Grandola and United | ||
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State | Italy | |
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Region | Lombardy | |
Altitude | 443 m a.s.l. | |
Surface | 16.9 km² | |
Inhabitants | 1328 (2019) | |
Name inhabitants | Grandolesi | |
Prefix tel | 39 0344 | |
POSTAL CODE | 22010 | |
Time zone | UTC 1 | |
Patron | Saints Siro and Margherita | |
Position
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Institutional website | ||
Grandola and United (often even alone Grandola), is a municipality of the Lombardy, in the province of Como, located in Val Menaggio.
To know
Geographical notes
The municipality extends into the upper Menaggio valley to include the saddle of the Via Regina that from Lake Como leads to Porlezza and the lake of Lugano. The municipal territory also includes a large part of the Sanagara valley which falls within thehomonymous natural park.
The municipality is made up of six hamlets: Cardano, Codogna (which is also the municipal seat), Gonte, Grona, Naggio and Velzo. With the exception of Grona, all the hamlets are located on the right of Via Regina coming from Menaggio and three of them are located along the road that leads to Val Sanagra.
In altitude the municipality extends from 350m above sea level near the border with Menaggio towards Lake Como at 2062m from Sasso del Cavallo, a buttress of Monte Bregagno, in Val Sanagra.
When to go
Climate | gen | Feb | mar | apr | mag | down | Jul | needle | set | Oct | nov | dec |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Maximum (° C) | 3 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 18 | 14 | 8 | 4 |
Minimum (° C) | -3 | -3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 5 | 2 | -2 |
Precipitation (mm) | 38 | 61 | 60 | 98 | 117 | 112 | 102 | 118 | 76 | 103 | 133 | 38 |
The favorable climatic position straddling two large alpine lakes makes it possible to visit Grandola in any season. The summer with the greatest hours of light offers the possibility to enjoy the views and the visit to the fullest.
Background
The most ancient documents attesting the existence of the inhabited area date back to the communal age, but it is reasonable to suppose that the strategic position of control along the valley that connects the Ceresio to the Comasco has determined the creation of settlements since ancient times.
In the Middle Ages the municipality consisted of five of the current six hamlets. Grona was united, like Well Lario, to the municipality following the Napoleonic reform of 1812 of the administration of the Kingdom of Italy. Separated following the restoration of the Lombard-Veneto Kingdom, they were merged again in 1927 on the occasion of the administrative reform initiated by the Fascist regime. Bene Lario returned to being an independent municipality in 1950.
Grandola, like the neighboring municipalities, from the nineteenth century was a land of emigration, having as its main destination South America, from which, in return, some uses and customs were brought, such as the consumption of mate.
The local economy began to benefit in 1884 from the Menaggio-Porlezza railway, built to meet the growing tourist demand. The railway remained in operation until 1939. Today the railway line constitutes a pleasant cycle path.
How to orient yourself
Fractions
Cardano: it is the first of the hamlets you come across when coming from Menaggio; located along the Via Regina, the road that goes up the Val Sanagra starts from here.
Codogna: it is the first hamlet along the Val Sanagra road and is the seat of the town hall.
Gonte: it is a small hamlet located just beyond Cardano on the left of Via Regina, from here the road to Bene Lario departs from which you can also reach Grona.
Grona: it is the only hamlet on the left, coming up from Menaggio, of the Via Regina; it can be reached from Gonte by taking the crossroads towards Bene Lario.
Naggio: it is the highest of the hamlets of Val Sanagra.
Velzo: it is the intermediate hamlet between Codogna and Naggio.
How to get
By car
From Como: About 40 km.
- Take the SS340 (Strada statale 340 Regina) which runs alongside the Lake Como towards Menaggio. In Menaggio the SS340 leaves the lake to climb towards the mountains in the direction of Porlezza with some hairpin bends. About a kilometer after the end of the back turns you reach the hamlet of Cardano. From Cardano the SP8 (provincial road 8) of the Sanagra Valley starts first on the left and shortly after the SP9 (provincial road 9) of Binadone on the right.
- Codogna, Velzo and Naggio meet in sequence along the SP8. Grona can be reached by taking, at the intersection about one kilometer beyond Cardanno, left on the SP9 and then following the road signs along the minor road network. Instead, turning right at the intersection with the SP9 you will immediately enter Gonte.
From Lugano: About 25 km.
- Take the SS340 (Strada Statale 340 Regina) towards Porlezza and continue on the same until you reach Gonte and Cardano. For those arriving from this direction, first the junction for Grona (SP9) and then the one for Valle Sanagra (SP8).
- From Porlezza it is also possible to take alternative routes on minor roads towards Grona and Naggio which may be slower but shorter and offer better panoramic views.
By bus
- From Menaggio: About 4 km
- Take the extra-Cuban bus lines C12 Menaggio-Oria Paese-Lugano (CH) o C14 Menaggio-Porlezza-Cavargna and get off at the stop Bene Lario - Path to Grona, Grandola - Central or Grandola - Crossroads for Naggio. Timetables, frequency and ticket costs are available on the website of the operator ASF Autolinee.
- From Como: About 40 km
- Take the extra-urban bus line C10 Como-Menaggio-Colico, get off at Menaggio, stop Piazza Roma, and take extraubano bus lines C12 or C14 (see section by bus from Menaggio). Timetables, frequency and ticket costs are available on the website of the operator ASF Autolinee.
- From Lugano: About 25 km
- Take the extra-Cuban bus lines C12 Menaggio-Oria Paese-Lugano (CH) and get off at the stop Bene Lario - Path to Grona, Grandola - Central or Grandola - Crossroads for Naggio. Timetables, frequency and ticket costs are available on the website of the operator ASF Autolinee. Attention, the transport involves the passage to the Swiss-Italy border.
How to get around
There is no public transport to move within the municipality of Grandola. The main means of transport is the car. To visit the natural park, or the points of interest in the country, it is recommended to move on foot or by bicycle.
What see
- 1 Villa Camozzi, Luigi Camozzi square, 2. Eighteenth-century villa in good condition, rich in exquisite frescoes. Currently used as a convention center, town hall and museum.
- 2 Val Sanagra ethnographic and naturalistic museum, Luigi Camozzi square, 2. The museum housed in the upper floors of Villa Camozzi is organized in various rooms that enhance the richness of the culture, traditions and nature of the municipal area. The museum is divided into the following sections: Activities and crafts, Domestic environments, History of Grandola, The musical body of Grandola, Flora and fauna in Val Sanagra, Menaggio-Porlezza railway, Minerals and fossils.
- 3 Molino Carliseppi bridge. Bold stone bridge that crosses the Sanagra stream near Molino Carliseppi.
- 4 Church of the Beata Vergine Addolorata, via Dossello. Church of the hamlet of Naggio dating back to at least 1788.
- 5 Church of Sant'Antonio Abate, Off to the Alps. Parish church of the hamlet of Naggio. The external aspect is the work of the 17th century reconstruction, while inside there are frescoes dating back to the end of the 14th century.
- 6 Church of Santa Caterina, piazza Manzoni. Church of the hamlet of Cardano dating back to 1744, decorated in Baroque style.
- 7 Church of San Giovanni Battista. Church of the hamlet of Gonte dating back to at least 1788.
- 8 Church of San Siro, Piazzale Giovanni Battista Oxilia. Church of the hamlet of Codogna. The full name is the church of Saints Siro and Margherita, the second dedication was added after the renovation at the end of the fifteenth century which enlarged the church dating back to the previous century. The current appearance was given to it by the renovation works carried out at the turn of the 1700s. Adjacent to the church there is an oratory dedicated to San Giovanni Nepomuceno.
- 9 Church of San Gottardo, Loc. Grona. Church of the hamlet of Grona.
- 10 La Fornace Galli Museum, via Molini. Subsidiary seat of the Ethnogarphic Museum. The complex is made up of two buildings: the old seventeenth-century mill converted in the nineteenth century for the mechanized working of clay and the actual furnace where the latterices were cooked. The activity ceased in 1995 following the damage reported during a flood, the complex remained in decline until 2003 when it was purchased by the Municipality to make it a museum. The mill has been partially restored to carry out didactic functions, while the furnace has been used as an exhibition and congress center.
- 11 Cardano wash house, via Roma. Ancient wash house, now nestled between the houses, characterized by a canopy to shelter those who used it from the elements.
Events and parties
What to do
Shopping
How to have fun
Where to eat
Moderate prices
- 1 Emily coffee shop, Via Italia 9, ☎ 39 0344 31934.
- 2 Bar La Stazione, Via Italia 12, ☎ 39 0344 31906.
Average prices
- 3 Antico Crotto Ticino, Via Italia 4, ☎ 39 0344 31354.
High prices
- 4 La Vecchia Chioderia farmhouse, Via Mulini 3, ☎ 39 0344 041791, @[email protected].
- 5 Barcola farmhouse, Via Al Forno 14, ☎ 39 0344 32776, @[email protected].
Where stay
Safety
How to keep in touch
Around
Other projects
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