Bellano (Comasco: Belàan [beˈlãː]) is a comune (municipality) and historic small town on the eastern shore of Lake Como in the Province of Lecco in the Italian region Lombardy, located at northern outlet of the Valsassina.
Bellano is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). . The village is known as “The Town of Artists” thanks to the extraordinary concentration of citizens who have distinguished themselves, and still distinguish themselves, in the spheres of writing and poetry, painting and sculpture, music and theatre as well as photography. Bellano is the location of most of the novels by local writer Andrea Vitali and the birthplace of the 17th-century writer and poet Sigismondo Boldoni. The town is home to a museum dedicated to the work of Giancarlo Vitali who, was a renowned painter and engraver who was born and produced many of his most important works there.
The old town center lies on the right bank of the alluvial fan that the River Pioverna has formed over the years at the point where it flows into the lake; while on the left we find the more modern part of the village, which takes the name of Coltogno.
The historical center, characterized by a network of orthogonal streets typical of a Roman castrum, has a mainly medieval appearance due to the narrow streets (the “contrade”) which provide coolness in summer, the large pre-positural church of Santi Giorgio, Nazaro e Celso, the eighteenth-century patrician palaces with their stone portals, courtyards, entrance halls and engrave heraldic coats of arms and the large ancient port, a sign of the importance that the transport of people and goods by lake has had over time.
The town's main attraction is the Orrido ("gorge" or small canyon), which was formed through erosion by the river Pioverna. The erosion started 15 million years ago. The church in the city is called Santi Nazario e Celso (built in 1348) and is in the Gothic style. The town boasts a beach and a port which connects it to other towns on Lake Como by ferry. In addition to the train connections to Sondrio in the north and Milan in the south. Bellano is accessible via the main highway or Strada Provincial along the lakeside route from Lecco. Bellano is also on the 68 km Sentiero del Viandante the ancient road, now hiking route, that crosses the entire eastern shore of the lake, and a section of this route connects Bellano to Varena via the Castello di Vezio
In 1859, the Badoni family of industrialists from Lecco had a rolling mill built near the mouth of the stream, a site for ironworks. In 1866, the Cantoni family took over the structure to start a textile plant, which later became the large Cotonificio Cantoni cotton mill, still clearly visible in Bellano but no longer in use. In Bellano's industrial past, it was called "little Manchester on the Lario”. however, the main industry today is tourism.
The “Pesa Vegia” is a traditional local event staged during Epiphany that the people of Bellano have celebrated for more than four centuries. This ancient festival marks the 1606 fight of the people of Bellano against the then Spanish rule. It attracts many visitors and is famous for the procession of the Magi, the race of the “Pese” (an ancient unit of measurement) and a bonfire on the pier.
References
External links
- Official website
- Bellano - LarioOrientale.eu
- Museo Giancarl Vitali
- Gorge of Orrido in Bellano
- Three Kings Festival
