The Lombard tower and Castelseprio
In the woods of the Olona valley, at Gornate Olona near Varese, lies one of the most evocative places of early medieval Italy, part of the UNESCO site "Longobards in Italy. Places of power". Castelseprio was a fortified Roman and then Lombard settlement, destroyed in 1287 by the Visconti of Milan, of which ruins of walls, towers and churches remain in the woods.
Just outside the walls stands the little church of Santa Maria foris portas, which holds a cycle of frescoes of exceptional quality with stories of the childhood of Christ, discovered only in 1944, whose date, between the sixth and tenth century, is still debated by scholars: the style, of Byzantine refinement, is unique in the West. Below, along the river, the Monastero di Torba, owned by the FAI, was born around a defensive tower of the late Roman period, later transformed by Benedictine nuns into a monastery. On the upper floor of the tower, the nuns' oratory preserves eighth century frescoes, including a procession of nuns. The rural buildings, the small church and the gardens create an atmosphere of great peace.
Tip: visit Torba and Castelseprio on the same day, they are a short walk apart; the FAI organises events and guided tours.
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