An exclusive vacation at Il Sole Di Ranco, located in Ranco (district of Varese), in Lombardy, will give you the chance to visit and admire some of the most pleasant and interesting places of this region.
Rocca di Angera
The Borromeo stronghold of Angera, the complex of defensive elements of which are dated back to the Roman and Lombardic times, is located in Angera in the district of Varese.
Clinging to a calcareous rock spur on the shores of Lake Maggiore, it is undoubtedly one of the best preserved castles in the entire Lombardy territory. Due to its location, 200 metres above the sea level, it had a remarkable strategic importance, since it dominated the southern area of the lake itself and at the same time allowed to direct one’s glance up to the Alps.
Rocca di Angera
Besause of to this peculiarity, it allowed to control the entire territory against possible invasions by enemy troops. Originally it belonged to the Archbishop’s possessions. Then in 1384 the Visconti family acquired it. In 1449, when the Visconti Signoria ceased to exist, the stronghold of Angera was sold to Vitaliano Borromeo.
Its architectonical style, evolved from the XII Century to the XIV Century, offers the astonishing scene of five sections that have been built in different epochs. The main tower, against which the Visconti Wing leans, is dated back to the years between the XII and the XIII Century. The other wing is known as the Borromeo Wing.
Amongst the ruins of an ancient tower and the walls, there is the small palace built in the XIII Century. Near the boundary south of the Visconti Wing, there is the Giovanni Visconti tower, which is the last part to be built – around 1350. One of the many marvels offered by the stronghold of Angera is the wonderful Justice Hall, not to forget the doll museum, unique in Italy, and among the most important of its kind, in Europe.
Santa Caterina del Sasso
Santa Caterina del Sasso
An exclusive vacation at Il Sole Di Ranco, located in Ranco (district of Varese) in Lombardy, will give you the chance to visit and admire the hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso, located in Leggiuno in the district of Varese as well.
It is an overhanging monastery, placed on the eastern shore of Lake Maggiore, and, according to tradition, its origins date back to the XII Century. The chapel, built in 1195, represents the most ancient area of the entire complex. The belfry and the exteriors of the hermitage are of particular interest, too.
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