THE CASTLE OF CORENNO PLINIO
Lying along the right shore, close to the narrowest point of the lake, stands the fairytale village of Corenno Plinio, in the municipality of Dervio.
A magnificent castle-fencing walls, in a fairly good state of conservation, stands above the village. It was part of the Lario defensive network along with many other castles.
FEATURES
The Corenno Plinio Castle represents the classic castle construction typology that punctuates the shores of Lake Como. The fort only consists of an irregularly shaped fancing-walls with two towers and is located near the parish church of St. Thomas Becket of Canterbury. The patrol walkways are decorated with lace; two towers rise near the corners, an half-tower protects the only entrance located north and a square tower face the lake.
HISTORY
In the 10th century, when the Holy Roman Empire got fragmented, many communities, in order to defended themselves, built fortifications of their own close to the most vulnerable points. Was in that era that the population of Corenno built a fenced castle, around which the village later developed, with the objective to create a shelter for the population and collect supplies to survive in the event of a siege.
The castle was, over the centuries, theatre of various battles for the control of the territory and despite the numerous attacks, today it is in a good state of conservation. Over time the defensive needs were lost and the land was then destined for vineyard cultivation.
FORTIFICATIONS ON LAKE COMO
The Corenno’s castle is akin to the ancient one of Bellano, which was however destroyed. Many other castles rose on the shores of the Lecco branch of the Lario, such as in Lierna and Mandello del Lario. The Lierna Castle stood on a peninsula that is nowadays still called Castello (Castle). The structure is still recognizable even if it was later converted into a civil building, losing its original features.
