Lierna Castle or Riva Bianca Castle lies on a peninsula outstretching onto Lake Como next to Riva Bianca and the namesake beach.
It’s a fortress built at the Romanesque time which was the head of several historical events , such as the battles between Milan and Como in 1124. It was for a long home of Teodilinda , Queen of the Lombards.
Inside the castle there are the village and the churches of S. Maurizio and S. Lazzaro with frescoes from the ‘400. On the facade sixteenth century frescoes are still visible. They represent the two Saints and inside the church it’s housed S. Maurizio’s relic. He is celebrated here on September 22nd with an impressive ceremony by boat.
On January 22nd , 1573 Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia at the Church of Lierna Castle founded the Order of the Savoy dynasty by issuing a Papal Bull by Pope Gregory XIII. It was named Order of the Saints Maurizio and Lazzaro and it’s still existing at the present time. In its memory is housed there a bronze bell bearing the emblem of the Order of the Royal House of Italy.
The village of Castello is very characteristic with the square and the narrow alleys.
The tour of Riva Bianca Castle can be a stop along the Wanderer’s Trail from Lierna to Varenna.
Photos by David P.
