They came for an idyllic getaway in Italy's picturesque Lake Como where A-list stars such as George Clooney own property.

But tourists may have been shocked to find that the northern Italian town was not just busy with sun seekers this August - it's also become a temporary home for up to 500 migrants who've been turned away from Switzerland.

Covering the path outside Lake Como's train station are sleeping bags and the few possessions belonging to the refugees.

Tourists are pictured sitting alongside the migrants' makeshift beds with their luggage as they wait for trains.

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Tourists visiting the town of Como in northern Italian are pictured waiting at the train station alongside migrants' belongings

Around a hundred refugees sleep rough outside Como San Giovanni railway station. From here, they try to cross the border into Switzerland but are regularly sent back

The pictures come after residents in the town last week expressed their concern over the growing numbers of migrants camping out while looking to slip over the border into Switzerland.

Swiss authorities have effectively shut their border to asylum seekers forcing the men, women and children to sleep out in the beautiful Italian town.

Prior to June, would-be asylum seekers could board a train in Como and cross the border into Switzerland and seek refuge.

Now, they are stuck and local politicians fear the situation is getting worse.

Refugees sit and sleep in the park in front of the railway station during the day, as they have nothing else to do

Tourists wait outside the railway station for the bus, in front of the refugees' sleeping bags in front of the station

Hundreds of migrants have been camping out on the Swiss - Italian border near Lake Como

Lake Como is normally home to international film stars such as George Clooney and members of the global jet set, but now the area is being inundated by migrants sleeping rough

Switzerland's executive branch on Wednesday announced plans to step up processing of asylum requests, building on a referendum result amid a growing backlog of African migrants trying to enter from Italy - many hoping to pass through to reach Germany.

The Federal Council set October 1 for the first phase of legal reforms aimed to speed up processing of asylum-seekers, after two-thirds of Swiss voters accepted the plan in a summer referendum.

Federal officials will also boost monitoring of asylum-request rejections by Switzerland's largely independent regions, which could face penalties in case of violations.

Switzerland's southern region of Ticino has seen a surge of migrants in recent months from neighboring Italy.

In recent weeks, many would-be migrants into Switzerland were sent back to Italy for trying to enter without proper papers or not making formal asylum requests.

Most of the refugees in Como sleep in tents in the park in front of the railway station

Refugees are pictured charging their mobile phones in a tent provided by local volunteers

Many would-be migrants into Switzerland were sent back to Italy for trying to enter without proper papers or not making formal asylum requests

Residents overlooking Lake Como have expressed their concern over the growing numbers of migrants camping out in their town

Italian authorities have approved a tent camp to house an estimated 300 to 500 migrants who have camped out at the train station in Como after being returned from Switzerland.

Starting in mid-September, a city-owned parking lot near the local cemetery will host 50 pre-fabricated modules and showers, bathrooms and a small health clinic to accommodate people temporarily, prefect Bruno Corda said in a news conference broadcast on television.

Finance Minister Ueli Maurer, who also heads the border guards, denied last week the border guards weren't letting migrants apply for asylum. He insisted the guards were applying the law.

Refugees wash their clothes around the only tap in the park in front of the railway station that provides them with water

Starting in mid-September, a city-owned parking lot will host 50 pre-fabricated modules and showers, bathrooms and a small health clinic to accommodate as many as 300 migrants

Many migrants do not want to stay in Italy, often because they have relatives or friends already living in other countries

Como San Giovanni railway station is the last stop before Switzerland

In July, Swiss authorities expelled 4,149 people, a figure nearly four times greater than the previous monthly high since 2014. Most were Eritreans, while many others were from Nigeria, Ethiopia and Gambia. Border guard spokesman Attila Lardori said over 60 percent had expressed a desire to pass through Switzerland to reach Germany.

Last week, German Interior Minister Thomas De Maiziere told Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper that German officials had counted over 1,300 illegal arrivals from Switzerland between July 1 and August 19 by migrants who had first arrived in Italy.

Unlike Germany and Italy, Switzerland is not a member of the European Union, but has open borders with the bloc.