Bike Sports and relaxation Tours and cultural

Transcription

12G1439_COPERTINA INGLESE 31/01/13 08.28 Pagina 1
Bike Sports and relaxation
www.cicloviadeilaghi.it/sporterelaxinbici
Province of Como
www.provincia.como.it
www.lakecomo.it
Bike Sports and relaxation
Tours and cultural guide
25 historical routes:
from competitive climb time trials
to relaxation for amateurs
Province of Lecco
www.provincia.lecco.it
www.lakecomo.it
Municipality of Cannobio
www.cannobio.net
www.procannobio.net
Municipality of Brissago
www.brissago.ch
www.ascona-locarno.com
ITALIA~SVIZZERA ITALIE~SUISSE ITALIEN~SCHWEIZ
Le opportunità non hanno confini
Repubblica e
Cantone Ticino
Unione Europea
Fondo Europeo di Sviluppo Regionale
FREE COPY
www.cicloviadeilaghi.it/sporterelaxinbici
Bike Sports and relaxation itineraries
Itineraries in the province of Como and Lecco
Table 01
.
Editorial
Tourism should not be considered a stand alone economic
activity, but rather as a driver for conservation and
development of the entire territory and its resources.
Cycle tourism is a “soft” form of tourism which assures
respect for and economic contribution to the host
territory.
Thanks to the “Italian – Swiss 2007-2013” European
territorial cooperation programme, the Provinces of Como
and Lecco, along with the municipalities of Cannobio
(Verbania Province) and Brissago (Canton Ticino,
Switzerland), developed the Bike Sports & Relaxation
project.
The initiative focuses on two main user types: general and
specialist cycle tourists. The main need of the former is
physical activity, competitive and non-competitive, while
the latter seek milder physical activities, each utilizing the
cultural and nature resources of the territory.
This guide offers three different route types:
• mountain time trials – serious climb routes with timed
results in real time;
• sports itineraries – difficult climbs without timing;
• relaxation itineraries – medium-low difficulty routes
suited to those who want to enjoy a pleasant excursion
with less physical effort.
The fascination of the challenge, the lake, the mountains,
and the historic villas and monuments … all are within
the range of a bike ride.
Department for Tourism Province of Como
Department for Tourism Province of Lecco
Giandomenico Albertella, Mayor of Cannobio
Roberto Ponti, Mayor of Brissago
3
Index
INTRODUCTION: Experience history ........................
6
THE ITINERARIES ..................................................
8
COMO PROVINCE...................................................... 12
CO01.
Bellagio - Ghisallo Mountain Time Trial ... 14
CO0101.
Bellagio - Lezzeno Cultural Itinerary ......... 16
CO0102.
Nature Itinerary: Bellagio - Lezzeno Nesso .................................................... 20
CO0103.
Religious Itinerary Magreglio - Barni Lasnigo.................................................. 24
CO02.
Nesso - Colma di Sormano
Mountain Time Trial ............................... 28
CO0201-A. Artistic / religious itinerary Nesso Pognana Lario - Torno............................. 30
CO0201-B. Artistic / religious itinerary Sormano Lasnigo - Rezzago................................... 34
CO0202.
History itinerary Sormano - Barni - Asso .. 38
CO0203.
Art itinerary Sormano - Caglio ................. 42
CO03.
Onno - Valbrona Mountain time trial ....... 46
CO0301.
Religious itinerary Valbrona -
CANNOBIO MUNICIPALITY....................................... 76
CA01.
Cannobio – Sant’agata Mountain
time trial................................................ 78
CA0101.
History / cultural itinerary ...................... 80
CA0102.
Nature itinerary...................................... 84
CA0103.
History / cultural itinerary ....................... 88
BRISSAGO MUNICIPALITY ........................................ 92
BS01.
Sports itinerary Brissago - Mergugno ....... 94
BS02.
Sports itinerary Brissago - Cortaccio ......... 95
BS0101.
Religious itinerary Brissago Ronco Sopra Ascona ............................... 96
BS0102.
Cultural itinerary Brissago Ronco Sopra Ascona ............................... 102
TOURIST INFORMATION ..................................... 106
Tourist information offices ........................................... 106
Links to official web sites ............................................ 107
“Bike” accomodation ................................................... 108
Lasnigo - Canzo ...................................... 48
Como Province............................................................ 109
CO0302.
Gastronomy itinerary Valbrona Asso - Barni............................................ 52
Lecco Province ............................................................ 110
CO0303.
Nature itinerary Valbrona Asso - Canzo........................................... 56
Cannobio Municipality ................................................ 111
Brissago Municipality .................................................. 111
LECCO PROVINCE ...................................................... 60
4
LC01.
llabio - Piani Resinelli Mountain
time trial................................................ 62
LC0101.
Religious itinerary Pasturo - Barzio Cremeno................................................ 64
LC0102.
Cultural itinerary Introbio - Barzio............ 68
LC0103.
Nature itinerary Barzio Introbio - Primaluna - Cortenova.............. 72
5
Introduction
Experience history
C
ycling is loved by thousands because it tells stories:
stories of men and women, of places, of feats, of hard
work. The areas described in this guide have a great deal
to tell: indeed their landscapes, where flat zones suddenly
turn into steep climbs, have been the theatre of epic,
exciting feats throughout the history of cycling.
One might tell of the infamous, prohibitive Muro di
Sormano climb which was included in 1960 in the Tour of
Lombardy route to make the race more selective and
which, for three years, tested the resistance of many riders
who were forced to dismount and finish the climb while
pushing their cycles.
The famous Ghisallo climb is another site in cycling
history, a regular inclusion on the Tour of Lombardy, and
Bicycle Museum
6
also a stage in the Tour of Italy in the 1967, 1976 and
2006 editions. Some of the greatest competitors in
cycling made their names on this climb, including
Girardengo, Coppi, Bartali, Gimondi and Moser.
The symbol of the Ghisallo is the Sanctuary at the top
of the climb which hosts a portrait of the Blessed Virgin
Mary, called the Madonna del Ghisallo, proclaimed the
patron saint of cyclists by Pope Pius XII in 1949. This
important event is recalled by a moving memory. A
year before, on 13 October 1948, a group of cyclists set
off from Rome, not in a race but a spiritual journey:
they were torchbearers carrying a bronze votive torch,
lit at Castelgandolfo by Pius XII with the mission of
depositing the torch at the Sanctuary near Como. The
torch reached Ghisallo on 17 October: the last bearers
were Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali. Placed in the
chapel, the torch has burnt for over sixty years in
honour of the “Celestial patron of Italian and all cyclists
world wide.”
Since then, each year, many visitors from all over Italy
come to celebrate the cyclists’ Madonna. Meetings and
non-competitive rides are also periodically organised:
the most important events include the Cyclists’ Easter,
National Cycle Day, the International Ghisallo Rose, and
World Children’s Cycle Day.
A Museum of Cycling was recently inaugurated next to
the Sanctuary, offering a rich archive and a collection of
mementoes including the jerseys and cycles of the
greatest cycling champions.
There are many historic links with the cycling world
around Lecco and along Lake Maggiore: the climb up
to the Piani Resinelli in Lecco Province and the
Sant’Agata climb at Cannobio have often been the
scene of provincial and regional level cycling races.
7
The itineraries
T
o keep the history of these places alive and offer the ever
growing numbers of cycling fans a chance to test
themselves, five mountain time trial routes were designed,
each with a real time route timing system which can be viewed
on permanent panels installed at the finish of each race.
Three are in Como Province, in the Lariano Triangle, one in
Lecco Province at the entrance to the Valsassina and one in
Cannobio Municipality on the banks of Lake Maggiore.
The five selected routes are not prohibitively difficult but are
challenging: the climbs, with average gradients between 5%
and 8% with peaks over 12% are accessible to specialist
cyclists. As well as offering users interesting technical and
sporting aspects, the mountain time trials have a further
attraction with natural features and landscapes which host
them: indeed, they all offer spectacular views of mountains
and lakes.
The “Relaxing itineraries” are designed as alternatives to the
mountain time trials (they all start close to the start or finish
point of the mountain time trial of reference), to allow visitors
to enjoy genuine themed routes, where physical activity blends
with knowledge of points of natural and cultural interest in the
area.
10 RELAXING ITINERARIES IN COMO PROVINCE
3 RELAXING ITINERARIES IN LECCO PROVINCE
3 RELAXING ITINERARIES
IN CANNOBIO MUNICIPALITY
2 RELAXING ITINERARIES IN BRISSAGO MUNICIPALITY
3 MOUNTAIN TIME TRIALS IN COMO PROVINCE
• Bellagio - Ghisallo
• Nesso - Colma di Sormano
• Onno - Valbrona
1 MOUNTAIN TIME TRIAL IN LECCO PROVINCE
• Ballabio - Piani Resinelli
1 MOUNTAIN TIME TRIAL IN CANNOBIO MUNICIPALITY
• Cannobio - Sant’Agata
For the specialist cycle-tourists, two sports routes have been
prepared at Brissago which, unlike the five indicated above,
do not having timing systems.
2 SPORTS ITINERARIES IN BRISSAGO MUNICIPALITY
• Brissago - Mergugno
• Brissago - Cortaccio
Finally, for all those cycle tourists interested in a relaxing – and
less tiring – day out on their cycles, the discovery of the
cultural and natural features of the area have certainly not
been forgotten.
8
Each itinerary has a unique code that you'll find in every
project communication tools (roadbooks, georeferenced files,
photo gallery, touristic and cultural guide).
I.e.: BS01 identifies the Brissago mountain time trial, BS0101
identifies the 01 relaxing itinerary near the climb time trial;
BS0102 identifies 02 relaxing itinerary, etc.).
9
Itineraries
General Plan
10
11
Como province
Relaxing itineraries
Mountain time trials
T
he three mountain time trials proposed in Como Province lie
within the Lariano Triangle, a mountainous peninsula wedged between the two branches of the Lario.
The particular geography of the Lariano Triangle, with alternating flat
areas and mountain zones which create significant differences in altitude, is ideal to set out mountain sporting time trial routes which seriously test the fitness of cyclists who seek to prove themselves on
steep climbs. Some of the itineraries have the additional value, be-
yond the mere sport, of being part of cycling history. They have been
ridden by some cycling legends – one for all, Fausto Coppi – and for
several years the Bellagio - Ghisallo section was included in the Tour
of Italy circuit and is a stage in the Tour of Lombardy today.
The historic-sporting significance dictated the inclusion of the Bellagio
- Ghisallo climb among the mountain time trial itineraries chosen; the
other two time trials, Nesso - Colma di Sormano and Onno - Valbrona,
although less important to cycling history, are still very interesting
from the sporting viewpoint (they are both stages in regional and
provincial cycle races) and from that of nature.
It is important to remember that the Colma di Sormano, along the
Nesso itinerary, is very well known to cycling fans, as it is the finished
of the famous “Muro di Sormano” climb: The Muro (Wall) was included in the Tour of Lombardy route in 1960, when the patron Vincenzo Torriani, wanting to make the race more selective, decided to
add this new climb, which is short but with very steep gradients, after
the traditional passage of the Ghisallo, before the finish at Como. The
desired effect was beyond expectations: the climb was so hard that
many pros had to get off and push. The Muro di Sormano was on
the route for three editions, until 1962: that year Ercole Baldini set
the record for the climb at 9’ 24”. Thereafter this overly extreme climb
was excluded, partly because the race was “falsified” by the pushing
help some riders received from spectators. For several years the Muro
road fell into disuse, but it was recently re-opened and valorised.
The relaxing itineraries in Como Province are all in the Lariano Triangle and include a series of villages which bear good witness to the
mixed nature, lakeside and mountain, of the territory.
This peculiarity of the Lariano Triangle offers the opportunity to create
diverse typologies of itinerary, from flat land with lake views to more
difficult mountain routes.
As indicated in the introduction, the routes all start close to the start
or finish of the mountain time trials of reference:
• Bellagio - Ghisallo
• Nesso - Colma di Sormano
• Onno - Valbrona
Madonna del Ghisallo, Monument to the Cyclist
12
13
Como province
CO01. Bellagio - Ghisallo
Mountain time trial
CO01
- CRONOSCALATA
BELLAGIO-GHISALLO
CO01
- HILL
CLIMB BELLAGIO
GHISALLO
757.5 m
700 m
Elevation
600 m
500 m
400 m
Distance
Start location:
Finish location:
Length:
Difference in altitude:
Average gradient:
Maximum gradient:
14
11.0859 km
8 km
6 km
4 km
2 km
0 km
205.2 m
10 km
600 m
Characteristics and route
The Ghisallo climb is 11 km long, starting from an altitude of 202 m
at Bellagio rising to 756 m at the Sanctuary of the Madonna del
Ghisallo, with a difference in altitude of 584 m. The climbing sections
have fairly constant gradients with an average slightly below 9% and
peaks of up to 11%; including the flat section, the average gradient
is some 5,3%.
The road, in perfect conditions, runs almost entirely through woods
and offers breathtaking glimpses of Lake Como and of the Grigne
mountains; there are many switchback bends along the final section.
The best pros mange to finish the route in less than 20 minutes (Paolo
Bettini made it in 19’ 30” on the 2005 Tour of Lombardy).
From the junction on State Road 583, to the exit from Bellagio, follow
the signs for Asso - Ghisallo and, from Bellagio, after about 1.5 km
the real climb starts.
The first is the most difficult section: from Mulini del Perlo (km 2.8)
there is a climb of some 3 km with an average gradient of 9% and a
maximum point of 11%. A sign indicates that there are 8 switchback
bends which prove helpful in regaining your breath.
At km 6.0, at Guello, the road offers a long easier section: the second
section, of some 3 km, is fairly flat (which is why the average gradient
of the climb is not so impressive).
At km 8.5 you reach Civenna which offers beautiful views of the Lecco
branch, in particular over the pre-Alpine massifs which surround it.
At km 9.0 the last climbing section begins, for 1.6 km with an average gradient of 8,5%: another series of switchback bends can help
cyclists during this steep climb. The last tiring slope at 9,7% finishes
on the piazza of the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Ghisallo, patron
saint of cyclists.
The chapel hoists important mementoes and memories donated by
the greatest champions on two wheels. The Museum of Cycling is
next door, with a rich historical archive, the jerseys and cycles of the
most famous champions (Bartali, Coppi, Moser, etc.).
The Belvedere Romeo offers a superb panorama of the Lecco branch
and the Grigne.
Bellagio (metri 202 s.l.m.)
Passo del Ghisallo (metri 756)
11 km
584 m
5,3%
11%
15
Como province
CO0101. Bellagio - Lezzeno
Cultural itinerary
AMONG HISTORIC LAKESIDE VILLAS
AND THEIR PRECIOUS PARKS
THEME
Lake Como is famed for its’ historic villas. Many stand on the West
shore of the Comacine branch, but in the Lariano Triangle it is also
possible to wander among the most sumptuous palaces and gardens
in the zone, mostly in the Bellagio area. The itinerary touches the
principal villas in the territory to surround visitors with the noble
splendours of times gone by . Most of these villas, genuine works of
art, have an added value given the many famous historical, literary
and artistic personages who chose them as residences while staying
at the Lake: poems and images immortalise the place, making it part
of history.
CO0101
- DREAMING
AMONG
HISTORICAL
THEIR
PARKS
CO0101
- SOGNARE
FRA LE
VILLE STORICHE
DEL VILLAS
LAGO E AND
I LORO
PREZIOSI
PARCHI
294.2 m
290 m
FIRST STAGE: BELLAGIO
The tour is almost entirely concentrated in the Bellagio zone. Starting
from the car park in viale Vitali - SS583 heading west, turn right into
Via Carcano until you reach the “lungolago,” the road running along
the lakeshore. Near the ferry bridge, turn right and take Via Parco
Martiri della Libertà uphill to the intersection with Via Valassina. Just
to the north you’ll come to the magnificent Villa Serbelloni, a jewel
of ancient history which extends onto the Bellagio promontory where,
according to tradition, Pliny the young owned a villa called Tragoedia.
The original plan of the villa is from the fourteenth century, and it
was built for the heir of the Marquis Stanga. In 1788 it passed on to
280 m
Elevation
270 m
260 m
250 m
240 m
230 m
20 km
15 km
10 km
5 km
0 km
Distance
21.0586 km
220 m
210 m
205.7 m
Ride length:
21 km
Connection with time trial:
CO01 Bellagio - Ghisallo
16
View of Bellagio
17
Como province
CO0101. Bellagio - Lezzeno
Count Alessandro Serbelloni who dedicated himself heart and soul to
it, mainly concentrating on realisation of the immense external park,
where he had carriage roads, avenues and paths built for a total of
some 18 km. After the death of the Count in 1826, the villa changed
hands many times and was converted into a hotel which, in 1959,
was left by Princess Ella Walker to the Rockefeller Foundation. Many
illustrious guests stayed at the villa over the years: Emperor Maximilian I, Leonardo da Vinci, Lodovico il Moro, Bianca Sforza, Cardinal
Borromeo, Silvio Pellico, Emperor Francis I, Queen Victoria, etc. Today
the villa hosts conferences. The gardens are however open to the public, with an intricate succession of paths surrounded by vegetation:
The gardens are open from mid March till mid November, closed on
Monday. They can only be visited with a guided tour that starts at
11.00 and at 15.30. Turning into Via Valassina and heading south
for about a kilometre, you again come to the SS583, and on the left
you’ll find Villa Giulia. It is currently privately owned and thus visible
only from outside. The villa, the park and the immense avenue of
trees, offer a marvellous view over the two branches of the Lake. It
was built in the late 1700’s in neo-classical style on the orders of
Count Pietro Venini who dedicated it to his wife and gave it her name.
In the 1800’s the park was enriched with statues, fountains, exotic
plants and the main avenue was adorned with cypresses and magnolias, while another grand avenue was designed for the rear of the
villa, surrounded by vines and lemon trees. After the Counts Venini
the villa was owned by Leopold I, King of Belgium, and then by the
Prince of Flanders; today it is owned by the Bonecchi family.
At the intersection with the SS583, take it to the west, and pass the
starting point, and continue to the intersection with Via Carcano; turn
right to reach Villa Melzi. It was built between 1808 and 1813 to a
design by the architect Giocondo Albertolli for Francesco Melzi d’Eril,
Deputy President of the Cisalpine Republic, then Grand Chancellor of
Villa Giulia
18
Cultural itinerary
the Kingdom of Italy and friend of Napoleon who assigned him the
title of Duke of Lodi. The park around the villa was realised between
1811 and 1815 by Canonica and Villoresi: the seemingly natural distribution of the vegetation was the fruit of long studies to increase
the optical illusion of backgrounds and distances. In front of the Kaffeehaus, an unusual Moorish style small pavilion, there is a statue of
Dante and Beatrice, by Comolli, which inspired Liszt to write the
“Sonata fantasia after reading Dante”. The illustrious guests at this villa
included: Napoleon, Eugene Beauharnais, Franz Josef and Ferdinand
of Austria, Umberto and Margherita di Savoia. The current owner is
the Duke Gallarati Scotti who opens the park to visitors from April to
October, every day from 9:30 to 18:30.
Continue towards Como; keep to the right and take Via Giovanni XXIII
which leads to the San Giovanni district. Cross Via Rienza and then
Via dei Pescatori to reach the lake and the Villa Trotti-Bentivoglio, and
in particular the magnificent and somewhat oriental style park. The
building’s history begins in 1752 when a house built in 1600 was
transformed by the Marquis Ludovico Trotti into a sumptuous villa
complemented by an Italian garden. The following century a descendent of the family, returning from a journey to the Orient, modified
the façade to a Moorish style and created a tropical aquatic garden
with ornamental plants of Oriental provenance (Japan, China and
Korea). The Villa’s grounds are adjacent to the garden of another
splendid building: Villa Trivulzio. Built to the desires of Count Paolo
Taverna at the end of the seventeenth century, it was soon let to
Francesco Melzi d’Eril who lived their while Villa Melzi was built close
by. In the eighteenth century, the property was sold to the noble Poldi
Pezzoli family who extended it with the addition of two lateral wings
connected to the main building by galleries. Distinguished by its’ neoclassical architectural lines, the villa has a central body and two wings
which extend towards the large English style park. At the far end of
the park the neo-gothic mausoleum designed for Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli by Carlo Maciachini at the end of the eighteenth century is of
particular interest. Finally, the Romanesque church of Santa Maria di
Loppia is characteristic: known since the year 845, the building has
three naves with a bulging transept and a semicircular apse part of
which is not original, attributable to the XIIth century.
SECOND STAGE: LEZZENO
After leaving the town Bellagio and going about 8 km on the S.S.
583 towards Como, you come to Lezzeno where you follow the signs
for the municipal nursing home; take the flight of steps leading to
the driveway of Villa Citterio: built in the 18th and 19th century, it
currently houses the municipal nursing home with its grounds open
to the public, perfect for a well-earned rest.
19
Como province
CO0102. Bellagio - Lezzeno - Nesso
Nature itinerary
MARVELLOUS GLIMPSES OF THE WATER;
BETWEEN TRICKS OF LIGHT AND ANCIENT LEGENDS
THEME
This itinerary leads to some of the most characteristic natural sites on
the Western shore of the Lariano Triangle, which, further to offering.
marvellous views of the Lake and the villages on the opposite shore,
has a peculiar disposition of the land with rocky spurs dropping
straight into the Lake which take on enchanting lights and colours in
reflections from the water. The charm of the sites, whose majesty is
almost frightening, contributed to the ancient local legends.
CO0102
VIEWS BETWEEN
LIGHTS
AND E
ANCIENT
CO0102- -SCENIC
SCORCIWATER
SCENOGRAFICI
SULL’ACQUA
TRA GIOCHI
ANTICHELEGENDS
LEGGENDE
294.2 m
290 m
280 m
Elevation
270 m
260 m
250 m
240 m
230 m
Ride length:
27,8 km
CO01 Bellagio – Ghisallo
20
27.8275 km
25 km
15 km
10 km
5 km
0 km
Distance
20 km
220 m
210 m
209.4 m
FIRST STAGE: LEZZENO
Starting from the Car park in viale Vitali at Bellagio, take State Road
583 towards Lezzeno. After some 3 km you reach the gorge at Ponte
del Diavolo (Devil’s Bridge) overlooked by the Dolomitic limestone
cliffs of Mount Nuvolone. This place, with its’ gloomy, mysterious aspect, is thought to be the site of exoteric encounters and witchery.
Remember that the Ponte del Diavolo is the end of the Via Regia, an
ancient mule track (some sections are from the Roman period) distinguished by bridges and steps which follows the Eastern bank of
the Comacine branch of the Lake, from Como to Bellagio.
Continuing on the road, for a stretch of some 3 km, it is possible to
view the steep cliffs falling
into the Lake at Sassi Grosgalli, where, at the surface
of the Lake, the Grotta dei
Bulberi opening is found,
a cave that can only be
reached by boat, famous
for the colour effects
caused by the sunlight inside. Historians of the
Lario remember that the
largest fish in the Lake hid
there, the legendary “bulberi” (which gives the cave
its’ name). Once past the
town Lezzeno, after some
3.5 km you reach the
Punta della Cavagnola:
this is the extremity of the
long, looming ridge of
Mount San Primo, the
highest peak in the Lari- Wet dock (San Giovanni)
21
Como province
CO0102. Bellagio - Lezzeno - Nesso
ano Triangle. From here you can see the entire Comacine branch of
the Lake with Comacina isle to the right; further, southeast of the
Punta della Cavagnola between Nesso and Argegno, is the deepest
point of the entire Lake (- 410 m).
The Punta della Cavagnola, with its’ position dividing the two basins
of the Comacine branch of the Lake, was of strategic importance.
There was a watch tower, but there are also tales of a chapel dedicated
to San Nicolao, and of a famous hostelry. The saint was invoked
loudly as boats prepared to round the point, which was often considered a portent of dangers.
Nature itinerary
The waterfall is visible from the Provincial Road or, descending to the
lakeside along the characteristics steps starting from a Roman footbridge that connects the banks of the watercourse and leading alongside the houses. It is particularly exciting in spring or after abundant
rain which swells the course of the Tuf and the Nosè.
Riding back along State Road 583 it is about 12 km to Bellagio.
SECOND STAGE: NESSO
Leaving the Punta della Cavagnola, the town Nesso is reached some
3 km further on, where lovers of natural spectacles cannot miss the
Nesso gorge. Sited at the mouth beginning of the valleys of Tuf and
Nosè, it is formed by the same named streams which join here in a
spectacular foaming mass and which, falling over the rocks carved by
the natural fury of the waters, form a cascade which thrusts towards
the Lake close below.
Foreshortening from the Devil’s Bridge
22
The Nesso Gorge
23
Como province
CO0103. Magreglio - Barni - Lasnigo
Religious itinerary
THE ROMANESQUE IN THE CENTRE OF THE LARIANO
TRIANGLE: ANCIENT TRACES OF POPULAR FAITH
THEME
In the Lariano Triangle, especially in the central zone, one finds ancient churches of Romanesque layout built in the fervent period from
1000 and 1300: the ancient bell towers standing out in the greenery
surrounded by the mountains are particularly scenic.
FIRST STAGE: MAGREGLIO
Next to the car park at the Ghisallo Museum you find the Sanctuary
of the Madonna del Ghisallo. At the top of the pass of the same name,
this small sanctuary, with late thirteenth century foundations, rebuilt
in 1948, is famous for its’ dedication to the Madonna of Cyclists, after
which, in 1949, Pius XII proclaimed the Blessed Virgin of the Ghisallo
the “Patron saint of cyclists “.
The churchyard hosts monuments to Fausto Coppi and to Don Ermelindo Viganò, rector of the Sanctuary. To the right is the cyclist’s
monument, a work by Elio Ponti.
Next to the Sanctuary, a Museum of Cycling was recently inaugurated,
CO0103
- IL ROMANICO NEL
TRIANGOLO
LARIANOTRACES
ANTICHE OF
TRACCE
FEDE POPOLARE
CO0103
- ROMANESQUE
IN LARIAN
TRIANGLE,
OLD DI
PEOPLE'S
FAITH
759.3 m
750 m
Elevation
700 m
650 m
11.8336 km
Distance
8 km
6 km
4 km
2 km
0 km
550 m
545.9 m
10 km
600 m
Ride length:
About 12 km (climbing segments between Magreglio and Barni)
CO01 Bellagio - Ghisallo
24
Church of Madonna del Ghisallo
25
Como province
CO0103. Magreglio - Barni - Lasnigo
with a rich historical archive and precious mementoes, including the
jerseys and cycles of the great champions from Bartali and Coppi up
to the glories of modern times Francesco Moser and Maria Canins. A
stop at the Belvedere Romeo is recommended (to one side of the
Sanctuary) where a splendid view of the Grigne and the Northern
end of the Lario can be admired.
SECOND STAGE: BARNI
Following the Provincial Road 41 South for about 3 km you reach the
village of Barni where, set apart on the southern edge of the village
(via Madonnina), there is a Church dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul.
The precise date of construction of this church is not known but
analysing the building today, and in particular the ancient Ro-
Religious itinerary
manesque bell tower, it may be considered one of the oldest churches
in the valley, probably going back to the XIIth century and then totally rebuilt between the XVth and XVIth century. The bell tower rises
with a single lancet window and then a double lancet window; inside
we find two ancient bells bearing inscriptions from 1420 and 1454.
Outside the church, in the lunette above the entrance, there is a figure
of the Virgin Mary, enthroned Queen. Inside the church, in the apsidal basin, there are numerous figures of saints, with an outstanding
isolate figure of Saint Lucius on the left wall. Early devotion would
have him to be the protector of milkmen and shepherds, but also as
an example of charity: indeed he is depicted with a form of cheese
in one hand and a knife in the other, in the act of cutting food for
distribution to the poor.
THIRD STAGE: LASNIGO
Returning to Provincial Road towards Erba, about another 4 km take
us to Lasnigo. Right on the Provincial Road we find the Romanesque
church of St. Alexander, on of the most interesting religious buildings
in the entire Valassina due to its’ site, to the characteristics Romanesque bell tower and the excellent frescoes by Andrea De Passeris.
The church of St. Alexander has all the principal characteristics of Romanesque architecture in the Comacine area of the XIth and XIIth
century, whose construction typology is strongly connoted by the use
of timber, of squared stone and, for lesser works, of large river pebbles, all these materials are found the building site.
The church of St. Alexander stands at the top of a hillock, reached by
a typical set of steps, embellished by 14 seventeenth century chapels
along the Via Crucis.
The most likely hypothesis is that the church was extended towards
the end of the fourteenth century, with two arches and the widening
of the nave, articulated in three bays; there are two visible lines on
the façade corresponding to the gable of the previous Romanesque
chapel.
Inside there are two precious frescoes by Gerolamo Gorla and Andrea
de Passeri from the XVIth - XVIIth century.
In 1912 St. Alexander was declared a national monument and is still
used by the population of Lasnigo, especially on 26 August on the
occasion of the recurrence of the martyrdom of the patron saint.
Back along Provincial Road 41 towards Bellagio, there are some 6
km to the car park at the Sanctuary del Ghisallo.
Romanesque Church of Saint Alessandro in Lasnigo
26
27
Como province
CO02. Nesso - Colma di Sormano
Mountain time trial
The 13 km long Nesso - Sormano climb starts at an altitude of 280
m at Nesso, rising to 1,135 m at the Colma di Sormano, with a difference in altitude of 855 m.
Although it doesn’t have the elevated gradients of the Ghisallo climb,
this is still one of the most difficult climbs in the Lariano Triangle. Excluding the restful section across the Piano del Tivano, it has an average gradient of 7,4%, with points of maximum slope of 12%. The
road surface is in discrete condition, the roadway is sufficiently wide,
shaded all the way, with twelve switchback bends to face. This climb
is also often one of the stages on the Tour of Lombardy.
The climb can be split into three main sections: the first 10 km, from
Nesso to the Piano del Tivano, is fairly difficulty, with an average gradient of 7%; the second and third have the same length (1,600 metres), yet while the first is all flat, the second has an average gradients
of 8,9%.
The road to the Pian del Tivano, from the Nesso exit of the Provincial
Road 583, climbs tortuously (nine switchback bends in the first 5 km)
from Lake Como up to the watershed with the Lambro valley, through
small villages clinging to the slopes of Mount Monte San Primo, initially offering views of the branch of the Lake, with glimpses, for example, of Argegno and the entrance to the Valle d’Intelvi. The
gradients in this segment are about 7/8%.
The route leads through Erno, then Zelbio (surrounded by magnificent woods hiding the Tacchi and Zelbio caves), finally reaching the
vast Pian del Tivano basin. On the road across the plateau you’ll see
the “Buco della Niccolina”, which receives the rainwater that is collected in the basin.
One of the most difficult parts is crossing Zelbio, but there are other
fairly difficult parts at Comei (km 9.3) and especially in the last kilometre, where you begin to feel the distance already covered. Reaching the Colma you see the Astronomical Observatory and, above all,
the Alpine Refuge, which serves food, and you have a of a characteristic part of the Valassina with Sormano, Caglio and Rezzago.
CO02
- CRONOSCALATA
NESSO
- COLMA
DI SORMANO
CO02
- HILL
CLIMB NESSO
- COLMA
DI SORMANO
1.121.9 m
1.100 m
1.000 m
Elevation
900 m
800 m
700 m
600 m
500 m
Distance
Start location:
Finish location:
Length:
Average gradient:
Maximum gradient:
28
13.1059 km
12 km
8 km
6 km
4 km
2 km
0 km
300 m
253.3 m
10 km
400 m
Nesso (metri 280)
Colma di Sormano (metri 1.135)
13,1 km
855 m
6,8%
12%
29
Como province
CO0201-A. Nesso - Pognana Lario - Torno
Artistic / religious itinerary
IN SEARCH OF PRECIOUS FRESCOES
BY THE COMACINE MASTERS - A
THEME
The particular scenery of the Lake has always inspired brush artists,
so much so that in the Lariano Triangle success has kissed artists of
local, national and international importance (first and foremost Turner
and Corot). In particular, towards the end of the fourteenth century,
a small group of local artists worked around this area leaving precious
works in churches and private homes: of these the most important
were Andrea de Passeris and Bartolomeo de Benzi.
CO0201 - DISCOVERING
THE VALUABLE
FRESCOES
OF DEI
THEMAESTRI
LARIANLARIANI
MASTERS
(ROUTE
A)
CO0201A - ALLA RICERCA
DEI PREGEVOLI
AFFRESCHI
(percorso
A)
376.8 m
FIRST STAGE: NESSO
Frescoes by De Benzi are to be found in several churches on the West
shore of the Lariano Triangle, in the villages of Nesso, Pognana Lario
and Torno.
Starting from the car park in Via Roma at Nesso, you can visit, in via
Santa Maria, the church of Santa Maria in Vico, built in the XIIIth century by the Humiliati lay order, which preached a return to more austere spirituality and a simpler life. Inside there are several frescoes by
the fourteenth century painter, with the outstanding polyptych behind the altar, precious due to the noble conception of the wooden
structure that frames the image of Our Lady of the Assumption. It is
signed and dated 1500. There are two more De Benzi frescoes which
are particularly interesting in terms of their formal and expressive refinement.
360 m
340 m
Elevation
320 m
300 m
280 m
260 m
240 m
Ride length:
14,4 km
CO02 Nesso - Sormano
30
12 km
14 km
14.4179 km
Distance
10 km
6 km
4 km
2 km
0 km
8 km
220 m
203.9 m
SECOND STAGE: POGNANA LARIO
Riding some 5 km southwards along State Road 583 (not forgetting
to enjoy the scenic glimpses of the Lake) you reach the village Pognana Lario where, in the Canzaga area, you can visit the church of
San Roch. Built in Romanesque style, witnessed by the base of its
wonderful bell tower, and originally dedicated to the Holy Trinity, it
now presents an imposing seventeenth century façade. The cupola is
of significant artistic interest, frescoed at the end of the fourteenth
century by Master Bartolomeo de Benzi with paintings of the four
doctors of the church (Saint Jerome, Saint Augustine, Saint Ambrose
and Saint Gregory the Great) accompanied by medallions of the
Prophets and the symbols of the Evangelists.
In 1965 these works were restored to their original beauty of form
and colours, in a careful restoration campaign.
THIRD STAGE: TORNO
Once again along State Road 583, some 5.5 km further South you
reach Torno, where in Piazza Casartelli you find the last church fres31
Como province
CO0201-A. Nesso - Pognana Lario - Torno
coed by a Comacine Master: the church of Saint Tecla, facing the Lake
with a beautiful view towards Como and the villages on the West
shore. The precise date of construction of this building is unknown,
the visible layout is, however, from the fourteenth century.
The architectural lines of the façade, with the architrave over the door
carved and surmounted by the gothic rose window, bear witness to
the fact that the architects looked at the most ambitious models of
their time, in particular the Cathedral in Como.
Inside the building, on the right wall of the Baptistery, there is a particularly interesting fresco by de Benzi, of the “The Man of Pains”.
De Benzi left other traces of his works in the right vane and in the
decorations of the arches. The other local master artist, Andrea de
Passeris, painted an Assumption of Our Lady for the church of Saint
Tecla which is now in the Pinacoteca di Brera at Milan. Of a slightly
later period than the works of the Comacine painters, is a splendid
wood group representing the Lament of Christ hosted in the second
chapel to the left. More recent studies attribute it to the second
decade of the fifteenth century.
Church of Saint Rocco in Pognana Lario
Church of Saint Tecla in Torno
32
33
Como province
CO0201-B. Sormano - Lasnigo - Rezzago
IN SEARCH OF PRECIOUS FRESCOES
BY THE COMACINE MASTERS 2
THEME
The particular scenery of the Lake has always inspired brush artists,
so much so that in the Lariano Triangle success has kissed artists of
local, national and international importance (first and foremost Turner
and Corot). In particular, towards the end of the fourteenth century,
a small group of local artists worked around this area leaving precious
works in churches and private homes: of these the most important
were Andrea de Passeris and Bartolomeo de Benzi.
CO0201 - DISCOVERING THE VALUABLE FRESCOES OF THE LARIAN MASTERS (ROUTE B)
FIRST STAGE: SORMANO-ASSO
Starting from the car park in via Pian del Tivano at Sormano and riding about 2 km towards Asso, you reach the church of Saints Nazarius
and Celsus at Mudronno, probably built in the XIIth century: historical
notes indicate that it is oldest church in the upper Valassina. The choir
of this ancient church was covered in frescoes, with outstanding images of Saints Nazarius and Celsus; Saints Cosmas and Damian, the
patron saints of Rezzago; Saints Gervase and Protase, the patron saints
of Caglio. Humidity has damaged them beyond repair; only the
fresco of Saints Cosmas and Damian could be saved, its’ iconographic
characteristics attribute it to the painter Andrea de Passeris from
Torno. The frescoes from diverse periods recently discovered in the
CO0201B - ALLA RICERCA DEI PREGEVOLI AFFRESCHI DEI MAESTRI LARIANI (percorso B)
818 m
800 m
750 m
Elevation
700 m
650 m
600 m
12 km
13.6113 km
Distance
10 km
6 km
4 km
2 km
0 km
500 m
496.8 m
8 km
550 m
Ride length:
13,6 km
34
Church of the Sts. Nazarius and Celsius in Mudronno
35
Como province
CO0201-B. Sormano - Lasnigo - Rezzago
presbytery are of significant artistic value: they were totally covered
by whitewash which hid and preserved these interesting images for
years. The presbytery vault is divided by four ribs: the central panel
is dominated by the figure of Christ in a mandorla with the figures of
two saints to the sides. The North lunette shows the Doctors of the
church while in the other you can admire the Coronation of Our Lady
by god the Father amidst the exultation of angels. As well as the
frescoes, this little church has two very interesting artistic treasures: a
Renaissance sculpture of a Madonna and Child and a characteristics
frontal piece in scagliola. On 30 May 1912 the Ministry of Public
Education declared the church a national monument.
SECOND STAGE: LASNIGO
About 4 km down the valley, you reach the village of Lasnigo where,
on the Provincial Road, you find the Romanesque church of
St. Alexander, worth visiting for its location, for the typical Romanesque bell tower and for the wonderful frescoes by Andrea De
Passeris, that includes a marvellous, contemplative “Crucifixion”.
This church has all the principal characteristics of Comacine Romanesque architecture of the XIth and XIIth centuries, with construction typology distinguished by the use of squared stone, timber, and,
for minor works, large river pebbles, all easily procured close to the
building site.
St. Alexander stands at the peak of a hillock whence you can admire
a splendid view of the valley and of the surrounding mountains,
reached by a typical flight of steps, lined by 14 seventeenth Via Crucis
chapels.
The most probable hypothesis is that the church was extended towards the end of the fourteenth century, with the construction of two
arches and widening the nave, into three bays; on the façade two
lines may be observed which correspond to the gable of the previous
Romanesque church.
In 1912 St. Alexander was declared a national monument and is still
used by the population of Lasnigo, in particular on 26 August on the
occasion of the recurrence of the martyrdom of its patron saint.
THIRD STAGE: REZZAGO
Returning to Provincial Road 41 and turning towards Rezzago, after
about 4.5 km – in Via Santa Valeria – you reach the church dedicated
to Saints Cosmas and Damian, pharmacists and doctors who worked
for nothing. It was built in Romanesque style, as denoted by the bell
tower. The four twin lancet windows, although of the same width,
gradually increase in height as they rise to the top, delivering a particular sweep to the very structure. Given its dominating position overlooking the entire valley, the bell tower was also used as a watch
tower. Inside there are outstanding frescoes by De Passeris, including
a “Crucifixion” on the rear wall of the apse. The fresco of the Pentecost
with the Madonna, the Apostles and the Dove is also very interesting,
as well as a wooden statue of the Madonna as the Protector of Harvests, holding a sheaf of corn.
A ride of another 4.5 km brings you back to the car park at Sormano.
Church of the Sts. Cosmas and Damian
36
37
Como province
CO0202. Sormano - Barni - Asso
History itinerary
DEFENDING THE LAND:
A TOUR OF ANCIENT FORTIFICATIONS
THEME
The mountainous conformation of the central section of the Lariano
Triangle made some villages strategic points in the defence of the inhabitants against attacks from outside. Riding through this zone you
can see the ruins of ancient fortifications from the medieval period.
CO0202 - IN DEFENSE
THE TERRITORY.
TOUR
BETWEEN
ANCIENT
FORTIFICATIONS
CO0202 -OF
A DIFESA
DEL TERRITORIO.
TOUR
TRA LE THE
ANTICHE
FORTIFICAZIONI
SECOND STAGE: BARNI
Descending to the plain and riding along the Provincial Road 41
about 8.5 km towards Bellagio, you reach Barni where you may view
the old medieval fortifications of which there are still traces in the
fields on the boundary between Barni and Magreglio.
The castle built between 900 and 1000, dominates the village with
Its outer wall and a tower which vegetation is gradually hiding from
view.
767.9 m
Elevation
700 m
600 m
Distance
Ride length:
25,3 km (the Rezzago - Sormano section is fairly hard)
38
25 km
25.3487 km
20 km
15 km
10 km
5 km
0 km
500 m
400 m
386.4 m
FIRST STAGE: SORMANO
An example of reconstructed walls may be seen at Sormano, in via
Castello. In the Middle Ages a castle stood here, which was demolished in 1500 on the orders of Charles V. The stones of a feudal manor
house were used to build the new parish church and many houses.
Four centuries later, precisely at the beginning of the second half of
the XXth century, where the old castle stood, a perimeter wall crenellated in living stone, enriched by a gateway in gneiss and the coat of
arms of the Sormani family was constructed. To the side of the gateway there is a plaque which narrates the history of the castle.
The renewed fortifications are private property although they are
often used by the municipal council for cultural and historic events
such as medieval revivals and feasts.
The medieval layout of the burg can still be recognised in some views
of the historic centre.
THIRD STAGE: ASSO
Continuing along the Provincial Road 41 southwards, after some 6.5
km, you come to Asso, where in via Curioni, you may admire the remains of the wall and tower of the old castle of the burg.
The castle was erected in the IXth century: it stands on a hillock, at a
height of 21 metres above ground, and is 40 metres in width, the
walls are metres thick. Today, little remains of the initial defensive layout, that is the tower: there were two drill grounds and around these
there was an earthwork rampart with a battlemented wall for crossbowmen which impeded the use of siege machines and rams by attackers.
39
Como province
CO0202. Sormano - Barni - Asso
History itinerary
The strong castle walls led down from the tower towards the church
of Saint Joseph, surrounding the old marketplace (now piazza Mazzini)
then climbed up to the parish church, built on top of the wall, meeting again in the central area of the fortified burg; now just a few sections remain in the village which are not easy to identify.
The square based tower is thirty metres in height, although the height
was reduced over the centuries by removal of material for the construction of the Provostal and Holy Cross churches; it is one of a few
parts of the castle in a good state of conservation, even though some
of the windows are extraneous to the original construction.
Inside it safeguards a small altar of probable ancient roman origin,
and a plaque, dated 1796, dedicated to the Cisalpine Republic on
which the inhabitants of the Vallassina give thanks to the French republic to whom the owe a debt for liberty restored. There is another
tower at Scarenna, a hamlet of Asso, heavily reworked and the ruins
of what was probably a town wall.
Some 7.5 km bring you back to the car park in via Pian del Tivano at
Sormano.
Bell-tower of the church of St. Joseph and square based tower
Tower and town wall in Scarenna, hamlet of Asso
40
41
Como province
CO0203. Sormano - Caglio
Art itinerary
ARTE EN PLEIN AIR:
SEGANTINI IN CAGLIO
THEME
The town Caglio is historically linked with the artistic affairs of the divisionist painter Segantini, an internationally known artist, who stayed
there in the autumn of 1885 and the spring of 1886 when he created
one of his masterpieces entitled “The Stanga”. The town celebrated
the figure of the artist on the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of
his birth creating a permanent exhibition entitled “Segantini in the
open air”.
The exhibition, of particular interest to lovers of the art of the late
1800’s and early 1900’s, offers a careful selection of some of his
greatest master pieces, reproduced in large dimensions and shown
in the open air in the most characteristic points of this town in the
Brianza area. The exhibition leads through the entire artistic and existential progress of this painter. After a turbulent youth in Milan, and
after an intense period of formation enriched by frequenting the most
advanced artistic ambiences, in 1881 Segantini moved to the Brianza
with his companion Bice Bugatti, initially settling at Pusiano and then
– driven by an urge to explore even higher pre-alpine ridges and indeed the more prosaic need to avoid his creditors – close to lake Segrino (Carella and Corneno), then arriving in the autumn of 1885 at
Caglio.
The peculiarity of this permanent exhibition is that of achieving a harmonious interaction of the master’s works of art with the historical
and artistic reality of this burg.
CO0203
- ARTE
EN EN
PLEIN
AIR...
SEGANTINI
CAGLIO
CO0203
- ARTE
PLEIN
AIR...
SEGANTINIIN
A CAGLIO
818 m
800 m
Elevation
750 m
700 m
650 m
Distance
Ride length:
8,7 km
8.7037 km
8 km
7 km
6 km
5 km
3 km
2 km
1 km
0 km
4 km
600 m
564.7 m
SINGLE STAGE: SORMANO - CAGLIO
Staring from the car park in Via al Tivano at Sormano, riding for some
2 km you reach the village Caglio.
The old nucleus still has characteristic architecture from other times.
Of cultural interest is the church of Saint Valeria, a Romanesque type
building in a Greek cross plan: on the inside walls there are thirteenth
century frescoes of the titular saint.
The “In the Open Air” exhibition develops in the historic centre of the
town, in a sort of ring surrounding the two main piazzas, Piazza Mercato and Piazza Giovanni XXIII.
It has 15 panels which reproduce a selection of the most representative of the Master’s works and which bear testimony of the experience
of his life in the Brianza, and of his artistic and technical growth from
realism to the latter divisionist and symbolist paintings.
42
43
Como province
CO0203. Sormano - Caglio
The reproductions of the following works are exhibited:
• Bagpipers of Brianza
• After a Storm in the Alps
• The Blessing of the Sheep
• At Early Mass
The stanga (painted at Caglio in the fields once known as Saint Valeria’s, this painting closes the Brianza period and inaugurates the divisionist/symbolist period)
Art itinerary
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The Two Mothers
The Angel of Life
Unnatural mothers
Love at the Fountain of Life
Haymaking
Ploughing in the Engadine
The Engadine triptychon
Spring Pastures
Segantini Permanent Exhibition in Caglio
44
45
Como province
CO03. Onno - Valbrona
Mountain time trial
The 5.1 km Onno - Valbrona climb, starting at an attitude of 212 m
at Onno, a part of the town Oliveto Lario in the Lecco Province, ascends to 499 m at Osigo di Valbrona.
The climb begins in the town Onno and has no particular difficult
parts nor is it excessively long (5 kilometres from the turn off to the
fountain at Valbrona): it is, indeed by a proverb «La Onn, la salida di
donn» (the Onn, the women’s climb), which emphasises the ease of
a short, sweet climb, especially when compared with the neighbouring Gisallo climb.
However the gradient only falls away in the last two kilometres and,
in no case, is below 5%: the average gradient is 5,3%, with a point
of 8,2% from km 2.5 to km 3.
On the approach to Valbrona village the gradient softens slightly to
almost flat in the last five hundred metres; a pretty fountain “in the
honour of cyclists” indicates the finish of the climb.
CO03
CLIMB ONNO
VALBRONA
CO03- HILL
- CRONOSCALATA
ONNO
- VALBRONA
497.4 m
450 m
Elevation
400 m
350 m
300 m
5 km
5.191 km
3 km
2 km
1 km
0 km
4 km
250 m
210.4 m
Distance
Start location:
Finish location:
Length:
Average gradient:
Maximum gradient:
46
Onno (212 m)
Valbrona (499 m)
5,2 km
287 m
5,3%
8,2%
View of the Lecco Arm
47
Como province
CO0301. Valbrona - Lasnigo - Canzo
Religious itinerary
PLACES OF PAIN:
A TOUR OF THE ANCIENT LAZARETTOS
THEME
Death and pain have always stimulated a morbid sense of attraction:
seeing, touching, perceiving places of pain is a pregnant factor for
visitors who love the dark.
The Lariano Triangle has sites which bear witness to the dramatic moments experienced by the inhabitants of this zone in the past: one example is the ancient lazarettos where the sick were quarantined
during the epidemics which swept through over the centuries. Other
religious buildings became the goal of pilgrimages seeking rapid
healing for more or less serious diseases.
The itinerary includes four churches in the centre of the Lariano Triangle, in the villages of Valbrona, Lasnigo and Canzo.
CO0301
- PLACES
OFDISORROW:
TOURTRA
IN THE
ANCIENT
LAZARETS
CO0301
- LUOGHI
DOLORE: TOUR
GLI ANTICHI
LAZZARETTI
635.6 m
600 m
Elevation
550 m
500 m
Distance
Ride length:
20,9 km
CO03 Onno - Valbrona
48
20 km
15 km
10 km
5 km
0 km
400 m
387.6 m
20.9263 km
450 m
FIRST STAGE: VALBRONA
At Maisano, in the immediate vicinity of the car park in front of the
sports centre in via Milano, you find the characteristic Sanctuary of
the Madonna of Fevers, surrounded by centenary beech trees.
The Sanctuary is particularly dear to the locals and was built towards
the end of the 1700’s as a reminder of the plagues which hit the village during the invasion by Charles V’s Lansquenets in 1500. The
church is dedicated to the Madonna of the Fevers because is was
much frequented by the knife grinders who, travelling so much for
work, were infected by more or less serious diseases and went to the
Sanctuary to beg for healing.
The construction was linked with a popular legend: it is said that in
1779 some peasants from the village, returning from their labours in
the fields, found an image of a Madonna in the bed of brook called
the Campei. The peasants returned home with the precious effigy,
which, unfortunately, disappeared on the following day. After strenuous searches, the precious icon was found once again on the bed of
the brook: the inhabitants of Valbrona took it on a procession and in
that characteristic place dominated by the Grigna the little sanctuary
was built.
There is also an anecdote about Pope Pius XI: when he was still a
seminarist, he took holidays with his uncle, then parish priest at Asso,
and he was wont to choose the church as the destination of his walks
and as a place of prayer.
SECOND STAGE: LASNIGO
Past the village Valbrona and along the Provincial road 41, after
about 7.5 km you reach the town Lasnigo where, in via dei Morti di
Valmorana, there is a pretty church dedicated to Saint Joseph, better
49
Como province
CO0301. Valbrona - Lasnigo - Canzo
known as the church of the Dead of Valmorana. It stands on fenced
land where there used to be a lazaretto, where the dead were buried
during the plague of 1630 described by Alessandro Manzoni in his
novel “The Betrothed”.
Since 1903, on the first Sunday in September every year, the feast of
the Dead of Valmorana is celebrated.
THIRD STAGE: CANZO
Taking the Provincial Road again, about 6 km further along, you
St. Michael The Archangel Chapel, Canzo
50
Religious itinerary
reach Canzo where at the end of a short ascent in Via Gajum there is
a chapel dedicated to the Archangel Michael. This site was used as a
lazaretto during the plague in 1863 and perhaps before too: local
tradition has it that the field below was used as a cemetery for the
victims of the plague of 1630, which, as mentioned, was cited in the
Betrothed. The chapel is well preserved thanks to many restorations:
the Saint and temporal works of mercy are frescoed inside. It’s about
6 km back to the car park at Valbrona.
Madonna della Febbre, Valbrona
51
Como province
CO0302. Valbrona - Asso - Barni
Gastronomy itinerary
LOCALLY PRODUCED FOOD AND DRINK:
GENUINELY GOOD NUTRITION
THEME
In recent years a return to genuinely good products, untreated and
sold directly by farmers, attracts a growing number of consumers and
tourists.
A visit to sector specialist companies is particularly appreciated, both
as an opportunity to taste and buy natural products, and as an educative approach to the tradition and culture of healthy food.
This itinerary introduces several farm companies specialising in the
production and sale of fruit and vegetable produce, charcuterie, dairy
products and honey, where you can taste and buy direct from the
producer.
CO0302
- AGRICULTURAL
PRODUCTS: HAVING
A CON
GENUINE
DIET
CO0302
- PRODOTTI AGROALIMENTARI:
NUTRIRSI
GENUINITÀ
755.6 m
Elevation
700 m
600 m
500 m
29.7263 km
25 km
15 km
10 km
5 km
0 km
Distance
20 km
400 m
365.7 m
Ride length:
29,7 km (harder section at Barni)
CO03 Onno – Valbrona
52
Little Lake Crezzo
53
Como province
CO0302. Valbrona - Asso - Barni
At Valbrona, from the car park in Via Milano (at Maisano) you can
visit two local agriculturalists.
In the Osigo quarter, in via Le Scuole, you’ll find the Grifone farming
company, a beekeeping specialist for over twenty years, managing,
in the typical Lombard tradition, some thirty nomadic hives, and
committed to the production of much appreciated single flower
honeys.
Here you can taste and purchase the products of the hives, in particular the precious honeys gathered on the slopes of the Corni di
Canzo.
In the Visino hamlet, 2 km towards Asso, you can visit the La Caprina
holiday farm, which specialises in animal husbandry (in particular
the Camosciata and Saanen breeds of goats) and the production of
fresh and matured goat’s milk cheeses which can be purchased at
the farm shop.
Gastronomy itinerary
SECOND STAGE: ASSO
4 km from Visino you reach the Scarenna that is part of Asso. Here
you find the Villa Stefano farm company which, further to raising cattle, specialises in fruit and vegetables: you can taste and purchase the
market garden produce in season.
THIRD STAGE: BARNI
Returning to Provincial Road 41 towards Bellagio after some 7 km
you come to the Sant’Angelo farmstead, in via Colombo, a specialist
producer of fresh and mature cheeses, Robiola soft cheeses and ricottas from pure goat’s milk, goat meat and pork charcuterie, honey. Entering Barni, and taking the road to the Conca di Crezzo for a couple
of kilometres you reach the Tourism and Health Company which has
specialised in vegetable cultivation an animal husbandry: you can
taste and buy the season’s vegetables and charcuterie.
It’s about 11 km back to the car park at Valbrona.
Crezzo Plain
54
55
Como province
CO0303. Valbrona - Asso - Canzo
Nature itinerary
CLEAR COOL WATERS:
ANCIENT SPRINGS IN THE LARIANO TRIANGLE
THEME
The central part of the Lariano Triangle is characterised by its underground watercourses which, at certain points, emerge from the rock
forming pretty springs and waterfalls.
Valbrona is well known for its’ numerous springs (Funtanin de Pusnela, Funtanin da la Val di Campei at Maisano, the Spisarota spring
at Osigo, Funtanin la Cumparola at Candalino, Funtanin da la Val di
Sassei at Visino): of these, that probably most dear to the locals, also
because it has an interesting, mystical story, is the San Carlo Spring
at Maisano.
Just a few hundred metres from the car park in via Milano, the spring
feeds the local public washing house and is famous because, according to the legend, it quenched San Carlo’s thirst during his exhausting
visit to the valley. The spring is also the usual site of a particular popular rite followed by the locals on Christmas night: at midnight, while
the bells are ringing, the locals runs to drink from the spring blessed
by the saint for good luck.
CO0303
- FRESH AND CLEAR WATER. ANCIENT SOURCES IN LARIAN TRIANGLE
CO0303 - CHIARE E FRESCHE ACQUE. ANTICHE FONTI NEL TRIANGOLO LARIANO
506.3 m
500 m
Elevation
480 m
460 m
440 m
420 m
Distance
Ride length:
14,1 km (harder section from Canzo to the Gajum springs)
CO03 Onno - Valbrona
56
14 km
14.1289 km
12 km
8 km
6 km
4 km
2 km
0 km
10 km
400 m
387.6 m
SECOND STAGE: ASSO
Descending from Asso, after about 5 km you reach the hamlet of
Scarenna where, from the Ponte Folla (bridge) you can see the waters
spring from the rocks at the Cascata Vallategna. The Vallategna waterfall, at the boundary between Asso and Canzo, marks the boundary
of the territories of the Brianza and of the Valassina: it is formed by
the waters of the Foce stream which, after a fall of some 30 metres,
flow into the river Lambro.
The water leap from the rocks is dictated by the morphology of the
crag and of the vegetation it passes through: Stendhal mentioned the
Vallategna waterfall in the memoirs in his “Italian Journey”.
THIRD STAGE: CANZO
Proceeding towards Canzo and entering shady via Gajum, some 2 km
further on, mostly upwards, you reach the famous Gajum springs.
The name of the “Fonti di Gajum” derives from the local word Gaümm
(from a Celtic root ga=recipient, belly), which means nutshell as
there was a large walnut tree above the spring and the shells fell into
the basin.
The fame of the goodness of this water is so widespread that there is
always a queue in front of the public fountains, from all over the Brianza and the Milan area, waiting to fill their bottles and containers.
57
Como province
CO0303. Valbrona - Asso - Canzo
Nature itinerary
The Fonti di Gajum have been a rest point for excursionist climbing
up to the Alp for many years; a little coolness is assured by the fronds
of the woods above the springs (he you may admire the well preserved Sanctuary of the Madonna Addolorata).
Throughout the Canzo area there are many other springs: each Alp
(small mountain hamlets with farming and livestock) was built close
to one or more springs; there are other springs in the Pesora valley
and at the San Miro hermitage, as well as other, less accessible sites
along the sides of the Val Ravella.
From the Fonti di Gajum there is a geological trail which, passing by
the Sanctuary of San Miro al Monte, reaches the old Terz’Alpe refuge
(now a holiday farm) on the Horns of Canzo. The trail leads to visits
to the limestone rocks typical of the Lariano Triangle, to several erratic
boulders and to the Devil’s Cauldron, an interesting cavity worn into
the rock by the force of the Ravella torrent.
Leaving the wood, you return along the route through Canzo and
Asso, back to Provincial Road 46 to Valbrona.
It’s about 7 km to the car park at the start.
Vallategna Waterfall
San Carlo Spring
58
59
Lecco province
T
he mountain time trial offered in Lecco Province is at the entrance to the Valsassina, easily reached by car along the State Road
SS 36 from Lecco to Ballabio.
The route chosen is a climb from Ballabio Superiore to the Piani
Resinelli along a twisting yet spectacular road which reaches this vast
altopiano lying between 1.200 e 1.300 metres.
The Resinelli basin, a verdant saddle in the spring and summer, is
closed to the East by the spur of the Corni del Nibbio and to the
North by the Dolomitic pinnacles of the South Grigna.
The Resinelli, which have accommodation structures, are one of the
most popular excursion areas in the mountains around Lecco. The
local attractions include the Valentino park, the area between the Paradiso peak and Mount Coltiglione, with well equipped paths through
the fields, beech woods and spectacular precipices, the Grigne House
Museum and the Mineral park.
The Ballabio – Resinelli climb, is not only a goal for provincial and
regional cycle races (above all the Lecco - Piani Resinelli race) also
gives the name to a Moto Guzzi motorcycle, called the V11 Sport Ballabio in honour of the route, now legendary, for lovers of that sport.
60
The three relaxing itineraries in Lecco Province, which begin about
6 km from the Ballabio - Piani Resinelli mountain time trial, are all in
the territory of the Valsassina with circuits through the villages of Cremeno, Pasturo, Barzio, Introbio, Primaluna and Cortenova.
The itineraries begin at the car park in the square in front of the Valsassina Mountain Community council, from Valvarrone, Val d’Esino
and from Riviera (via Fornace Merlo) and follow parts of Provincial
Road 62, roads in the villages and parts of the cycle path which begins close to the car park and runs from Barzio to Cortenova.
The mountainous lay of the territory is such that the itineraries are
partially on flatland and partially climbs (quite hard in some sections),
but feasible for amateur cyclists.
61
Lecco province
LC01. Ballabio - Piani Resinelli
Mountain time trial
The Ballabio - Piani Resinelli climb is some 8 km long, starting from
an altitude of 674 m at Ballabio Superiore rising to 1,289 m close to
Piani Resinelli.
This is a relatively modest distance, with an elevated average gradient.
Although there are no extreme sections (only a couple of short passages are 11%), segments where the average gradient is below 7%
are rare.
Having come through Ballabio Superiore, on the left you find the
road marked for Piani Resinelli: this, in excellent condition all along
the route, wide, and well asphalted, has 14 switchback bends, the
second of which is paved.
The road doesn’t see a great deal of traffic (except on some holidays)
and almost the entre route is shaded by birch, pine, beech and fir, as
far as the entrance to Piazza Asinera (km 7).
Completing the last climbing segment there is a mild descent as the
highest point is some 200 before the centre: a meal can be found at
various places here.
A historical curiosity: in 1962 the Piani Resinelli hosted the finish of
a stage on the Tour of Italy, won by the Spaniard Soler.
LC01 - HILL CLIMB BALLABIO - RESINELLI
LC01 - CRONOSCALATA BALLABIO - RESINELLI
1289.7 m
1200 m
Elevation
1100 m
1000 m
900 m
8 km
8.0064 km
7 km
6 km
5 km
3 km
2 km
1 km
0 km
700 m
672.9 m
4 km
800 m
Distance
Start location:
Finish location:
Length:
Average gradient:
Maximum gradient:
62
Ballabio (metri 674)
Piani Resinelli (metri 1.289)
8 km
615 m
7,6%
11%
Little Church in the Resinelli Basin
63
Lecco province
LC0101. Pasturo - Barzio - Cremeno
Religious itinerary
THE HISTORY OF VALSASSINESE RELIGION: AMONG
ANCIENT BELL TOWERS AND ORGAN MELODIES
THEME
This itinerary begins at the car park in front of the Valsassina Mountain Community council offices (via Fornace Merlo) and touches several significant local villages, not just centres of economic and social
activities, but also of fervent local religious cults of which there are
traces in sacred buildings.
FIRST STAGE: PASTURO
Leaving the Mountain Community car park along Provincial Road 62
for some 1.5 km you arrive at the first village on the route: Pasturo.
in piazza Vittorio Veneto you can admire the Sanctuary of the
Madonna della Cintura, one of the major religious sites of the Valsassina, a land of ancient faith where, from the middle of the sixteenth
century, Marian devotion was spread by the Augustinians. The Sanctuary already stood in the XVth century as an oratory dedicated to
Saint James, with the current perimeter conformation laid out in
1618. This Baroque style church has a single nave with a high altar,
to the sides of which there are two lateral chapels decorated with an-
LC0101 - HISTORY OF VALSASSINA CULT: AMONG BELLS AND MELODIES OF ORGANS
LC0101 - STORIA DEL CULTO VALSASSINESE: TRA ANTICHI CAMPANILI E MELODIE DI ORGANI
807.6 m
800 m
Elevation
750 m
700 m
650 m
16 km
16.3327 km
Distance
14 km
12 km
10 km
6 km
4 km
2 km
0 km
8 km
600 m
578.8 m
Ride length:
16,3 km (quite stiff climbs between Pasturo and Barzio)
LC01 Ballabio - Piani Resinelli
64
Sanctuary of the
Madonna della
Cintura
65
Lecco province
LC0101. Pasturo - Barzio - Cremeno
other two altars. The original façade of the Sanctuary is distinguished
by an imposing portico overlooking the road leading to the Sanctuary. It hosts works by Giovanni Domenico Aliprandi (an artist from
the Val Taleggio, who also worked in the Duchy of Venice) and Aloysius Realis, a Florentine artist.
Proceeding to the centre of Pasturo, in via Manzoni you find the
Baroque church of Saint Eusebius. There was a chapel dedicated to
Saint Eusebius as early as the twelfth century, but it was consecrated
in 1401 by Friar Guglielmo da Barlassina. It was rebuilt in 1597 and
hosts canvases from 1645 by Aloysius Realis, Baroque stuccoes by the
Aliprandi and a marble altar by Giudici. To the sides of the altar you
may see two paintings by Aldo Carpi, one representing the funeral of
Our Lady and the other Jesus blessing the children. The organ is of
particular artistic interest, built in 1849, it has a precious walnut casing.
Some 300 metres to the North, in the Bajedo zone, you reach the last
church in Pasturo included in this itinerary: Saint Andrew’s church.
The edifice, at the village cemetery, built in the first half of the 1300’s
is very well known locally as it hosts a very small bell, conical in shape
with a very sweet peal, which is considered the oldest in the Valsassina.
Religious itinerary
THIRD STAGE: CREMENO
Riding another 1.5 km along via Corsi you reach the last stop on the
itinerary: Cremeno. In piazza Paolo VI you can visit Saint George’s
church, rebuilt around the sixteenth century on a previous medieval
construction whose high bell tower is still there today. Beside the bell
tower, there are very interesting frescoes by Borgognone, safeguarded
in St. George’s chapel to the right of the entrance. Outside the building the particular via Crucis is worthy of a pause, consisting of fourteen chapels created in the late seventeenth century. Close to the
church, in piazza Europa, during the last Sunday in August, the ancient feast of Saint Rosalie when typical local produce may be tasted
or watch demonstrations of ancient crafts and trades. From this piazza
there is a splendid panorama over the valley towards the Grigne.
Another 1 km or so towards Maggio, there is a particularly pretty
point of natural interest: the Ponte della Vittoria (Victory Bridge), an
infrastructure some 100 metres in height over the Pioverna stream
built in the early 1900’s to link Cremeno village with the hamlet of
Maggio. Don’t miss the exciting view of the gorge below, or indeed
the view of the peaks of the Grigne.
To return to the car park at the start, ride along Via Milano, then turn
into via Vecchia to Maggio onto Provincial Road 62 (about 4 km).
SECOND STAGE: BARZIO
Leaving Bajedo take the Provincial Road for Ballabio. After about 2
km, at Fornace, turn onto via Fornaci Merlo and proceed for another
3 km between the fields and through the woods to Barzio village (we
emphasise that a good part of this road, some 1.5 km, is a stiff climb
with average gradients of 6% to 7%). The church of St. Alexander, in
via Parrocchiale, stands in the centre of the oldest part of the village.
The current aspect of the church is the fruit of diverse intervention
over the centuries: around the XVth century, the original little Romanesque church saw a profound, radical transformation into one of
the most majestic in the valley, due also to the refinement of the decorations and paraments. Around the 1930’s the building was modernised once again, turning the entrance and expansion to how it
now stands. The church hosts numerous precious works. The statue in
wood of Our Lady of the Rosary is particularly beautiful, blessed in
1715 and carried in procession on the first Sunday of August each
year, the San Carlo altar piece (1640), the alter piece with the Marriage of Our Lady. Nor should you miss the magnificent organ by the
brother Masters Mascioni, inaugurated in 1978, a unique work in
terms of size and potency: it is considered avant garde also in terms
of production of sound and effects, so much so that it is often used
for concerts by Italian and other maestros.
Church of St. George
66
67
Lecco province
LC0102. Introbio - Barzio
Cultural itinerary
FASCINATING TIMES: A TOUR OF HISTORIC
PALACES AND MODERN SCULPTURES
THEME
The itinerary is recommended for those seeking to see the artistic and
cultural reality in the Valsassina, where the ancient and modern are
side by side: an entrancing blend for those seeking a jump across
time in art.
LC0102-THE CHARM OF TIME: TOUR AMONG HISTORICAL BUILDINGS
LC0102 - IL FASCINO DELAND
TEMPO:
TOUR TRA
PALAZZI STORICI E SCULTURE MODERNE
MODERN
SCULPTURES
786.2 m
FIRST STAGE: INTROBIO
The tour begins at the car park in front of the Valsassina Mountain
Community council offices (Via Fornace Merlo) whence you ride for
some 5 km, part along the cycle path and partly along Provincial
Road 62, to reach Introbio village.
You really must stop at an interesting natural attraction, the Troggia
waterfall in Via alla Cascata. Leonardo da Vinci, in one of his Codices,
described the Troggia stream leaping from the Val Biandino to the
Valsassina: “a leap of one hundred metres whereafter the stream becomes a river, joining the waters of another river running through
the valley, the Pioverna”.
A few hundred metres from the waterfall, in Via Vittorio Emanuele
you can see Villa Migliavacca, the work of the Milanese architect Bottoli, built in 1913 for Antonio Migliavacca, a pioneer in valorising
tourism in the Valsassina. Currently the seat of municipal administration, the building in neo-medieval style, is set in the scenery of a large
garden.
750 m
Elevation
700 m
650 m
600 m
22.7538 km
15 km
10 km
5 km
0 km
Distance
20 km
550 m
527.5 m
Ride length:
22,7 km (a fairly stiff climb to Introbio - 600 M and to Barzio - 1.5 km)
LC01 Ballabio - Piani Resinelli
68
Troggia Waterfall
69
Lecco province
LC0102. Introbio - Barzio
A few metres from the Villa, a leap back in time takes you to the Torre
degli Arrigoni, built in the XIIth century as a watch tower over the
moth of the Troggia valley (rich in mineral deposits).
The tower is linked to two cruel anecdotes. Towards the end of the
fourteenth century it was the scene of a bloody encounter between
the local Guelfi and Ghibellini and in 1531 it was the bastion defending the valley against the Grigioni, allies of the Duke of Milan in the
struggle which saw him opposing Gian Giacomo Medici, Lord of the
valley and of Lario: the projectiles launched by the Grigioni are still
lodged in the roof beams.
Cultural itinerary
SECOND STAGE: BARZIO
A ride of some 7 km (mostly along the cycle path) leads to another
leap in the history of art and architecture in the Valsassina: Palazzo
Manzoni at Barzio.
This is a late sixteenth century Baroque palace, recognised as a national monument in 1930: it was owned by the Manzoni of which
the great author and poet was a scion.
The external façade carries a plaque with a bronze medallion dedicated to Tranquillo Baruffaldi, a noble from Barzi, one of Garibaldi’s
Thousand volunteers and a member of the Baruffaldi family which
took ownership of the building in the 1800’s.
Access to the building is through a main wooden door, decorated by
an excellent seventeenth century portal in stone which leads to the
master’s courtyard where you’ll seethe family coat of arms, a well
with a classical style gable and a cross shaped portico.
Inside the palace, the Civic Room is of particular interest, sited to the
left of the entrance, with a frescoed ceiling vault decorated in late
Baroque style with a coat of arms carved into the marble fireplace.
The building is now the seat of the municipal administration and of
the civic library: exhibitions and cultural events are also regularly organised and hosted there.
Just a few metres separate you from a leap of several centuries: you
leave the Baroque for the world of modern art. Via Baruffaldi houses
a Museum dedicated to Medardo Rosso, a late impressionist sculptor
of international fame, acclaimed by critics for a capacity to catch and
impress the moment in wax, the material of preference for his works.
The Medardo Rosso Museum, inaugurated in 1928, is housed in the
old deconsecrated Saint John the Baptist oratory. The museum now
hosts many of the works of this sculptor who holidayed in Barzio: of
these we recommend “The Man Reading”, “Sick Man in Hospital”,
“La Femme à la voilette”, the “Ecce Puer”, the “Conversation in the
Garden” and the “Babe at Breast “, created at the turn of the XIXth
and XXth centuries.
The artist’s sculpture is immaterial and creates a particular atmosphere
which bears the messages of human sentiments and of the intimate
depths of the soul. Visits to the museum are by appointment only.
Following the Introbio road and turning through the fields into via
Sottoripe you return to the car park in after about 3 km.
Palazzo Manzoni at Barzio
70
71
Lecco province
LC0103. Barzio - Introbio - Primaluna - Corte
nova
Nature itinerary
THE CYCLE PATH ALONG
THE PIOVERNA TORRENT
THEME
The Pioverna runs along almost the entire length of the Valsassina,
springing from the Grigna and flowing into Lake Como at Bellano,
creating the exciting dell’Orrido waterfall.
It is a tumultuous watercourse, with more or less impetuous sections,
lived by anglers of all kinds who flock to its’ banks every week.
The cycle path from Barzio to Cortenova flanks a good part of its’
course. The path is of interest not just to nature lovers, who appreciate
the dancing waters along the stream and the wide expanses of green
meadows, it can also prove stimulating to lovers of open air sports
like riding and sports angling. There are several stables along the itinerary, as well as an artificial lake and a section of the stream equipped
for fishing.
ALONG THE VALSASSINA CYCLE PATH
The cycle path, which begins in the immediate vicinity of the Valsassina Mountain Community car park at Barzio, follows the Pioverna
stream for 11 km, connecting Barzio with Ponte San Pietro di Cortenova, passing by the villages of Pasturo, Introbio and Primaluna.
The cascades formed by the waters of the stream along its’ course are
LC0103
- CYCLING
PATH
ALONG
PIOVERNAPIOVERNA
STREAM
LC0103
- CICLABILE
LUNGO
IL TORRENTE
604.3 m
600 m
580 m
Elevation
560 m
540 m
520 m
500 m
9 km
9.2552 km
7 km
6 km
5 km
4 km
3 km
2 km
1 km
0 km
8 km
480 m
467 m
Distance
Ride length:
9,2 km
LC01Ballabio - Piani Resinelli
72
Cycling Path along
th Pioverna Stream
73
Lecco province
LC0103. Barzio - Introbio - Primaluna - Corte
of particular natural interest; open air sports lovers can also stop at
agri-tourism companies/holiday farms with stables or go sports angling at an artificial lake and along some sections of the Pioverna torrent.
Leaving the car park, at Prà Buscante there are two holiday farms one
of which has stables: the Maneggio Ranch La Fornace offers riding
lessons and trips for individuals and groups as well as typical local
dishes, while the Azienda Agricola Invernizzi specialises in the production and sale of dairy products.
Following the cycle path towards Primaluna village there are other
agri-tourism companies/holiday farms. The azienda Agricola Agriturismo di Nigro Simona offers food and sells typical local produce as
well as having stables offering English and American riding lessons
and farriery.
The agriturismo Due Soli, which lies within the North Grigna Regional
Park, specialises in forage and vegetables and raises sheep and goats.
The companies offers tastings and sells the fresh cheeses typical of
the area, in particular blue and mature goat’s milk cheeses. The farm
is also a participant in the ”Panda Project”, an initiative promoted in
Italy by the WWF, with the scope of making holiday farms sited in
parks a centre of knowledge of the environment, history, culture and
traditions of the surrounding area.
The agriturismo Cascina Trote Blu specialises in producing natural
honey and offers food with typical local produce. It also has stables
which offer riding tours, private and group riding lessons for all ability
levels.
Pioverna Stream
74
nova
Nature itinerary
The azienda Agricola e agrituristica Le Tre Casine offers food with typical local produce and specialises in the production and sale of foods
such as honey, jam, fresh yoghurt and fresh fruit; you can also purchase mountain herb and flower based cosmetic products including
Calendula and Arnica creams.
Along the cycle path there are many interesting places for lovers of
sports angling: the fish species in the stream are mainly Fario trout,
some char and rarely rainbow trout.
At Cortabbio, an area of Primaluna, the Società Agricola Trota Valsassina offers angles its’ artificial lake; the centre provides rods, lines
and bait and you pay for the fish caught by weight.
In 2005, at the end of the cycle path, the Riserva pronta pesca (Ready
fish reserve) was opened between Ponte S. Pietro and Ponte di Cortenova. The reserve can only be fished if you have the appropriate license
(Italian Sports Fishing Federation Card) or, alternatively, a holiday fishing permit, and the fish marking permit for access to ready fishing
zones.
Each angler may use a single rod, with or without reel: the fishing
styles permitted are with float, touch, spinning, fly fishing with leader.
Angling is permitted every day except Wednesday at the following
times:
• 1 April to 30 September from 7:00 to 20:00;
• 1 October to 31 March from 8:00 to 17:00.
View fo the Pioverna Valley Bottom
75
Cannobio Municipality
C
annobio is the last village along the shore of Lake Maggiore before the Swiss border and is, today, one of the most important and
popular resorts in the Verbano Cusio Ossola area.
A short mountain time trial was chosen for this municipality, albeit
with fairly difficult gradients: the route winds from the town centre
proceeding northwards to the climb up to Sant’Agata.
The climb is particularly interesting and pleasant from the natural
point of view as it offers wonderful panoramas towards Lake Maggiore and its’ Eastern shore.
76
The relaxing Itineraries proposed, which begin in the vicinity of the
Cannobio - Sant’Agata mountain time trial, being within the boundaries of a single municipality, are shorter than those in the Provinces
of Lecco and Como, yet no less interesting in terms of nature, history
and the arts.
77
CA01. Cannobio - Sant’Agata
Mountain time trial
Cannobio is the last Italian settlement on the Piedmont shore of Lake
Maggiore; then, from the border post at Piaggio Valmara, one enters
Switzerland an right along this section of the road, between the town
and the border, you find the start of the climb to Sant’Agata.
Leaving the short section of paved road in the town centre, proceed
towards the border, along the log straight leading to the camp sites
and sports centre. At the end of the straight, a series of big curves
leads to the start of the climb, on the left, immediately after the camping del Bosco (just over 1 km from the town centre).
The road sign shows 2.5 km, but the real length is 3.3 km, confirmed
by the ancient milestone close by.
The climb isn’t particularly hard, but it shouldn’t be underestimated
because the slope is constant; the repeated switchback bends make
the climb less difficult.
After about 2 km you reach Campeglio, where the climb remains constant and quite hard.
Another series of curves and then a 300 metre final straight lead to
the small piazza Sant’Agata, where a breathtaking panorama of Cannobio and Lake Maggiore is to be enjoyed.
CA01 - HILL CLIMB CANNOBIO - SANT'AGATA
CA01 - CRONOSCALATA CANNOBIO - SANT’AGATA
471.1 m
450 m
Elevation
400 m
350 m
300 m
5 km
5.1824 km
3 km
2 km
1 km
0 km
200 m
199 m
4 km
250 m
Distance
Start location:
Finish location:
Length:
Average gradient:
Maximum gradient:
78
Cannobio (metri 218)
Sant’Agata (metri 469)
5,2 km (tutta in salita)
251 m
4,8%
10%
Finish of the Mountain Time Trial
79
CA0101.
History / cultural itinerary
A RETURN TO THE PAST:
A TOUR OF MEDIEVAL CANNOBIO
THEME
The discovery of several burials, perhaps pre-Roman, demonstrate the
antiquity of the first settlements on this site which, considering its’
geographical position, which must have been an important strategic
and commercial centre in Roman times.
The seat of a curtis regia during the early Middle Ages, then the centre
of a vast parish dependent on the Bishops of Milan, between the XIIth
and XIIIth centuries Cannobio became a free, autonomous commune,
remaining so until 1342, when it submitted spontaneously to the Visconti who governed it until it became the feud of Vitaliano Borromeo
in 1441.
Much evidence of the Middle Ages is preserved in the gracious historic centre; there is more evidence in the many palaces elegantly facing on the cobbled roads and streets.
This itinerary offers a route interspersed by visits to medieval buildings
– the seats of political and spiritual power – and to the ancient streets
of the this burg which give a good idea of the atmosphere of those
times.
CA0101 - BACK TO PAST A TOUR IN MEDIEVAL CANNOBIO
CA0101 - RITORNO AL PASSATO: UN TOUR NELLA CANNOBIO MEDIOEVALE
496.4 m
450 m
Elevation
400 m
350 m
300 m
Distance
Ride length:
10,5 km
CA01 Cannobio - Sant’Agata
80
10 km
10.4725 km
6 km
4 km
2 km
0 km
200 m
199.9 m
8 km
250 m
THE ROUTE
Riding from the car park in Piazza Martiri della Libertà at the Lido di
Cannobio, following the lakeside you come to Via Castello. During
the Middle Ages this ancient road, which runs parallel to the lakeside,
with its’ ancient home and particular steps down to the Lake, was the
connection to the fortress of Cannobio which was destroyed in 1340
by the neighbouring Helvetians, perhaps as an act of retaliation
against the tolls levied on lake traffic. The streets were specifically designed, narrow and closed in by high buildings, to better enable defence against enemy incursions from the lake.
At the end of the road (some 300 metres) you reach the rear of the
piazza where the church of the S.S.Pietà. Its’ story is linked with a
miraculous event at the site in 1522: in a humble hostelry, a painting
of Christ on the Cross began to drip blood and tears, while a fragment
of human rib bulged from His ribs. Today that painting and several
bloody cloths, belonging to those who witnessed the event, are cherished in a niche of the high altar of the Sanctuary, while the Holy Rib
is conserved in a reliquary casket in the Collegiate church of San Vittore.
From Piazza S.S.Pietà, taking Via Luigi Meschio after some 600 metres
you reach the political and spiritual centre of power of this medieval
burg. Standing next to each other the collegiate church of San Vittore
and the ancient Palace of Reason, now called the Parasio Palace.
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CA0101.
The buildings share the old bell tower of medieval layout (built at the
turn of the XIIth and XIIth centuries), when two types of bells for
rung, one for religious celebrations and the other for civil calls and
for public executions.
The Parasio Palace was built in 1200 as the seat of political power in
the town; it is well preserved today, and it hosted the assizes on the
ground floor and the general council of the community on the first
floor.
The Collegiate church was built beginning in 1730 on the site of a
medieval church. Inside it hosts the reliquary of the Holy Rib linked
with the miracle of the painting which bled. The reliquary is displayed
in the church solely on the recurrence of the “luminèri”, a procession
in memory of the miracle, organised on 8 January each year. There
are also important works such as the timber cross from the 1500’s in
the chapel of the Annunciation and, and the chapel “of the Dead”,
two fourteenth century triptychs of great value from the church of S.
Gottardo a Carmine Superiore.
At the far end of the town (in Via Casali Amore) there is a pedestrian
and cycle path which, through the woods and highly suggestive
panoramic positions, after some 3 km brings you to a medieval jewel:
The village of Carmine Superiore.
Carmine is split into to two hamlets: Carmine inferiore (206 metres
a.s.l.) on the lakeside, and Carmine
superiore
(305
metres a.s.l.) a little higher, on the
slopes of Mount
Carza, standing on
a spur of rock extending out towards the lake. It is
not known who
founded Carmine
Superiore, but its’ origins are as early as the ninth century.
To the sides of the spur on which the hamlet stands there are five
streams surrounded by a great number of terraces where vines, the
treasure of the ancient populations, were cultivated.
The church of San Gottardo is another treasure with its’ wonderful Romanesque bell tower and the piazza built over an ancient cemetery
where, during the plague of 1600 (described in the “Betrothed”), hundreds were buried.
The church was built and completed in two stages: a first phase from
1332 to 1401, and a second concluded in 1431. These diverse building periods are easily recognised by the steps which serve to connect
the two parts.
San Gottardo is a casket of artistic treasures of great value, dated from
the XVth and XVIth centuries. There are internal and external frescoes
mainly attributed to the “Maestro di Carzoneso”, mostly illustrating
bible scenes. These treasures remained hidden for many centuries because, after the plague in 1630, a period when many of the inhabitants of Carmine fell sick and sought isolation and refuge at the
church, the entire building had to be purified by the application of a
layer of plaster on the walls and, thus, over the precious cycles of frescoes. Significant restorations in 1932-33 and from 1997 to 2002
managed to restore the ancient splendours of his jewel. From the piazza in front of the church
you may enjoy the splendid panorama towards the
eastern shore of Lake Maggiore.
Turing back along the
mountain side path, there
are about 4 km to return to
the car park in Piazza Martiri della Libertà.
Our Lady
of Pity Church
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83
CA0102.
Nature itinerary
ALONG THE CANNOBINO STREAM:
FROM THE VALLEY UPWARDS
THEME
The Cannobino stream rises in the valley of the same name, precisely
from the peak of the Laurasca; its’ course is typical of a brook in the
upper sections, but gradually as it descends to the valley it widens
until it becomes a real mountain stream.
Its’ course forms basins and very steep precipices crossed by several
bridges: after about 25 km it flows into the Cannobio basin where it
forms a characteristic waterfall at Sant’Anna; it flows through the
town, creating gracious little pebble beaches; finally, about another
2 km onwards, it flows into Lake Maggiore.
This itinerary takes you up the course of the Cannobino stopping at
the most interesting, suggestive points. From the mouth of the
stream, at the Lido di Cannobio car park, you ride the cycle path upstream to reach the Sant’Anna gorge. Once the bridge over the gorge
is crossed, to the other bank, its’ just a few km back down to the valley.
CA0102 - ALONG
THE
CANNOBINO
RIVERCANNOBINO:
FROM DOWNSTREAM
TO UPSTREAM
CA0102
- LUNGO
IL TORRENTE
DA VALLE A MONTE
291.6 m
290 m
280 m
270 m
Elevation
260 m
250 m
240 m
230 m
220 m
Distance
Ride length:
7,3 km circa
84
7 km
7.2941 km
6 km
5 km
3 km
2 km
1 km
0 km
200 m
196.9 m
4 km
210 m
THE ROUTE
Riding from the car park in Piazza Martiri della Libertà you come
immediately to the Lido di Cannobio. Standing at the mouth of the
Cannobino and the beginning of the cycle path, it is perhaps the
best known and frequented Lido on Lake Maggiore, due both to the
beauty of the area and for the space available; the wind factor cannot
be ignored as it so distinguishes the area that it is recognised as the
best place in Piedmont for sailing activities. Kite-surf, windsurf, catamaran and sailboat fans can be found here all year round where
there are also structures to teach these sports.
During the summer season the wide beach and adjacent park host
hundreds of people. The season also sees the organisation of many
events, both sports and entertainment.
The green area has a five a side football pitch and 2 beach volley
courts; 200 metres there is a tennis club and mini-golf as well as a
soccer pitch and athletics track.
A cycle path leads directly away from the Lido which follows the left
bank of the stream for about 1 km, leading to the Ponte Ballerino
(dancing bridge). Recently rebuilt and constructed with wooden slats
and rope, it can only be crossed by pedestrians and cyclists who thus
reach the other bank of the stream. Here the cycle path proceeds for
another 2.5 km ending in the zone above the Cannobino stream.
Here you may be awed by the natural spectacle of the Sant’Anna
gorge, a cascade of some 25 metres formed by the waters falling tumultuously through a rocky gorge, into a pool surrounded by a
85
CA0102.
Nature itinerary
pretty pebble beach to which there is free access.
The name derives from the Sanctuary built in 1638. Of artistic interest in the church there are twisted black marble columns in the high
altar, precious paintings of the life of St. Anne and the frescoed
Madonna di Loreto chapel, which existed prior to this church, whose
apse it constitutes, and is probably very ancient.
Crossing the bridge over the gorge you return to Lido di Cannobio
(through the town) in about 3.5 km.
The Dancing Bridge
Waterfall at Sant’Anna
86
87
CA0103.
THE SUN AND MEASURING TIME IN ANTIQUITY:
THE SUNDIALS OF CANNOBIO
THEME
Sundials are ancient instruments for measuring time based on observation of the sun’s position. The pointer on the sundial, called a stylus
or gnomon, is a staff whose shadow projected onto the sundial plate
indicates the time. There are several sundials frescoed on the walls of
buildings in Cannobio, some in good state, others damaged by time
but still suggestive. An additional value of these artistic- astronomical
artefacts lies in the fact that today there is limited evidence of these
ancient measurers of time past.
CA0103- -ILTHE
SUN
OLD TIME
MEASUREMENTS,
CA0103
SOLE
E LEAND
ANTICHE
MISURAZIONI
DEL TEMPO:SUNDIALS
LE MERIDIANE
263.6 m
260 m
250 m
Elevation
240 m
230 m
220 m
Distance
Ride length:
7,3 km circa
88
7 km
7.263 km
6 km
5 km
4 km
3 km
1 km
0 km
200 m
196.9 m
2 km
210 m
THE ROUTE
Leaving the car park in Piazza Martiri della Libertà by Via Magistris
for a couple of hundred metres, you reach the first sundial on the
itinerary, on the South façade of the church of the S.S.Pietà.
This sundial was made probably in the XVIIth century and was
painted with fresco techniques: most is faded despite a restoration
some years ago and there is little trace of the Baroque cornice and of
the hour line in Italic hours: in thus type of sundial, sunset is both
the end of the day and the beginning of the next day; the twenty
fourth is indeed that in
which the sun set.
Proceeding along the
lakeside then turning into
Via Zaccheo (which becomes via Cimitero) you
come to the sundial in via
De Luatti. Built in the
XXth century, the sundial
is on the South face of a
private house with a terrace. Oval in shape, it is
drawn in tempera enclosed in a false cornice; it
has nine hour lines in
roman numerals from
eight to four in the afternoon, and also shows the
half hours.
Proceeding along via
Cimitero you find, on
your left, the road leading to the ponte Ballerino
Sundial in via De Luatti
89
CA0103.
(Dancing bridge): cross the bridge and take the cycle path to the
Sant’Anna gorge in the Traffiume quarter (about 3km).
Descending to the valley in Via alla Piana, you find the church of the
Our Lady, whose bell tower has sundials on three sides: Southeast,
South and West.
The sundial on the Southeast side was created in about the XVIIth
century with fresco techniques with sinopite incision on plaster: you
may decipher the hour lines, with spear points and Roman hours,
crossed by nine hour lines with partially legible Arab numbers.
On the West side, created with the same fresco technique, you may
make out nine hour lines terminating in spear points crossing another
seven hour lines.
Finally on the South side, again a fresco, thirteen hour lines are visible, as is the local midday line: the numbers, almost illegible now,
are in Roman numerals, with some of the letters of an illegible motto
are still vaguely visible.
Proceeding by via alla Piana for about 1 km, you reach via Casali Lignago, where you’ll find the last sundial on the itinerary, set on the
South-western part of a private villa built in the last century
The image was created in acrylic paint on an ivory white background.
The solar quadrant is enclosed in a cornice decorated with floral
arabesques. The six hours, are French style, from midday to 5 p.m.
The half hour segments are also present, with the same numbering.
1.5 km further on turn into via Casali Darbedo (towards the centre via Vittorio Veneto) which brings you back to the Lido di Cannobio.
Church of the Holy Virgin at Traffiume
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91
Brissago Municipality
Sports routes
B
rissago is the last town in the Canton Ticino before the Italian border. It is split into fifteen hamlets which spread along the hill from
the lake to the mountains.
For specialist cycle-tourists, two sports routes have been prepared
at Brissago which, unlike the mountain time trials, do not having timing systems.
Both routes have been used at times as hill climb routes.
Bouth itineraries begin at Piazza Municipio. The first route climbs
along the Costa di Mezzo road to the car park at Mergugno, over 8,1
kilometres with a total climb of 846 metres (average slopes of 10%).
The second route follows the Costa di Fuori road to the car park at
Cortaccio. It is 7,6 kilometres in length with a total climb of over 800
metres (average slopes of 9,6%).
Except for the start, in an urban area, the routes run through chestnut
forest and roads almost free of vehicle traffic.
The particular territorial conformation of the municipality, with a central nucleus overlooking the lake, with roads climbing away to the
92
various hamlets, influenced the choice of relaxing itineraries which,
by their nature, suggest their use by cyclists unprepared for difficult
climbs.
This is why, for each itinerary presented, we preferred defining two
different routes: the first shorter, feasible for all occasional cyclists
ready to make a little effort, while the second is the full route which,
given numerous sections of difficult climbs, can only be approached
by those well prepared, with a suitable bike which allows them to use
low gear ratios.
We suggest that amateur cyclists complete the courses, in any case,
on foot, as they offer highly suggestive views and a breathtaking
panorama over the lake.
93
Sports itinerary
BS01. Brissago - Mergugno
BS02. Brissago - Cortaccio
BS01--SPORT
ITINERARIO
SPORT
BRISSAGO
- MERGUGNO
BS01
TRACK
BRISSAGO
- PORBETTO
BS02
SPORT
BRISSAGO- -BOREI
CORTACCIO
B02 --ITINERARIO
SPORT TRACK
BRISSAGO
708.9 m
700 m
1050.6 m
1000 m
900 m
600 m
Elevation
Elevation
600 m
500 m
400 m
700 m
600 m
500 m
400 m
300 m
Distance
Start location:
Finish location:
Length:
Average gradient:
94
Brissago (214 m)
Mergugno (1.037 m)
8,1 km
846 m
10,5%
7.6538 km
7 km
6 km
5 km
4 km
3 km
2 km
1 km
214 m
0 km
4.6864 km
3 km
2 km
1 km
0 km
4 km
300 m
215.6 m
Distance
Start location:
Finish location:
Length:
Average gradient:
Brissago (214 m)
Cortaccio (1.067 m)
7,6 km
837 m
9,6%
95
BS0101. Brissago - Ronco Sopra Ascona
Religious itinerary
PLACE OF WORSHIP:
CHURCHES, SANCTUARIES AND VOTIVE CHAPELS
THEME
The itinerary wanders between the municipalities of Brissago and
Ronco sopra Ascona and introduces the most interesting places of
worship in the area. Some of these churches are of particular artistic
and historical relevance, from the Sacro Monte complex, with the
Sanctuary and the via Crucis chapels, and certain votive chapels locate
in isolated natural settings, most suggestive, transmitting a sense of
contemplative peacefulness.
BS0101 - WORSHIP PLACES: CHURCHES, SHRINES AND VOTIVE CHAPELS
BS0101 - LUOGHI DI CULTO: CHIESE, SANTUARI E CAPPELLE VOTIVE
(Itinerario completo)
577.9 m
Elevation
500 m
400 m
Length of the short itinerary:
3.2 km (climb to the Sacro Monte difficult)
96
14 km
12 km
14.8095 km
Distance
10 km
8 km
6 km
2 km
0 km
206.1 m
4 km
300 m
THE ROUTE
Starting from the car park in Piazza del Municipio after a couple of
hundred metres, still in the town, you r reach the first church on the
itinerary: the Chapel of Saints Peter and Paul. Built on top of a previous Roman construction, it was designed in 1526 and completed in
1610 by the architect, Giovanni Beretta. The bell tower, in rustic stone,
and the churchyard before the portal are a little later (1665). The current façade is from the same year, completed by Berettas son, Pietro,
with a portal surmounted by an opening in the channelled columns
with Corinthian captals.
Inside, along the single nave, the play of shadow and light which
mark the articulation of the arches, vaults, cupola and chapels are
merged in harmony with the architectural elements, thanks to a suggestive chromatic effect offered by the raw stone used: a polychrome
granite.
The chapels are decorated with many altars, of which just two are sixteenth century, and of these only the sides and rear remain: the altar
said to be to S. Carlo (1619) and that to S. Caterina (1621), attributable to Pietro Beretta. On the S. Carlo altar there is a painting by G.
Andrea Bianchi, called the Vespino (1620).
The high altar was decorated (1969) by Giovanni Genucchi: it depicts
the Parousia, the Last Supper, the Deposition and the Resurrection.
The glazing is also recent, by Hans Slocker. The organ is also very interesting, work by local carvers, dated at the end of the seventeenth
century.
Going up via Leoncavallo, along the Canton road for just under a km,
Length of the full itinerary:
14,8 km (constantly climbing on the via Panoramica)
97
you reach the church of the Madonna of the Bridge standing outside
the village, as it serves various hamlets along the shore and up the
mountain. Mentioned as early as the twelfth century, the church was
completely rebuilt in the second decade of the fifteenth century to a
design by Giovanni Beretta who dealt in particular with the project
for the façade, the great door and the bell tower. The façade presents
clear Renaissance lines and inside you find the single nave with two
chapels; the first and third arches are vaulted, the central arch is
crossed. Noteworthy the baroque altars to the Madonna Assunta, by
G.P. Fossati (1686), and to S. Macarius, by Pietro Beretta (1594); on
the rear wall of the choir there is a fresco of the Assumption of Mary,
an anonymous work (late fifteenth century). A moment under the external arcade of the church is rewarding at sunset, you can admire a
magnificent setting sun reflected on the surface if the lake and on
the surrounding mountains.
Climbing along the Costa di Mezzo for some 1.3 km, after the Albergo Brenscino, you reach the Sacro Monte complex. Set in a
wooded valley, it consists of the Sanctuary of Addolorata and of the
Via Crucis. A. F. Branca, the owner of the palace of the same name
(now palazzo Baccalà) arranged the extension between 1767 and
Sacred Mount
98
Religious itinerary
1773 of an existing church on the site.
The Sanctuary is reached by following the Via Crucis which begins in
Via Gerusalemme (chapels with works by Friar Roberto Pasotti, 19992000), or following the water mill path in the valley. The two routes
meet towards the ninth chapel, called “of the Jews”, close to the Sanctuary. From the yard there is a splendid panorama over the village
and the lake below.
The baroque building includes the church of the Addolorata and the
parish house (it was once the rector’s palace); to the side there is a
miraculous fountains (Fonte Vittoria).
The ostentation typical of the late seventeenth century period is
found, in particular, in the richness of the capital, in the stuccoes in
the vaults, in the picture frames. The Rococo stuccoes are the work of
Visetti di Valsolda. The frescoes of Saints Peter and Paul on the pillars
of the triumphal arch are by Giuseppe Antonio Felice Orelli, as are
those in the vault ribs with the figures of St. Joseph and other saints.
The main altar has concave section with polychrome marbles (1773)
and to the sides shows the arms of the Branca family; the other altars
host paintings by Bellotti di Valsolda. The Holy Friday procession was
reintroduced a few years ago, from the “Gerusalemme” zone (the beginning of the via Crucis) culminating with the celebration of the Eucharist in the Church of the Addolorata.
The Via Sacro Monte ends at a junction: if you wish to follow the short
routes, take the downward slope (Via Costa di Dentro) which, in about
1.2 km returns to the car park in Piazza del Municipio; to continue
the full route, take the ascent to the left towards the Via Panoramica.
After the two steep hairpin curves you come to the Oratory of Saint
Bartholomew (in the hamlet of Porta), which, already there in medieval times, was recently rebuilt in a modern style (the external walls
are all stone finished, to cite local tradition).
Leaving Brissago village behind, following the suggestive via
Panoramica for some 5 km, you reach Ronco sopra Ascona where,
following the Matterello path, you’ll encounter two pretty votive
chapels: the Capèla de Nusétt and the Capèla del Mattaréll. The first,
closed to the wash house at Ronco, was restored and the inside decorated in 1940 by the Polish painter Richard Seewald (he lived at
Ronco Sopra Ascona for many years). The name “Nusétt” derives from
the fact that zone where the chapel stands hosted many walnut trees,
whose oil was used for both food and light.
The second chapel, sited west along the Materéll path, has a small
altar. At the threshold a large stone bears the date 1790, when, it is
supposed, it was built. Inside you may observe the small altar and a
pretty fresco depicting a Madonna di Loreto, between Saints Peter
and Antony.
Entering the centre of the village, in Piazza Semitori, you find the
99
Saint Martin’s church. The building, dedicated to the village’s patron
saint, stands on the edge of the ancient village, on a rock peak overlooking the lake creating a privileged belvedere with its’ panoramic,
open view space under an centuries old chestnut tree.
The church layout is from the fourteenth century while the bell tower
was completed in 1563 and crowned with an octagonal lantern in
1860; the façade is neoclassical in style and opens on a small square
enriched by a columned portico.
The inside of the church, in Baroque style, consists of a single nave
with three altars to the left dedicated to the Addolorata, to the Rosary
and to Saint Rocco. The frescoes and paintings are worthy of note, as
are the altarpieces in scagliola (a coloured plaster technique, once
known as poor man’s marble). The right wall of the nave features a
late Gothic fresco of Saints Defendent and Fabrian, and indeed an oil
painting by Antonio Ciseri portraying Saint Anthony the Abbot. Then
confirming the migratory influx of Ronco folk towards Tuscany, you
find the frescoes in the nave vault, and indeed the balustrades and
the fifteenth century portrait of the Madonna and Saints Rocco and
Sebastian, from Florence. The high altar (perhaps from the second
half of the seventeenth century) is very good and is surmounted by
an altarpiece which hosts another Antonio Ciseri painting portraying
100
Religious itinerary
Saint Martin as orator.
The most interesting frescoes are above the choir and show Allegories
of the Months (from 1491). These frescoes, recently restored, bear
witness not only to the fertility of the Terra di Ronco but also the
habits and costumes of local inhabitants during the fourteenth century.
Taking via Livurcio towards Arcegno, you find the chapels of Saint
Gutard and de Grupalt. The San Gutard chapel, located close to the
village cemetery, is reached by a short stair down towards the valley.
The inside hosts a fresco of a Madonna portrayed in a group of Saints,
including, obviously, Saint Gotthard. The Grupalt chapel, along an
old mule track which used to lead to Arcegno, was the only building
in this zone until the 1940’s. The chapel is also visible from the road
which now runs lower downhill from the onetime mule track. Under
the portico there is a white marble remembrance of the Work of the
Ronchesi in the customs houses of Florence and Pistoia.
Returning along the roads, it is some 6.5 km to the car park in Piazza
Municipio at Brissago.
Alternatively, returning to the centre of the villages, you can rejoin
the Canton road following via Ronco which is, however, very busy.
Panoramic View
101
Cultural itinerary
HISTORIC BUILDINGS
AND PEOPLE
THEME
The tour offers a visit to several historic buildings which give testimony and celebrate the presence of several outstanding personages
who lived in the municipalities of Brissago and Ronco sopra Ascona.
Specifically, Brissago hosted the Neapolitan composers Ruggero
Leoncavallo (1857-1919) for several years, and he wrote divers works
and pianoforte compositions in these wonderful places.
Brissago has dedicated a museum to this honorary citizen in the historic Palazzo Branca Baccalà, with a collection of documents and mementos of great interest. He is remembered each year with the
“Festival Leoncavallo” directed by the Brissago tenor Ottavio Palmieri.
Over the years, the festival has had guests of international renown of
the calibre of Renato Bruson, Francesca Patané, il Quartetto Amati.
The event is held over three weekends with a musical offering ranging
from fine singing to exploration of new musical territory.
Ronco sopra Ascona saw the birth of the eighteenth century painter
Antonio Ciseri. His recognition as an artist of international fame is as
the principal exponent of religious painting in the nineteenth century
in the Ticino. The painters place of birth and the Cà dei Pitur (Painter’s
House in local dialect), his home purchased by his family may both
be visited.
BS0102 - BUILDINGS AND HISTORIC CHARACTERS
BS0102 - EDIFICI E PERSONAGGI STORICI
577.9 m
Elevation
500 m
400 m
Distance
Length of the short itinerary:
2,2 km
102
12 km
12.452 km
10 km
8 km
6 km
2 km
0 km
205.4 m
4 km
300 m
FIRST STAGE: BRISSAGO
Starting from the car parkin Piazza del Municipio within a couple of
hundred metres you reach the Baroque Palazzo Branca Baccalà. After
diverse demolitions and the recent external restoration, the Palazzo
is the fulcrum of what could have been considered almost a self sustaining residential centre, consisting of the family home, service building, yards, stales and gardens extending throughout the eastern
quarter of the burg. A memento of this magnificence remains in the
piazza with the well in front of the Palazzo. The complex building history of palazzo Branca, transformed and extended many times, began
in the decades around 1700. The grandiose view opening towards
the lake reveals a distinct sense of architecture representative of great
artistic worth. Indoors, somewhat traditional, there are still some ceilLength of the full itinerary:
11 km (constantly climbing on the via Panoramica)
103
ings painted on paper and a trompe l’oeil cupola with plants, fruit
and decorative motifs on a wooden ceiling.
The Palazzo today houses the Ruggero Leoncavallo museum, exhibiting collections of documents and mementoes of Leoncavallo of great
value to both music aficionados and for researchers.
About 1 km further on, in the yard of the Madonna of the Bridge
church, a simple gravestone in the floor, suggestively lit by the rays
of sunlight which filter through the church arches, marks the composer’s tomb.
Following via Ovega you may return immediately to the car park in
Piazza del Municipio (short route for occasional cyclists) or, to complete the full itinerary, climb up to the Sacro Monte complex and proceed along the via Panoramica (amateur riders should walk this
section).
SECOND STAGE: RONCO SOPRA ASCONA
Leaving Brissago along the via Panoramica towards Arcegno, after
about 5.5 km you reach Ronco sopra Ascona, where you find, in via
Ciseri, the Cà Ciseri. This eighteenth century corner house, where the
painter Antonio Ciseri was born is the most representative private
Cultural itinerary
house in Ronco. With its’ small tower, the ancient dovecote and its’
elegant entrance courtyard, attributed to the architect Francesco Meschini, the house faces onto the small piazza dei Semitori in front of
Saint Martin’s church. On the ground floor you may admire two neoclassical rooms decorated with the paintings by the brothers Giuseppe
and Francesco Ciseri, the Apses room and the Engaged Couple room.
The former takes its’ name from the two apses which distinguish it
and it has a richly decorated box ceiling with neoclassical motifs. The
latter is named for the frescoes with scenes of Lake Como and characters from the Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni.
The upper floor is the so called mezzanine, used in the winter. On the
top floor elegant bedrooms with mural ornaments and floors in two
colour terracotta open onto the walled arch balcony which runs all
along the façade.
Used from 1982 to 1988 as a family museum, today the house, which
still belongs to the Ciseri family, is only partially open to the public
as it is still a private residence. The ground floor hosts the Ciseri Cultural Centre operated by the Istituto Terapeutico La Motta di Brissago.
The Centre, which has an art gallery and sells original gift items and
works of art, is the only part of the house which can still be visited
and is hosted in the two neoclassical rooms which can, thus, still be
admired.
In the immediate vicinity, in Vicolo Busbai, there is another building
linked with the Ciseri family: la Cà dei Pitur.
This house, which belonged to the Spigaglia family of painters, has
an older section of medieval origin, as shown by the elegant entrance
portal and an ancient ground floor wine cellar, to which diverse elements were gradually added. The paintings outside are excellent, with
outstanding decoration of the neoclassical façade and in the small
courtyard there are three pretty medallions frescoed with religious
themes.
The south wing of the house is of particular artistic importance, with
an eighteenth century room entirely decorated in trompe l’oeil and
a room with a pretty ceiling painted with decorative motifs. The house
will shortly be subject to conservative restoration.
Museum Leoncavallo
104
105
Tourist information
Tourist information offices
Tourist information offices
Como (Como Province)
Tourist Information Office
Address: Piazza Cavour, 17
Tel.: +39.031.269712
E-mail: [email protected]
www.lakecomo.it
Open all year
Cannobio (Verbano-Cusio-Ossola Province)
Pro Cannobio Tourist Office
Address: Via Giovanola, 25
Tel.: +39.0323.71212
web site: www.procannobio.it
Bellagio (Como Province)
Address: Piazza Mazzini (imbarcadero)
Tel.: +39.031.950204
web site: www.bellagiolakecomo.com
www.lakecomo.it
Brissago (Canton Ticino - Switzerland)
Lake Maggiore Tourist Board
Address: Via Leoncavallo, 25
Tel.: +41.091.7930154
web site: www.ascona-locarno.com
Canzo (Como Province)
Address: Piazza Garibaldi, 5
Tel.: +39.331.9939726
E-mail: [email protected];
web site: www.nonsoloturismo.net
Menaggio (Como)
Indirizzo: Piazza Garbaldi, 8
Tel.: +39.0344.32924
web site: www.menaggio.com
www.lakecomo.it
Lecco (Lecco Province)
Address: Via N. Sauro, 6
Tel.: +39.0341.295720
www.lakecomo.it
Open all year
Barzio (Lecco Province)
Address: Piazza Garibaldi
Tel.: +39.0341.996255
[email protected]
106
Link to official web sites
Como Province:
www.provincia.como.it / www.lakecomo.it
Lecco Province:
www.provincia.lecco.it / www.lakecomo.it
Cannobio Municipality:
www.cannobio.net / www.procannobio.it
Brissago Municipality:
www.brissago.ch / www.ascona-locarno.com
107
“Bike” accomodation
51 different accommodation venues in the region involved in the
“Bike Sports and Relaxation” project have signed on for the project
partner initiative, which is aimed at establishing a range of bike-oriented accommodations specifically devoted to bike tourists:
27
16
4
1
1
1
1
Bike Hotels
B&Bike’s
Bike-Camping Grounds
Agri-Bike
Bike-Residential Hotel
Bike-Shelter
Bike-House
To obtain this “Bike” label, these businesses have to guarantee their
guests the following minimum services:
• secure storage area for bikes inside the facility
• proximity to places of interest for bike tourists (trails and itineraries
for specialists and general cyclists)
• offer of informational materials for bike tourists (guides, maps, topical brochures)
• basic information and technical assistance for users: presence at
the facility of an internal workshop for minor repairs, or a signed
agreement with a specialised mechanic
Many facilities decided to offer additional, superior services, such as
rental bikes, special discounts for bike-tourist individuals or groups,
booking of lodgings for the next stopover, baggage transport to the
next stopover, contact with a physician or physiotherapist for minor
accidents, “on request” menu for cyclists, possibility of preparing
snacks or “bag lunches,” etc.
Hence the “Bike Sports and Relaxation” project did not stop with the
classic approach of setting up itineraries and communications but –
through consulting and technical support offered to local tourism operators – favoured the construction of a specialised tourism offer
geared to the bike tourist segment.
Go to the project web site (www.cicloviadeilaghi.it/sporterelaxinbici “Accomodation”) to display the facilities map and details
108
Town
Name
”Star” Address
rating
Phone
COMO PROVINCE
Brunate
Hotel Paradiso sul Lago
3 Via Scalini 70
+39 031 364099
Bellagio
Albergo Silvio
Hotel Belvedere
Hotel Il Perlo Panorama
3 Via Carcano, 12 - Loppia
3 Via Valassina 31
2 Via Valassina 180
+39 031 950322
+39 031 950410
+39 031 950229
Castiglione Intelvi
Camping Ai Colli Fioriti
3 Via Case Sparse 10
+39 031 830564
Cernobbio
Albergo Centrale
3 Via Regina 39
+39 031 511411
Civenna
Hotel Mirabeau
3 Via Provinciale 79
+39 031 963186
Como
B&B Rezzonico Graziella
Grand Hotel di Como
Hotel Como
Via Varesina 136
4 Via Per Cernobbio 41A
4 Via Mentana 28
+39 031 520038
+39 031 5161
+39 031 266173
Domaso
Camping North Wind
2 Via Case Sparse 170
+39 0344 97418
Erba
Hotel Leonardo da Vinci
4 Via L. da Vinci 6
+39 031 611556
Lomazzo
Just Hotel Lomazzo Fiera
4 Via Ceresio 49
+39 02 96941801
Merone
Hotel Il Corazziere
4 Via Mazzini 2
+39 031 617181
Monguzzo
Hotel Nastro Azzurro
3 Via Chiesa 8
+39 031 617373
Montano Lucino
Hotel Cruise
4 Via Carducci 3
+39 031 478301
Pusiano
B&B Leon d’Oro
Piazza Parini 2
+39 031 658865
Sorico
B&B Il Nido dello Svasso
Via Vittorio Emanuele 41/a
+39 0344 94027
109
“Bike” accomodation
Town
Name
”Star” Address
rating
Valbrona
Albergo ristorante Sala
2 Via Vittorio Veneto, 21
Zelbio
B&B Il Tivano
Albergo National
Via Monti di Là 2
2 Via Rimembranze 1
Phone
+39 031 661023
+39 338 8832554
+39 031 917931
Town
Name
”Star” Address
rating
Pescate
Hotel Le Torrette
3 Via Roma 151
Phone
+39 0341 272885
Primaluna
B&B La Vigna
Via della Vigna 5/a
+39 0341 981148
Tremenico
B&B Valvaron
Via Caduti di Guerra 6
+39 0341 875133
Valtorta
Rifugio Grassi
Passo Camisòlo (1.987 m.)
+39 348 8522784
LECCO PROVINCE
Abbadia Lariana
Camping Spiaggia
3 Via al Campeggio 5
Ballabio
Camping Grigna Residence
4 Via Prato Caminaccio, 1 - Balisio +39 0341 232045
Varenna
Hotel Montecodeno
Barzanò
Red’s Redaelli Hotel
4 Via Don Rinaldo Beretta 24
Vercurago
Affittacamere Sirena
Bellano
B&B La Casa delle rondini
B&B La Respuchina
Calolziocorte
Hotel Monastero del Lavello
Frazione Oro 20
Frazione Oro 48/a
3 Via Padri Serviti 1
+39 0341 731621
+39 039 9272120
+39 0341 820586
+39 0341 821368
+39 0341 645099
Civate
B&B Angolo di Paradiso
Via Privata Pianeta 2
+39 0341 210368
Colico
B&B Casa del Viandante
B&B Da-Di
Via Biasett 6
Via Bassana 19 - Villatico
+39 0341 930262
+39 0341 940064
Cremeno
Albergo Al Clubino
Albergo Del Cacciatore
3 Via Ing. Giorgio Combi 15
3 P.zza Santa Maria 12 - Maggio
+39 0341 996145
+39 0341 996237
Lecco
B&B Alla Bonacina
Via San Egidio 1
+39 0341 494355
Lierna
B&B Le Ortensie
Via Roma 180 - Castello
+39 348 2644190
Mandello del Lario
B&B dell’Acqua Bianca
Via dell’Acqua Bianca 1/1 - Somana
Perledo
Agriturismo Castello di Vezio
Via del Castellano 16 - Vezio
110
+39 0341 735807
+39 335 1802302
3 Via Croce 2
Via Roma 15
+39 0341 830123
+39 0341 420221
CANNOBIO MUNICIPALITY
Cannobio
B&B Antico Sempione
Hotel Campagna
Hotel Cannobio
Hotel Casa Arizzoli
Hotel Pironi
Park Hotel Villa Belvedere
Residence Antico Sempione
3
4
3
3
3
Via Casali Sempione, 3
Via Nazionale, 25
Piazza Vittorio Emanuele III, 6
Via Giovanola 92
Via Marconi, 35
Via Casali Cuserina, 2
Via Casali Sempione, 3
+39 0323 71920
+39 0323 71481
+39 0323 739639
+39 0323 72001
+39 0323 70624
+39 0323 70159
+39 0323 71920
BRISSAGO MUNICIPALITY
Brissago
B&B Casa Concerto
Casa Isabella
Rossorino 18
Vicolo al Castello
Editing:
Cartography and photos:
+41 (0)91 7868100
+41 (0)79 3735044
Consorzio Ideas - Lodi
Centro Studi Biologia e Ambiente snc - Erba (CO)
Graphics:
Keypress - Lomazzo (Co)
Printing:
Tecnografica - Lomazzo (Co)
© Copyright 2012
Province of Como, Province of Lecco, Municipality of Cannobio (VB),
Municipality of Brissago (Canton Ticino, Switzerland)
111
Bike Sports and relaxation itineraries
Routes in the municipalities of Brissago (CH) and Cannobio (I)
Table 02

Bike Sports and relaxation Tours and cultural

Transcription

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