museums near Varenna

Photo: Ktulu

Como is Lake Como's largest city where you will find shopping, works of art, churches, gardens, museums, theatres, parks and palaces. Places to go inlcude the Duomo, the Basilica of Sant'Abbondio, Villa Olmo, the Volta Temple and Museum, the Teatro...

High on the road is the sanctuary of the Madonna of Peace, erected in 1659 to celebrate the peace of Pirenei, which ended the Thirty Year War between the French and Spaniards. Characteristic is the Romanesque hanging bell (sec. XIII), and in the...

This parish church rebuilt between 1725 and 1738, is a remarkable example of Baroque art. Inside, in addition to the frescoes of Luigi Tagliaferro, is a valuable painting of the "Madonna of the Seven Sorrows" and a wooden statue of Lorenzo Matieli...

In 1688, a plaster relief of the Madonna of Sorrows kept in the small chapel of Lezzeno is said to have cried. And thus, in 1690 a Sanctuary was built in her honour. The work designed by Giovanni Battista Quadrio, was completed in 1704. Today we can...

Photo: Michael Ortelli

We are part of the Anglican Church, belonging to the Diocese in Europe but we welcome all visitors of the Christian faith to our services of Holy Communion. These are held every Sunday at 10.30 am from the beginning of May to the end of October....

Photo: Michael Ortelli

The parish church is located next to the historical centre of the village of Griante. It was built at the beginning of the 18th century on the site of an ancient temple, that was probably consecrated by St. Felice, bishop of Como. The church has a...

The church S. Carlo which was built in 1614 on order of Cinzio Calvi so that he and his wife could have their tombs in it. The church has a characteristic Spanish style bell tower a reminder of the period of Spanish domination in the 15-16th...

This church is located in the village Nobiallo just north of Menaggio. The houses are clustered around the church which stands on the Antica Strada Regina, the antique Roman Road that connected Como with Alpine passes. The characteristic leaning...

The church S. Marta is of ancient origins. On the facade you can see the Roman memorial plaque of Minicio Exorato, a notable of the Roman empire; above it the town-arms. Inside the church there are some interesting paintings of the 17th century....

The parish church of S. Stefano is of very ancient origins whose original Roman structures have however been lost; in fact the orientation itself is in the opposite direction of its primitive setting. The church has three naves which, in 1899, were...

Photo: Enrico Colzani

Executed in Baroque style (17th c.), with single nave and wooden altar piece dating back to the 1600's. On the left side is a bell tower containing five bells. Inside is the "Madonna delle Grazie" fresco of the Lombardy school, statue of the...

Photo: Di Daderot

The church of St. George is located in Bellagio, next to City Hall. It is contemporary with the Basilica of St. James, dating back to ' XI - XII century (dated between 1080 and 1120). Originally the apse and altar were facing east; but then moved...

The parish church of Saints Nazaro Celso with the black-white Gothic front, was built in 1348 by Giovanni Ugo di Campione and architects from the valley Intelvi. The church has some beautiful rose windows and frescoes of the Lombard school. The...

Photo: Peverelli Lecco

The church stands on a hill that dominates the valley. The current building is the result of a series of operations occurred over the centuries. Rebuilt on top of the pre-existing building, in the 16th century the church was formed of only one...

Photo: Enrico Colzani

One of the finest examples of Lombard-Romanesque with an intact apse. The parish Church of San Giacomo (St. James) dates back to the 12th century. The rest of the structure has undergone numerous restorations, especially during the 18th century....

This is one of the oldest churches in the Lake Como area and the oldest one in Varenna. Dated back at the 11th century, this Church is defined by the Belfry built toward the lake, as usual at that time, and it keeps inside few frescoes from the 14th...

Photo: Michael Ortelli

A perfect morning or afternoon hike with stunning views of Lake Como. San Martino is Lake Como’s most famous mountain church perched on a top a cliff above the town of Griante. Its official name is "Santuario Della Madonna delle Grazie di San...

Consecrated on 1313, the parish church of San Giorgio is a small masterpiece of the 14th century Lombardy architecture. Located in the main square, this is a basilica with nave and two aisles embellished by a rose window and a fresco portraying...

An outdoor museum focusing on Abstract Sculpture with an exhibition area of more than 120 acres. The Rossini Art Site resonates in many ways with its founder’s desire to create a flexible, friendly and enjoyable place for families. At RAS, kids can...

A small museum housing artifacts, images and posters describing the history of granite processing in Novate Mezzola. Sanfedelino. For nearly two centuries, extracting granite from the Sanfedelino quarry, so called to recognize the martyr Fedele...

Ancient and modern printing, from mobile characters to computers is the theme of this museum. Here one can see antique-type lithographic presses, machines for the casting of the lead characters, the first cameras dating back from the end of...

Visit a century old mine and see the techniques employed to extract barite an important mineral used to refine sugar, in rubber, coated papers, pigments, glues, plastics and in protective materials against radiation. The material comes out the...

The baths date from the first century A.D. to the present day. Since the second half of the first century AD, the remains of Roman baths were spread over an area of about 1500 square meters. Thanks to recovery work in recent years, the baths are now...

Educational science museum that was inaugurated in 1917 aiming at providing educational tools for teaching science in school. The room that hosts the museum is painted with frescos inspired by nature and displays images of all Nobel Laureates who...

Located on the top floor of Riva 1920, a notable furniture manufacturer. It houses over 4,000 historic woodworking machines and tools. This is the biggest of such collections in the whole of Italy. The aim of the exhibition is to rediscover the...

A museum that aims to preserve and offer an account of country life in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, documented by artifacts and various objects. The museum is located on two floors: the first one is set up as a home environment...

A series of sculptures and paintings of Italian and European artists, creating a veritable outdoor museum while respecting the area’s pristine landscape. The works have been created by various artists with the intent of both beautifying and...

The House Museum of Moggio was commissioned in 1991 by Maria Goretti who, donated the property to the parish with the stipulation that it be used to benefit the community. The Museum includes historical objects, old photographs, fossils and minerals...

The Abegg silk museum is housed in a 17th century silk mill built by the lakeside in Garlate and surrounded by a mulberry grove. It shows discoveries, inventions and machines for silk production, from worm breeding to fabric. It hosts a rich...

The Civic Art Gallery is located at Villa Manzoni in Lecco and hosts a selection of works belonging to the Civic Museums of Lecco and counts four hundreds paintings and two thousands engravings, divided chronologically in thematic rooms. A very...

In 1818, Pietro Monti, came to Abbadia Lariana where he transformed an old building for felting wool into silk production. In 1869 he enlarged the building and he added a new one for the spinning of cocoons; the first of the two spinning machines...

Belgiojoso palace was built in the late 17th and early 18th centuries by the family Locatelli Valle Imagna. It was renovated in 1774 and sold to the principles Belgiojoso d'Este, from which it derives its current name. Since 1928, the palace has...

Built in 1905, the building housed the offices of the Land Registry, taxes and duties where the Lecco went to pay taxes until 1964--hence the name: Palace of Fears. It is now home to temporary exhibitions and the Section of Contemporary Art and...

Villa Manzoni houses the Museum Manzoni, the Municipal Art Gallery and the Library specialized museums Villa Manzoni, is a neoclassical building, dating from the seventeenth century, in which the residential portion is structured around a porch with...

The Museum holds records of the local history, traditions and customs. Several natural environments are recreated complete with plants, animals, mushrooms fossils and dioramas relating to the local fauna. The museum also has documents about the...

In 1978 a group of friends of the Lake of Como founded an association called "The Collection of Boats of Lake Como" with the aim of saving the age-old and noble nautical traditions of their lake. The museum was opened in 1982 and it is fitted out in...

Positioned within the Grigne, at a height of 1300 m, the Piani Resinelli Mineral Museum Park is placed in a fascinating landscape. They are ancient mines, used from the 16° century up to now, and can today be visited in total safety. The guided...

The Palace was then the scene of memorable historical facts and today becomes the perfect setting for their commemoration museum. Thus it was born in Dongo the innovative Museum of the End of the War: a virtual tour and interactive in the depths of...

The Toy Horse Museum is the first and to date only museum in the world dedicated to the horse toy. The Museum is located in what was once the stables of the famous trotter Tornese that in the fifties was more times world champion. In 1969, the...

Exhibition space for cultural events as contemporary art exhibitions, conferences, concerts and living-performances. One of the better known examples is MiniArtTextil—an annual international exhibition of contemporary art showing the best in Textile...

Our Museum: a voice which recounts to the future generations the importance of the events that took place in Dongo in April 1945. The last page of the WWII’s history was written here: the tragic tale of a war and a dictatorship which was responsible...

The Museum extends over a surface of 1000 square metres and its exhibits reconstruct the silk manufacturing process with an historical and educational approach. The visitor is given the opportunity to learn more about both the whole process and the...

The Moto Guzzi Museum is located in Mandello del lario, Lake Como, the original birth place of the Moto Guzzi Eagle motorcycle established in 1921. See many other models representing milestones in the history of Italian motorcycling. Complete the...

Como’s Archaeological Museum Paolo Giovio is housed in the Palazzo Giovio, and features collections from prehistoric and antiquity eras. The building, dating back to the late Middle Ages, underwent some changes in the sixteenth century by Benedetto...

This gem of a museum sits in a spectacular spot, adjacent to the chapel of the La Madonna del Ghisallo – patron saint of cycling – and 600 metres above Bellagio, offering spectacular views of Lake Como to the North and East. Together with the chapel...

What is today the Giuseppe Garibaldi Museum was once a residential building, which hosted Garibaldi during his campaigns for independence. Within its walls, is an impressive collection of dresses, weapons, documents and furniture of the...

Civic museum and gallery with artifacts and paintings from the Middle Ages, Renaissance and contemporary works....

The Volta Temple is a museum dedicated to Alessandro Volta, a prolific scientist and the inventor of the electrical battery. Volta was born in Como in 1745, held his first professorship there until 1779, and retired to Como in 1819. It is one of the...

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