Abbadia Lariana

Abbadia Lariana, an ancient center of probable Roman origin

Home | Branch of Lecco | Abbadia Lariana

Abbadia Lariana

Abbadia Lariana, an ancient center of probable Roman origin, owes its name to the presence of the Benedictine abbey dating back to around the 1000s.

Some archaeological finds have been found that attest to the presence of man in this area even from the Iron Age. The town is located at the foot of Mount Grigna, on a small promontory formed by the mouth of the Zerbo stream, in the Lecco branch of Lake Como. Tourism is active both in summer and winter, due to the close presence of the lake and Mount Grigna, on which it is possible to practice winter sports and mountaineering. This is also reinforced by the favorable dry and mild climate.

Historical buildings

Inside the town there are some ruins and buildings of historical and artistic interest, such as the Torraccia, an ancient medieval watch tower guarding the lake and the road of the riviera, the Benedictine abbey extensively modified with works carried out in the 1800 and the church of San Lorenzo. The hill villages of Abbadia Lariana, Crebbio, Linzanico and Bordino are also very interesting, as well as some small churches and the Monti family spinning mill which has been used as a museum with historic machinery and tools. On August 10 we celebrate San Lorenzo, the town’s patron saint.

But Abbadia also means lake, thanks to a beautiful stretch of coast on which a wide bathing beach opens up. Those who want to go for a walk from the hamlet of Borbino, where there is the small Church of S. Martino, of 13th century origin, can go up along the Val Monastero along the path and reach the Pian dei Resinelli.
Abbadia Lariana is a few kilometers from Lecco, it rises on a promontory formed by the delta of the Zerbo stream, behind it the Pian dei Resinelli and the summit of the Southern Grigna.

History

The town is formed by the villages of Linzanico, Borbino, Novegolo and Crebbio, the name Abbadia dates back to the presence of an ancient Benedictine abbey built in the IX century. Some finds from the Gallo-Roman era testify to the antiquity of the settlements in this area, during the medieval period the village was fortified, the remains of a tower called the Torraccia are still visible. The country was allied with Como during the ten-year war (1118-1127), in 1330 it became a fief of the Visconti family of Milan, in 1629 it suffered atrocities and looting by the Lanzichenecchi, followed by the French and Austrian dominations, the years of the Risorgimento and liberation in 1859.

Today Abbadia Lariana is a quiet and sunny tourist center, the mild climate and the excellent tourist offer make it one of the most popular destinations on Lake Como. Many of the excursions and trips that can be done in the area, in the hamlet of Linzanico, the path starts that in about three hours of walking reaches Pian dei Resinelli, in Borbino the Viandante path begins, an ancient mule track that connected Lecco to Colico.

Among the historic buildings we point out the ancient church of San Lorenzo, inside valuable paintings and frescoes by Luigi Tagliaferri, in the hamlet of Borbino we find the church of the Madonna delle Nevi built in 1695. Interesting is a visit to the Silk Museum, built in the ancient Monti spinning mill, you can visit the environments and the machines that accompanied the silk processing cycle, there is a circular wooden eleven-meter twisting machine, developed on four work surfaces, still perfectly working.

Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!

Could it be interesting for you