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Welcome to Cernobbio
From Jesse's Journeys in Italy
Population: 7,031 (2004)
Official site: Cernobbio
Wikipedia:
Cernobbio
Map:
MapQuest
Visit our Lake District Portal
Cernobbio, sitting at the foot of
Mount Bisbino (1325 meters a.s.l.), is another of the
lovely
towns in Italy's Lake District that attract a tidal wave of
tourists during the high season, and
goodly crowds at most other times of the
year. It sits
just a few kilometers north of the city
of
Como,
on the modern highway that follows the
ancient
Roman road, the Via
Regina, along the western shore
of the lake.
Cernobbio is a preternaturally picturesque town, with a
comely, tree-lined, flower- bedecked
waterfront. It's waterfront,
narrow old streets and piazzas are lined
with the handsome, impeccable shops,
cafes, trattoria, restaurants,
professional offices, homes and
apartment buildings, all painted in the
muted buttery tones that one sees around
the entire Lake District. Down at the harbour, ferries coming to and departing from the
jetty connect all the other major towns
and villages on the Lake, and add to
Cernobbio's pleasant bustle.
Extending south and north of the town
are the envy-inducing villas, built
mostly in the 19th century, by the
titled nobility of many of Europe's
courts and the sometimes wealthier
titans of industry who made their money
in Milan, Torino and other Italian and
European cities.
The best way to see these villas, whose
impressive facades and cascading gardens
are mirrored in the lake, is from the
water. That means, if you
wish to see them, that, unless you
have certain divine powers, you must
rent a boat, take a guided boat tour of
the lake or crane your head from the
decks of one of the numerous ferries
plying their trade on Lago di Como.
You can spend worse days, that's for
sure.
Many of these villas have been converted
into comfortable hotels, and of these
the most impressive - and most
comfortable (if you have the bucks) is
the large and very grand
Villa d'Este, whose original
elements were constructed in 1568 for
Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio, a native of
the area. The Villa is built on
the site of an old convent - or "Coenobium"
in Latin - and this is the origin of the
town's name.
The property was purchased by
Princess Caroline of Brunswick a
descendant of the d'Este family who
ruled Modena and Ferrara through long
stretches of the late middle ages.
Princess Caroline was England's
Princess of Wales at that time,
later becoming Queen Consort to her
husband
King George IV.
Princess Caroline bestowed English-style
gardens on the Villa's estate, and
refurbished it into the high style of
the mid 19th century, "La belle
epoque". The current owners of
the hotel have retained that hushed and
elegant style and cater to the wealthly
and merely well-to-do to this day. The
large, well-tended park that surrounds
the main structures feature natural
caves and quite unnatural fountains and
sculptures. Famously, there is a
large floating swimming pool off one end
of the hotel which draws fresh, cool
water from Lake Como.
There are two other prominent villas in
Cernobbio: Villa Erba and
Villa Pizzo. The former, built
in 1899, on the foundations of an
existing villa (Villa Nuova)
which, itself, had been built on
land once occupied by a monastery.
It is now now used as a very busy
conference center. Villa Pizzo,
dating to the mid 16th century, sits in
a vast, tree-shaded park. Its
interior boasts a number of 17th century
frescoes.
The principal church of the town is the
Chiesa San Michele di Rovenna,
which was built in the 18th century, but
with a
Romanesque
processional. Its altar, designed
by G.B. Barberini was carved in the
Baroque
style. There is nothing sacred in
architecture!
All is not tourism, recreation and
diversion in Cernobbio. Like Como,
Lecco,
and other towns on and around Lago di
Como, where mulberry bushes are
abundant, Cernobbio was very involved in
the manfucture of raw silk used by
garment makers in Milan and other
southern Italian cities. Indeed,
one of the very first factories
dedicated to this purpose was
established here, and the industry
survives to this day.
If you want to
"escape" from the town, head to Rovenna a little
north and west rising up Monte Bisbino. Look
for the farmhouses at Alpe Scarone sitting on the
slopes at about 600 meters above sea level, and then the for
signs for the Foxhole - the Buco della Volpe - which
is a large cave with large underground pools and streams.
Further up the mountain there is 15th century sanctuary
dedicated to the Virgin Mary which offers
stunning views of Cernobbio and the glorious network of
valleys and mountains which enclose it.
Hikers will
enjoy a long and beautiful trail called the Via dei Monti
Lariani which takes one from the 600 meter to the 1200 meter
level. The
Italian Alpine Club has conveniently marked the trail
along its whole length.
Cernobbio,
then, is a must see stop over in the Lake District, even if
the stop is for a few hours. It is full of pleasant
things to do and see - and therefore has that wonderful
potential to produce warm and long lasting memories.
Try to visit in the off-season though - such memories will
have vastly fewer tourists cluttering the view.
By Vian Andrews, October 21st, 2006 |
