Romantic Alto Lario

ITINERARY:

Piona, Abbey of Vallate, Roman remains in Gera Lario, church of S. Vincenzo in Gravedona, church of S. Maria del Tiglio.

DESCRIPTION:

The itinerary begins with the visit of the Abbey of Piona, founded by the monks of Cluny in the XII century. The small church of the Abbey, which represents an early example of the Romanesque art of the area, preserves some medieval frescos in the apse. Next to the church there’s a cloister built in the year 1200 that is a fusion of Romanesque and Gothic style. The itinerary continues with the visit of S. Pietro in Vallate situated in Valtellina, another example of a monastic settlement of Cluny strictly related to the one of Piona. In Vallate we can see nowadays only few remains of the church and the monk’s houses; an isolated place surrounded by nature. During the afternoon you can stop at the church of S. Vincenzo in Gera Lario to admire a building rich in artistic stratifications where the Romanesque style melt with the Renaissance and the Baroque styles on a Roman substrate. The last stop of the day is in Gravedona where you can visit the church of S. Maria del Tiglio, symbol  of the Romanesque style of Como with its architectonic structure and the great importance that it has in this field. It was built where once there was an early Christian baptistery ( V-VI cent.), of which it preserves, on the outside, some symbolic reliefs above the portal. Inside there is the font and some traces of the ancient mosaic floor. The church has also a characteristic bell tower at the side of the façade. Its interior, simple and harmonious, is enriched by the presence of some frescos of the XIV-XV century.