Castel d'Ardona: Description

The castle is a building of modest size, completely in ruins, with Ghibelline battlements. On the west side, is a battered tower while elsewhere there are collapsed walls and scrap of a balustrade. The few walls left standing show obvious signs of instability. Deep traps, partially hidden by vegetation, are probably tanks used as water reservoirs. The environment is, in short, a bit dangerous. The whole complex is so overgrown that nothing is left of the great views, for which the castle was famous.

The villa, called Castel d'Ardona, was built in 1894, on ANTICIMA of Mount Cross Ardona, by Angelo Ruspini, member of a noble family of Como. The area, now considered isolated and inaccessible, had a stunning view and maybe it was fashionable, due in part to the construction of the funicular. On the death of Ruspini, the property passed down to his housekeeper that in 1925, gave it to the Corporate Group Dyeing Comense. For a while is used as a vacation spot for the children of employees of the largest dyeing plant in Como— the famous Ticosa. In the end, it was abandoned, perhaps as a result of a fire.