake Como air, packaged and sold by the communications company ItalyComunica for €9.90 (around $10.40). The container depicts a boat traversing the lake's deep blue waters, so once the air is released (and presumably inhaled, bringing back lakeside memories), it can be repurposed as an attractive holder for pens and pencils or a small plant pot.
The new venture has attracted the attention of media outlets around the world, but it’s not universally popular. Como mayor Alessandro Rapinese said he would prefer if tourists purchased the region’s famous silk scarves rather than canned air. Local merchants have been more enthusiastic, as the product is only available in a few shops in Como and lakeside destinations such as Menaggio and Lenno.
It’s not the first time that entrepreneurs have tried to sell canned air. Other companies sell air from places like the United Kingdom, Iceland, and the Canadian Rockies, marketing their products to tourists or homesick expatriates. And it’s not a new merchandising opportunity, either. Air from Naples (“Aria di Napoli”) has been sold since the 1940s, originally in discarded food cans left behind by U.S. servicemen during World War II.
Curious about Como?
- Lake Como has been a summer relaxation destination for the well-heeled since Roman times. In addition to its popularity with celebrities like George Clooney (who famously bought a villa in Laglio in 2002), Richard Branson, and Donatella Versace, the area is also a sought-after filming location for movies such as Casino Royale, Ocean’s Twelve, House of Gucci, and Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.
- Located in the Lombardy region, around 50 miles (80.5 km) north of Milan, Lake Como is the third-largest lake in Italy. It’s one of Europe’s deepest lakes, with a maximum depth of around 1,300 feet (410 m), which contributes to its striking blue hue.
- Since the 1940s, people have reported seeing a large reptile-like creature in Lake Como. This supposed lake monster has been nicknamed Lario, after the prehistoric reptile Lariosaurus, which lived in the region millions of years ago and whose fossilised remains were discovered near the lake in the 19th century.