Path 1. On the banks of the Ravella. Mercenary captains, saints, artists and entrepreneurs
This route starts from Canzo’s Trenord railway station to reach the nearby square, Piazza Garibaldi, not just an important road junction for the town, but, too, a stylish calling card for tourists that for the past two centuries have been attracted to this pleasant location of the so-called Triangolo Lariano (a triangle-shaped area between the two branches of Lake Como). The prestigious Municipal Theatre, elegant nineteenth-century villas, refined patisseries, hotels and restaurants revive the holiday atmosphere of the past. From Piazza Garibaldi you head to the graceful Provosthip Church of Santo Stefano (Gésa granda), entering in the oldest part of the medieval village, after encountering the remains of the ancient castle. Here you may admire the prestigious Villa Meda and the nearby Church of S. Francesco, also known as Gésa da San Mirètt, in memory of St. Miro Paredi, the hermit born in Canzo, presumably in the thirteenth century. The route continues uphill to the Ravella Valley, on the trail of this important and still much venerated figure: from the source of Gajum you walk along the first stretch of the “Giorgio Achermann” Geological Trail to the Shrine dedicated to the saint, erected on the site of his hermitage. From the Shrine you then return to the village to discover the remains of the local thriving manufacturing activity, arriving at the Trenord Canzo-Asso railway station, in front of the former spinning mill that the great painter Salvatore Fiume chose as his residence from 1946 until his death.
Path details
Point of departure Canzo, Trenord Railway Station square
Point of arrival Canzo-Asso, Trenord Railway Station square
Path type urban route (stages 1, 2, 3 and 5); tourist-excursion mixed route (stage 4)
Environment urban area, mid-mountain area
Total length approx. 7.5 km
Travel time on foot approx. 2 h (excluding visits)
Difficulty tourist (stages 1, 2, 3 and 5); tourist-excursionist (stage 4)
Access see single descriptions
Other recommended means of transport mountain bike (please be careful on Scalinata S. Anna – St. Ann’s Stairway)
Overlapping / Intersections with other paths
None
Download
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Texts
Silvia Fasana
We would like to thanks Mr Antonio Corti of the Cumpagnia di Nost Association for his fundamental historical advice and Mr. Michele Donzelli for his invaluable collaboration.
We would also like to thank Messrs. Roberto Cerati and Cesare E. Del Corno and Mrs. Lena Cavallo of the Gruppo Naturalistico della Brianza for their important support to this initiative.
Further information on the path
Rise: approx. 240 m
Maximum height: 635 m
Paving: asphalt, stone slabs, porphyry cubes, cobbles, gravel, grass
Public transport to the point of departure: Trenord train
Public transport from the point of arrival: Trenord train, bus service
Parking at the point of departure: yes
Want to know more?
Historical figures
Filippo Turati it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filippo_Turati
Nicolò Pelliccione http://www.condottieridiventura.it/index.php/lettera-p/1960-niccolo-pelliccione
Giorgio Achermann it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giorgio_Achermann
San Miro di Canzo http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miro_di_Canzo
Salvatore Fiume it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvatore_Fiume; http://www.fiume.org
Bibliography
S. Colombo, Canzo e il suo Teatro. 170 anni di storia, Comune di Canzo, Canzo 1998.
Guide della Provincia di Como – Il Triangolo Lariano, Amministrazione Provinciale di Como, Istituto per la Storia dell’Arte Lombarda, Nodo Libri, Como 2002.
S. Fasana, Tra i due rami di lago. Natura da proteggere nel Triangolo Lariano, Comunità Montana del Triangolo Lariano, Canzo, 2004.
S. Fasana, La pietra e l’acqua. Il Sentiero Geologico “Giorgio Achermann” in Val Ravella, ERSAF, Comunità Montana del Triangolo Lariano, Comune di Canzo, Gruppo Naturalistico della Brianza, Canzo 2004.
S. Fasana, Un Triangolo da scoprire, Comunità Montana Triangolo Lariano, Canzo, 2008.
Websites
Canzo on Wikipedia; a comprehensive page edited by Stefano Prina http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canzo
NonSoloTurismo website http://www.nonsoloturismo.net/
Gruppo Naturalistico della Brianza website http://www.grupponaturalisticobrianza.it
Biofera website http://www.biofera.org