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Lurago d'Erba

Green Land

is a municipality of about 5500 inhabitants in the Province of Como, in Lombardy.


Lurago d’Erba is a town that is expanded on five different uplands, each one is a seat of a different district: Calpuno, Colciago, Careggia, Careggiola e Lurago. Exactly on one hill is where the church of San Giovanni rises; its high position, with the possibility to enter the bell tower, allows to the visitors to enjoy the wonderful view. As all the territories of Brianza, the town is rich of farmsteads, today also completely restored and used as residential buildings. One of them is Ca’ Volta, a complex of farmsteads sets in a hill position with an excellent view. From there, you can visit Enrico Fumagalli, artisan, and his laboratory, where he creates design objects exported all over the world. Lurago is well known for the production of wicker, used for creation of handmade baskets. About design, hiking down to Via Provinciale you find Vittorio Bonacina Exhibition Centre. With its architectural high value, the building holds design objects hosted in the most famous museums of the world, as Moma of New York. From Via S. Andrea you reach “Pomelasca”, on the border with Inverigo and Lambrugo, where it is possible to enjoy a unique panorama. Your eyes are satisfied by the view of Red Church, lonely on the horizon. “Monterosa” zona is located in the border area with Alzate Brianza, Brenna and Inverigo. In this area is placed the PLIS (local park of interest), where is possible to admire different species of amphibians.

Free Tour

S. GIOVANNI CHURCH

Reach Piazza Veneto, there you can visit the bell tower and the complex of the church, the baptistery and the external part of Villa Sormani. Duration of the visit: about an hour.
S. GIOVANNI CHURCH
A century-old guard, strategically positioned on the highest of heights. Since 1928 his watchful eye has been overlooking a panorama stretching for kilometers all around.
Its bell is unmistakable for Lurago inhabitants and its imposing presence is a solid point of reference. The bell tower dedicated to the fallen soldiers in World War I stands right alongside the elegant church of San Giovanni (St. John) and a few steps away from the charming Villa Sormani, which seems to spring into the sky if seen from outside the gate.
A magnificent setting rich in history. The hilltop looks more like a pedestal supporting a spectacular cluster of buildings. But this is not the only lovely view visitors can enjoy.
Walk through a small wooden door and make your way up to the old staircase (fear not, everything is absolutely safe), to reach the top of the tower. You will find yourself in a very large squared space. It looks like a penthouse, it was not for the ceiling featuring two large bells.
Looking out from each side of the tower you can enjoy the view of green hills at 360 degrees. Mountain ranges stand out north and cut the horizon with their jagged peaks.
From such a height you can also admire the distinctive architecture of the neighboring towns, such as the dome of Villa Rotonda in Inverigo and the gardens of other aristocratic mansions scattered around the country.
Losing yourself in the infinity of these views is incredibly easy, but remember to keep an eye on your watch! Bells tolling at such a short distance are definitely not a soft way to wake up.

CA' VOLTA

From Piazza Veneto, go to the town centre and reach Ca’ Volta farmstead. Duration of the visit: about an hour.
CA' VOLTA
In a beautiful cascina on the top of a hill, there is a room full of straw. What is so special about it? One might think.
And yet that room hides a secret no one can expect. It is, in fact, the office of a world-famous design artisan, Enrico Fumagalli. No crystal desk or minimalist décor. Only straw, dust and a chair.Or rather, many chairs, each one different from the other. The old wooden one is where Enrico sits while working, while the others are all his brainchildren.
Such passion has led him straight to prestigious exhibition centres and to the most successful design exhibitions. It is just incredible to think that everything originates here. The silhouette of its creations is an unmistakable trademark, as well as the quality of his craftsmanship. Wicker weaving takes places between these four walls. Outside, the typical setting of a traditional farm with a vegetable garden and green grasslands around the hill. Some goats graze under the shade of fruit trees and, all around, the wonderful view of the small nearby villages, surrounded by woods and green meadows. Time goes at a slower pace here, it seems almost to stop. The city frenzy is distant, and time is set only by the shadows of trees stretching at sunset. Far from the hustle and bustle of the city you can indulge in a relaxing break on the soft grass carpet, learn the art of patience and admire superb masterpieces unique in the world of manufacturing production.

POMELASCA AND RED CHURCH

From the Red Church in Pomelasca, get the trail that brings you to different farmsteads (Cascine Maria-Cascina Carolina), until to arrive in Via Stallaggio. From there, cross a small picturesque borough and reach the marvellous Villa Sormani.
POMELASCA AND RED CHURCH
Claude Monet, in his masterpiece “Les Coquelicots”, wisely used spots of colours, making in contrast a pale green of the fields with red staking, those bring to the paint freshness and calm. In the middle of this simple contrast of complementary colours, French painter added his wife Camille in two different points: she was walking with her son Jean, touching the grass with her hand. On the background, a simple tree line those mark the orison.
The countryside that divides Lurago d’Erba and Lambrugo, in particular Pomelasca locality, bring you directly in the heart of the paint. The difference is the source of red: not poppies, but cotto bricks of Red Church, that overlooks the slope that divides it from Villa Sormani. The stunning villa is placed between trees, as the building of Monet’s masterpiece. The Red Church enters perfectly the surroundings, thanks the linear Romanic style used in 1952 by Ambrogio Annoni architect. In the small bell tower, soared to the sky as the surrounding trees, there is a bell dated back to 1330, casted in Como and it came from the ex-monastery of San Genesio. Not far from the Red Church there is also Sormani Property, with its farm buildings, property of the Sormanis since 1786. Walking through the countryside, as Camille e Jean, you can go to the Villa. Along the route you can admire the farmsteads those, in the past, served Pomelasca. Near the face of the palace, you can only image what kind of beautiful view you could enjoy from the upper windows. The Villa, built by Conte Alessandro Sormani in 1783, reminds to the typical Occitan style of villas with parks.
In 1808, the extern part of the noble house was modified by Carlo Amati architect, bringing it to a Neoclassical style for Conte Cesare Sormani. With the surrounding farm buildings connected to the main one, Villa Sormani encloses a gorgeous Italian garden, with its face and main entrance. If you have walked from Pomelasca to Villa Sormani during the afternoon, going back to the same route is worthwhile; during the sunset, you can see another paint: from the red of the Monet’s poppies, through the Red Church, to the warm sun that goes down at the orison, till totally disappears into the night.
HOW TO REACH LURAGO D’ERBA
By Bus:
ASF Bus Service
C 91 Lurago d’ Erba – Cremnago
C 46 Como – Merate – Bergamo

By Train:
Ferrovie Trenord from Milano Nord Cadorna Regional Train R16 Asso – Seveso – Milano, stop in Inverigo and continue by C45 bus service in direction to Como

By Car:
From Como: get SS 342 in direction to Lecco

From Lecco: get SS 36 in direction to Milan, until to exit at Como/Erba

From Milano: get SS 36 in direction to Lecco, exit at Briosco. Continue on SP 41 in direction to Lurago

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