Slow Lake Como

On the western shore of Lake Como is Menaggio.

Despite its long history testified by the remains of the castle dating back to the twelfth century, destroyed by Rhaetian militia in 1523 and completely dismantled, Menaggio flourishes from the Belle époque with the construction of numerous villas and luxury hotels such as the Grand Hotel and the Victoria.

Loveno on the sunny south slope above Menaggio is a small hamlet of the 18th century, where artists and high society liked to spend the summer in its splendid villas: Villa Bel Faggio, Villa Garovaglio, Villa Mylius Vigoni owned by the Federal Republic of Germany, now home to the Italian German cultural center Villa Vigoni, which organizes prestigious conferences.

Immersed in an English garden, Villa Vigoni is an eighteenth-century building within a complex that also includes an outbuilding, a lemon house, an ex-housekeeper’s house, an ex-stable, a small temple and the so-called “Swiss House”, a small house located in a panoramic position in the park from Balzaretto.

Menaggio is beautiful in autumn: the landscape is colored with enchanting shades, the temperatures are mild and entice you to discover the many trails.

The boats that sail the waters of the lake connect the lake villages even during October and the gardens of the eighteenth-century residences take on a magical robe charged with yellow, ocher, red and brown colors.

Take the opportunity for a nice walk to the Val Sanagra Park, an area rich in flora, fauna and ancient rural settlements, located in a beautiful valley that wedges in the heart of the Lepontine Prealps.

The valley is crossed by the Sanagra creek. In this still wild environment with woods, meadows and pastures, ideal habitat of the wildlife, and untouched since the beginning, in the ‘800 became permanent crafts, pre-industrial or industrial that used stream water for energy purposes.

We can well talk about an Ecomuseum Val Sanagra. In fact, there are numerous testimonies of an ancient past that can be found walking through the woods or in the village: the millstones of the mills, the mallets of the ovens, the turbines for the production of electricity in the silk mills.

Although these activities have ceased, the remains of the catchment facilities still remain. Fornace Galli is perhaps the most relevant example – and certainly the best preserved – of pre-industrial archeology of the territory, once a remarkable productive center, and many buildings in the surrounding areas – and even further – exploited the bricks produced in Val Sanagra.

The productive activity ended in a relatively recent period: a few years after the end of the Second World War.

The furnace is an example of industrial archaeology: inside there is a cooking oven and the necessary equipment for the processing of clay through the driving force of water.

The building, restored and put into operation, is the headquarter of the Park.

The Chioderia was once a mill that continued its activity until 1820 and later became a nail factory between 1943 and 1966. Years later, large communicating tanks were built and the complex became a trout hatchery.

Here today there is an agritourism where you can taste simple but authentic traditional dishes. Trouts are bred, fished, cooked and can also be consumed on the spot. Raising trout is not as easy as it would seem; these animals are very delicate and you have to give them constant attention.

Constantly verify that there is the right water pressure, proper oxygenation and sufficient nutrition, but the essential element of good breeding is the nature of the water itself, which must be healthy and clean.

The Old Nail Shop guarantees the D.O.C quality of the river Sanagra it uses. Another important activity in the area was related to the processing of textiles, particularly silk: in Grandola and Uniti was also active for decades, a spinning mill.

At the end of a day in the open air, in the company of an expert guide of the places, you can celebrate the authenticity of the place with a fish dish typical of Lake Como, a specialty of Larian cuisine: missoltino and polenta.

From the processing of the agone fish – caught, salted and sun-dried – comes the local product excellence that is the missoltino, that has a characteristic taste, very salty and strong.

The preparation of the misultin – the way it is called locally – is the result of centuries of experience and tradition. But this is another story that is told by the last remaining fisherman of Menaggio with whom you will have another unique travel experience.