| Tour of the prestigious villas of Esino Lario (Esino Lario) | |
 | |
| Itinerary type | Pedestrian |
|---|---|
| State | Italy |
| Region | Lombardy |
| Territory | Lecco |
| City | Esino Lario |
Tour of the prestigious villas of Esino Lario is an itinerary that takes place through the municipality of Esino Lario, in Lecco.
Introduction
Since the end of the nineteenth century, Esino Lario has been a travel destination, first for geologists who went to Grigna in search of the fossils present on these mountains, and subsequently, starting from the 1960s, for vacationers who passed through the Milan area. their holidays in Esino Lario, so much so that the town became known as "La Perla delle Grigne". Many villas were built here by the wealthiest vacationers. This itinerary aims to allow you to discover the most prestigious residences.
How to get
The recommended starting point is Piazzale Gulfi, under the town hall of Esino Lario, which houses a parking lot for about thirty cars.
 | To learn more, see: How to get to Esino Lario. |
Preparations
For this itinerary it is not necessary to have special equipment. It is a walkable journey: it is advisable to wear comfortable shoes to be able to travel more easily the climbs and descents that you encounter along the way. It should be noted that most of these villas are privately owned: many of these can only be seen from the outside of the garden. The exceptions are Villa Clotilde (which houses the tourist office) and Villa Gilardi, which now houses a hotel and restaurant.
Stages
Tour of the prestigious villas of Esino Lario: full screen map.- 1 Piazzale Gulfi - starting point
- 2 Villa Confalonieri
- 3 Villa Gilardi
- 4 La Montanina
- 5 Villa Luzzani
- 6 Villa Acquali
- 7 Villa Gilera
- 8 Riva Village
- 9 Villa Clotilde
- 10 Villa Silva
- 11 Villa Santopietro
- 12 Villa Minuccia
- 13 Villa delle Marcelline
From point 1 to point 4
Starting from piazzale Gulfi, take the provincial road 65 (viale Adamello) to the east, following the slope. The first villa is on the right, at the first bend in the road: it is Villa Confalonieri, dominated by the large cedar that rises in the garden. Continuing a few meters along the same road, on the right is the entrance gate to the garden of Villa Gilardi (now known as Villa Gigi), built in the 1930s by the Gilardi family and which today houses the Rosa delle Alpi hotel and restaurant. ; the hotel La Montanina belongs to the same property, which you meet after the turn to the right, which was created with the function of winding machine (for the processing of yarns).
From point 4 to point 8
Always following the provincial road you reach Villa Luzzani, which takes its name from the first owner, Pietro Luzzani Rebaj, who was also the designer; to follow, at a distance of a few tens of meters, Villa Acquali and Villa Gilera, the latter built by the entrepreneur Giuseppe Gilera, founder of the homonymous motorcycle company. Continuing again along the provincial road, on the mountain, you will find the Riva Village, built between 1936 and 1942 by Bernardino Riva, the first mayor of the town after the war. The village is made up of twelve different villas, all with a garden and a splendid view of the Esino basin.
From point 8 to point 10
Retracing our steps, going down the provincial road, we can take via Montefiori (on the right) to reach Villa Clotilde which is exactly on the bend at the end of the road. This villa was built by the Cazzaniga family and today is the cultural center of Esino Lario. Inside it houses the Pietro Pensa archives, the library and the tourist office. Inside the park of the villa is the building that has housed the Grigne Museum since 2016.
In front of the gate of Villa Clotilde we find Villa Silva, the first in Esino with a tennis court, built in the 1930s.
From point 10 to point 13
Continuing along via Montefiori, when this re-enters the provincial road, we find Villa Santopietro: it is one of the first villas built in the village and is characterized by a fresco depicting San Giorgio, on the facade facing east.
Leaving via Montefiori, and heading to the left, we can take the church avenue (via don Rocca) where we can find on the left, after passing the Moncodeno complex, Villa Minuccia, designed by the architect Mino Fiocchi for the sculptor Michele Vedani, author of the splendid high-reliefs of the Via Crucis that you meet continuing towards the church of San Vittore. Before the Via Crucis, exactly in front of the church of San Nicolao, Sacrario dei caduti, we find the last villa of our itinerary: the Villa delle Marcelline, so called because it was donated by the owner to the nuns of Santa Marcellina in the early 1930s. .
Return
This itinerary can be concluded by continuing along the avenue of the church until you reach the church of San Vittore. To return to the car park in piazzale Gulfi, simply retrace the avenue to the church of San Nicolao. To the right of the church there is a downhill road on the right: following it to the end, turning left we return to piazzale Gulfi. Via San Nicolao has some steps: those unable to walk along them can go down the church avenue to the crossroads with the provincial road, where they can turn right at Montanina and then follow the road to the square.
