castles-and-ruins near Rifugio Riva
A series of chapels depicting Christ’s final journey to Mount Golgotha. The traditional 14 stations have been added to with a 15th dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows and are located in a rectangular square in front of the parish church, dedicated to...
Small church dating back to the eleventh century dedicated to Santa Margherita and linked to the cult of the Saints Hermits Larian. Its location is strategically significant as a testimony to its military origin, in defense of the Valsassina and...
In 1688, a plaster relief of the Madonna of Sorrows kept in the small chapel of Lezzeno is said to have cried. And thus, in 1690 a Sanctuary was built in her honour. The work designed by Giovanni Battista Quadrio, was completed in 1704. Today we can...
The Stone of Preguda, a rock composed of granite ghiandone, is incorporated in the Church of Sant’ Isidoro. The Stone of Preguda, on the slopes of Moregallo, is a rock composed of granite ghiandone, from the Val Masino and is the most famous...
Octagonal building with drum and porch hexastyle made following the discovery (1624) of the image of the Virgin now altar. Factory completed in 1630, but with following reconstruction (porch redone in 1742 and the bell tower in 1912). Outside of the...
The church of St. George is located in Bellagio, next to City Hall. It is contemporary with the Basilica of St. James, dating back to ' XI - XII century (dated between 1080 and 1120). Originally the apse and altar were facing east; but then moved...
According to tradition, the church was built in the thirteenth century, at the behest of a crusader returning from the Holy Land. According to another legend, the church was built on a refuge belonging to the order of the Templars. Positioned on a...
The parish church of Saints Nazaro Celso with the black-white Gothic front, was built in 1348 by Giovanni Ugo di Campione and architects from the valley Intelvi. The church has some beautiful rose windows and frescoes of the Lombard school. The...
The church stands on a hill that dominates the valley. The current building is the result of a series of operations occurred over the centuries. Rebuilt on top of the pre-existing building, in the 16th century the church was formed of only one...
One of the finest examples of Lombard-Romanesque with an intact apse. The parish Church of San Giacomo (St. James) dates back to the 12th century. The rest of the structure has undergone numerous restorations, especially during the 18th century....
This is one of the oldest churches in the Lake Como area and the oldest one in Varenna. Dated back at the 11th century, this Church is defined by the Belfry built toward the lake, as usual at that time, and it keeps inside few frescoes from the 14th...
Consecrated on 1313, the parish church of San Giorgio is a small masterpiece of the 14th century Lombardy architecture. Located in the main square, this is a basilica with nave and two aisles embellished by a rose window and a fresco portraying...
The Tower is located on a rocky outcrop above the village of Spurano and it was an ancient watchtower, which probably dates back to the 12th century. The fortified structure, included in the difensive system of the Comacina Island, was probably...
An ancient palace of the seventeenth century. It belonged to one of the most influential families of Lake Como, the Brentano, who later moved to Milan and then to Germany. It is currently used in part as a city hall where the renown painter Giulio...
Originally a signalling tower, that later became a fortress as documented 1158. There is no information about the proceeding centuries until 1454 when the area fell into the hands of the Republic of Venice and the Adda River became the natural...
At Mount Cross Ardona (m. 1005), a path splits into two. On the left, is a wooded summit then down along a bumpy ride to the entrance of Castel d'Ardona. To the right, a few bends bring you to same point but the road is much easier (1h 30 'from...
It is thought the tower was built at the behest of Fontanedo Bernabo Visconti in 1357, on the defensive line of Upper Lake, but perhaps it was only enhanced an existing structure. It is located about 700 meters downstream of the village of...
Gate Tower is an imposing fortress, 40 meters high, built in 1192, on the initiative of the mayor Hubert de 'Olevano, to defend the entrance to the city of Como. In the fourteenth century the great tower was flanked by two other pentagonal towers,...
In the medieval center of Villincino, was a fortified town built in the late tenth century. The village was owned by the wealthy family Carpani. The town was destroyed in 1278. The small and picturesque district is accessed by going through a tower,...
It is a private building constructed on roman foundation with an irregular square plant. The building, which has crown walls with battlements to protect the round parapet, can be dated between 1360 and 1370. It is a typical castle-enclosure, which...
Fort Fuentes is a former military fort on the hill of Montecchio or Monteggiolo near Colico, northern Italy. It was built by the Spanish governor of Milan, Don Pedro Enríquez de Acevedo, Count of Fuentes, to defend the northern border of the Spanish...
Fort Montecchio-Lusardi is a military fort situated in Colico, in the province of Lecco, northern Italy. It was built between 1911 and 1914. It is the only Italian fort from World War I which has been preserved intact with its original weapons. The...
Trapezoidal shaped castle with three towers built by counts Della Torre of Rezzonico in 1363. It is described as a "castle-fence", fortifying an area of two thousand square meters which surrounded the town and the main tower. Today the castle is...
Baradello Castle is situated on hill dominating the valley like a stone sentinel watching over the town of Como and Spina Verde Park. The top of the tower provides 360 degree views of the city, the Alps and Po Valley. The fortification was used...
Placed on a hill overlooking the town, the castle was built in late Middle Ages to block the way to Valvarrone and it still remains a well-preserved tower, surrounded by ruins of ancient houses. The first proofs date back to 1039, when it suffered a...