Menaggio, What to see
In the old city centre you can visit the church
of S. Stefano, built in the eighteenth century upon early roman
buildings. Inside it has a nave and two aisles, frescoes by Tagliaferri,
important paintings from the Lombard and Flemish school, while the altar
is surrounded by 18th century copper medallions.
Walking along via Calvi you find the church S.
Marta, where you can see on the façade the first century Roman
memorial plaque of Minicio Exorato. Above the ruins of the ancient castle
you find the church S. Carlo, then you can visit the
Sanctuary della Madonna della Pace, built in 1659 to
celebrate peace in the Pirinei.
The castle of Menaggio dates back to the 10th century
. It was completely destroyed in 1523 by the Signori delle Leghe Grigie
and today only the to towers, the walls and the bridge are left intact.
On the slopes above Menaggio, in the little village of Loveno you can
visit Villa Mylius, that was bought in 1829 by the German
entrepreneur and banker Enrico Mylius, that enlarged it and enriched it
with his painting collections. che la estese e la valorizzò con le sue
collezioni di opere. Today it’s seat of the German-Italian cultural
foundation and stands out overall for the rich artistic
elements, for the wonderful rooms and for the beautiful
park, that forms a frame of natural beauty: orchids, hundred-year-old
trees and exotic plants form a unique atmosphere.
Only a few kilometres away are the little villages of San Siro,
Sant'Abbondio e Santa Maria Rezzonico in a characteristic landscape
of rocks and slopes and the Sasso Rancio. Here Villa La Gaeta
is worth a visit, that represents a mix of styles, with two striking towers
overlooking the lake.
Menaggio also offers several trekking routes, like the
one that starts from Loveno and goes through Sanagra Valley. Otherwise
you can leave from Breglia (797m), taking the road for Plesio, and in
two hours you can arrive at Rifugio Menaggio, 1400m;
from here you can take various beautiful hikes on the Prealps.