Cannobio

Information and places of interest

It is a border municipality with Switzerland, located on the north-western shore of Lake Maggiore and at the mouth of the Cannobina Valley. A very ancient village, within a wonderful lake and mountain setting. The climate is characterized by mild winters and slightly muggy and windy summers. Rich and varied vegetation, with spring blooms of mimosas, rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias. The town overlooks Lake Maggiore and is separated from its main hamlet, Traffiume, by the Cannobino stream that rises in the upper valley of the same name and flows into the lake.

HISTORY

There is no certain information on the origins of Cannobio, which however can be considered very ancient as demonstrated by some cremation burials, perhaps from the pre-Roman era, brought to light between the 16th and 17th centuries near the current Via Campo Rezio. After the submission of the Alpine populations to the direct dominion of Rome, which occurred under the empire of Augustus, the town must have had a notable commercial and strategic interest, given its geographical position; two serizzo sarcophagi from the 1st-2nd century AD remain as evidence of this period, preserved in the portico of the Palazzo della Ragione. The first certain documentary attestation of Cannobio dates back to 909 when it was the seat of a royal "curtis". The Middle Ages saw a notable development of manufacturing activities, such as the processing of wool and, later, also of leather, to which was added the trade of wood from the Cannobina Valley. In the religious field, Cannobio belonged to the archdiocese of Milan; the persistence of historical ties with the Lombard capital is demonstrated by the Ambrosian rite, which remained in force even after the passage under the authority of the bishop of Novara (1817). Its parish included the entire Cannobina Valley, Cannero, Brissago and various lands on the eastern shore of the lake. The autonomy of the community of Cannobio and the Valley ended in 1342, with the spontaneous submission to Luchino and Giovanni Visconti, lords of Milan. From then on, its political and administrative events remained closely linked to those of the Duchy of Milan: from the passage under the lordship of the Sforza (1450) to the long Spanish domination (1535-1714), followed by the reforming government of Maria Teresa of Austria until 1748, when the passage of the upper Novarese to the Kingdom of Sardinia occurred. Notable moments occurred during the Risorgimento: the effective defense of the town from an Austrian attack via the lake (27-28 May 1859) and the visit of Giuseppe Garibaldi in 1862. The opening of the coastal road from Intra to the Swiss border (1863) created favorable conditions for the start of industrial production, which resulted in the establishment of a large silk factory. In 1927 the Municipality of Cannobio extended its territory of jurisdiction with the incorporation of some small neighboring administrative entities (Traffiume, S. Agata, S. Bartolomeo Valmara). In the post-war period, the socioeconomic fabric of Cannobio underwent profound transformations, linked on the one hand to the development of the tourism sector, on the other to the increase in cross-border labor flows to nearby Switzerland.

PLACES OF INTEREST

- in the HISTORICAL CENTRE there are numerous architectural testimonies: from the fourteenth-century nucleus of the BELL TOWER, a Romanesque construction of the 12th century, and the PALAZZO DELLA REGIONE, built in 1291 by the Podestà Ugolino Mandello.

- SANCTUARY OF THE HOLY PIETA’: built by San Carlo Borromeo in 1583. From 1575 to 1614 work was done on the construction of the structure, which was then enriched with stuccos, frescoes and canvases during the 17th century. The façade is the result of a 1909 renovation where a bronze stands out that reproduces a painting on parchment depicting a Pietà, with Christ between Mary and John the Evangelist, which is located inside a niche of the main altar. Legend has it that in early January 1522 the parchment bled from Jesus' wounds and that a rib, proportionate to the Christ in the painting, fell and is now in a reliquary kept in the sanctuary. The interior consists of a single nave with sumptuous baroque decoration.

- COLLEGIATE CHURCH OF SAN VITTORE: an austere church from the mid-eighteenth century (1749), a reconstruction of an ancient church. The interior is impressive and impressive with a single nave overlooking numerous chapels. The organ built in 1837 on the counter-façade is worthy of note.

- ORATORY OF SANTA MARTA: built in 1581, with an entirely gilded altar.

- LAKESIDE: it has unique characteristics compared to other coastal towns, in fact it is characterized by the presence of a front of buildings, in the central part facing the port, with sixteenth-seventeenth-century facades with porticoes.

- LIDO PARK: a beautiful walk along the Cannobino stream up to the Ballerino bridge and then to the Orrido di S. Anna, one of the most characteristic views.

SURROUNDINGS

Just outside Cannobio, towards Verbania, here is Carmine, a small hamlet, from which, in a few minutes, on foot, you can reach the medieval village of Carmine Superiore, a village perched on the rock.
In the direction of Switzerland, just 2 km away, a road leads to S. Agata, a splendid balcony of Lake Maggiore.
Before the Italian-Swiss border is S. Bartolomeo, a small mountain pasture reachable on foot where there is also an ancient press.
In the immediate hinterland opens the VALLE CANNOBINA with imposing peaks, rugged and wild.

cannobio santuario della santissima pietà.jpeg