Until7Nov
Lecco Città dei Promessi Sposi
The autumn festival Lecco devotes to Manzoni, around Villa Manzoni: readings, tours, talks and the Camminata Manzoniana walk.
Villa Manzoni and other places in Lecco
Lecco
Castello dell'Innominato, Vercurago
The fortress of Vercurago on the Tremasasso, five kilometres from Lecco, which tradition links to The Betrothed's Innominato, with the view over the Lecco branch as far as the Adda.
- Visit duration
- 1 h – 1 h 30
- Booking
- Not required
- Area
- Lecco Branch
- DiegoBonacina1997 · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kaitu · CC0
Why go
The Castello dell'Innominato is the ruined fortress on the Tremasasso above Vercurago, 180 metres higher than the lake.
From its walls and bastions the view extends from the Lecco branch to the Adda. A border fortress between Milan and Venice, it was demolished by the French in 1509 and damaged by Russian cannon fire in 1799. Literary tradition identifies it as the Innominato's home in Alessandro Manzoni's The Betrothed; the ruined Bicocca farmhouse is said to be the Malanotte inn. In the sixteenth century Girolamo Emiliani, founder of the Somaschi, sheltered orphans here. The tower holds a chapel dedicated to him, the last stop on the Sacro Monte di Somasca route. A large iron cross at the top commemorates the saint and the Alpini.
- The castle that tradition links to The Betrothed, with the view over the Lecco branch and the Adda.
- The climb from the Somasca sanctuary along the avenue of chapels and the path to the fortress.
Highlights
- The walls and bastions of the border fortress
- San Girolamo's chapel in the tower and the iron cross
- The Scala Santa of 1837 on the way up
Getting there
- From the sanctuary of San Girolamo at Somasca, on Via alla Basilica in Vercurago, the climb takes about half an hour on foot, along the avenue of chapels and from the Valletta towards the fortress. Halfway along the avenue, the Scala Santa of 1837 climbs to the hermitage.
Accessibility
- The climb from the Valletta to the fortress follows a woodland path with bends and zigzags. The Scala Santa to the hermitage is a flight of steps.
On the map
© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
What's on nearby
Events within a few kilometres, on now or coming up.
Nearby: places, experiences, services
Distances as the crow flies.
Sources and credits
- Maps, parking, services and distances: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
- Freely licensed photographs: authors and licences under Photograph credits.
Sources and credits
- Maps, parking, services and distances: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
- Freely licensed photographs: authors and licences under Photograph credits.