History guide Lenno

Lenno, a charming place with about 1700 inhabitants is located on the western arm of Lake Como. Its name is certainly of Greek origin and derives from Lemnos, island of the Helenian archipelago, province of the first settlements.
It is believed that Lenno, as well as the entire Lario, dates back to prehistoric times when the civilization of Golasecca was blooming, was inhabited. As a result & ndash; between the 6th and 5th centuries BC & ndash; in the year when the Como area came under Roman rule, it became a real urban community.
The parish church dates from the time of this rule. It was built on the remains of a Termal building, and the Villa Plinio il Giovane, defines the & ldquo; Commedia & ldquo;.
Of the latter, it is believed, the remains of two Corinthian columns remain. Today they are preserved on the Lavedo Hill.

CHURCH OF ST. STEFANO
The church rises in square XI Febbraio next to the baptistery on the famous Golfo di Venere. From here you can enjoy an enchanting view.
The church was built in the 5th or 6th century AD on the ruins of a thermal bath from the 1st century. built. But the instantly recognizable structure is the result of a reconstruction from the 5th century.
Originally a vacant space with open arches was presented here. As a result, a church with three naves was built here in the 16th century. The facade was finished in 1698. The style is partly baroque and partly mannerist. Inside, the trapezoidal grave vault with 5 arches and three apses can be seen. The picture on the altar from the second half of the 5th century shows the martyrdom of St. Stefano. The side chapels are decorated with frescoes and stucco of good and artistic quality from the 6th century.

Baptistery of St. GIOVANNI EVANGELISTA  
To the left of the parish church is the baptistery dedicated to St. Giovanni Evangelista. The origins go back to the 2nd half of the 11th century. The exterior presents a plain simple square tower and an apse oriented to the north.
The octagonal complex has a symbolic rating. The number 8 corresponds to the days of creation plus the day of Christ's resurrection (day of the new covenant with God).
Note also the simple vault of three arcs, two of which are covered and the interior, which preserves parts of medieval frescoes and a cycle of baroque paintings.

ACQUAFREDDA ABBEY
On the mountains that lead into the village the Abbey of Acquafredda deserves a mention. Originally this & ldquo; the monastery of Roncate & ldquo; the place where it was built was later named after the Acquafredda spring, believed to be miraculous. It was founded in 1142, while the church was built between 1153 and 1193.
This last example of the Baroque of Como has a simple facade, a single nave, which has an atrium follows. Noteworthy are the frescoes by Giovanni Mauro della Rovere, better known as Fiamminghino & ndash; Executed in 1621 and the image of the Annunciation.
It is worth noting the 13 stories on the walls and on the vaults dedicated to the life of St. Bernard. The original construction has remained until today: the apse, the foundation walls of the tower and the place of the burial of St. Agrippino.

CHURCH OF ST. ANDREA  
It is located in the Casanova district on the slopes of Mount Ossino. The church is made of stone and has a semicircular apse. Inside there are frescoes from the Neo-Ottomiana period (the only ones in the entire Lario room) and frescoes from the Baroque period. In 1934 the roof was reconstructed and the 5 small windows were opened again, which are characterized by 5 small cross-shaped panes of glass. It is exactly the place where those who died of epidemics were buried.

TOWER OF THE VILLA
The tower was part of a fortress built on the rise of Lavedo. This was one of the most ancient defense systems to defend the center of the lake against raids and military actions.
It is the only tower still in existence- even if one believes that it was not built for warlike reasons but for inquisitorial reasons, more precisely to collect taxes.
In any case, it was not mentioned by the historians of the 16th century. One must therefore assume that its origins are of a later date.
The tower is 19.20 m high on a foundation of 7.50 m X 7.30 m. It was realized using the stone material from Moltrasio. It is equipped with 8 windows, a particularly large number for a tower.

VILLA BALBIANELLO
The delightful villa dominates the tip of the peninsula of Lavedo. This was considered the legacy of the FAI- Fund of the Italian ambience & ndash; left behind by the researcher Guido Monzino with the facility, library, archive, museum for alpine expeditions of the polar. The structure provides for two buildings opposite one another. The lower part includes a church with two towers, remains of a previous Franciscan monastery. The beautiful villa with loggia was built at the request of Cardinal Angelo Maria Durini.
The latter bought the peninsula in 1787 with the intention of creating a place to stay.
This villa was & ldquo; Balbianello & ldquo; named. They wanted them from the & ldquo; Balbiano & ldquo; differ in the municipality of Ossuccio. The cardinal possessed here another residence.