Varenna...
Historic Notes
Varenna is built on a rock at the foot of a mountain that, almost vertically,
rise on it leaving free to the sky the dilapidated skeleton of a very
castle.
The origin of its community date back to the
Romans.
Its name appears for the first time in 493
mentioned by Corio in his history of Milan, but
the first undoubted news of its existence is in a document dated 769 by
Monza deacon GRATO.
The true history of Varenna starts after year
1000. Varenna fought under the flag of Milan
against Como and in 1126 it was defeated and sacked. It became a richer
village when Como people in 1169 destroyed the Comacina island. Most of
the survivor took shelter in Varenna, where they were welcomed friendly
and made the population increase. With their customs they also probably
took in the village the religious rite called "PATRIARCHINO"
or Aquileia patriarchal.
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In order to
remember their glorious island they added to Varenna the name of INSULA
NOVA (Latin for "new island").
After being an archiepiscopal dominion, the ancient village went
under the SFORZA.
Twice, in 1224 and in 1228, Varenna was at war with Como and it was
completely destroyed. This was one of the last heroic action of the
village, in fact later it was obliged to subdue firstly to the visconti
until the 1402, then to the tyrant FRANCHINO RUSCA and in the end in
1537 it went under Giuseppe Valeriano Sfondrati. In this century Varenna
has raised levels of international renown as tourist resort and congress
center.
To visit:
San Giovanni Battista church (XI century) frescoes
San Giorgio church (XIII century) frescoes and polyptychs
Villa Monastero International institute for studies — visit to
the gardens
Villa Cipressi Congress center — visit to the gardens
Civic Ornithological Museum "Luigi Scanagatta"
The source of the Fiumelatte (milk river)
The castle of Vezio
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