Home | North lake | Castle of Corenno

The name Pliny was added around 1863, in honor of the Roman consul Caio Plinio Cecilio Secondo, who lived in a villa overlooking the lake. The steep stairs, with the steps carved in the rock and the noble ancient villas are the setting for a still unique, timeless landscape. At the top of the promontory of the hamlet of Corenno rises the castle of the ancient Andriani family, now extinct. It was built in the 14th century. on the remains of an ancient Roman fortress, with the entrance facing the square of Corenno.

The Castle, the cornerstone of the history of Corenno, a quadrilateral fortress, is characterized by an entrance tower, of the sail type which together with a square tower allowed the control of the Path of the Wanderer. The panoramic location of the settlement suggests that in Roman times there was one of the signal and watch towers on this area.

The Castle, composed of an irregularly-shaped city wall and crowned by battlements that protected the walkway. Datable between 1360 and 1370, it is a typical example of a castle-enclosure. A fortification built as a refuge for the population in case of attacks. The material used for the construction came from rock excavated on site or recovered on the shore of the lake. The stones are generally small. On the front of the door stands the Andreani coat of arms.

The castle formed the nucleus through which the town of Corenno developed with the characteristic streets carved into the rock. The Castle of Corenno Plinio was the last bastion of a completely fortified village. Indeed, those who wanted to conquer Corenno faced a village built on a rocky outcrop, with steep and narrow streets, with the houses superimposed on each other without windows. A fenced castle where the population took refuge waiting for the enemy’s fury to boil.

Near the castle, on the square, you can find the wonderful church dedicated to the bishop of Canterbury, St. Thomas Beckett, brutally killed by the assassins of King Edward II of England. This architectural work boasts numerous frescoes dating back to the Lombard school. On the sides of the main entrance stand the tomb monuments of the Andreani family, feudal lords of Corenno. The heraldic coat of arms of the family, is found repeated inside the church, to remember the strong bond of the Andreani in Corenno.