Arlate: Monastic History, Church Art and Routes

Arlate brings together a monastic past, church art and several routes, each with its own destinations and course. If you are looking for a hotel in Arlate, you can first plan your stay around your interests: the former monastery complex and the fresco invite a cultural and historical perspective, while the named routes offer a way to explore by stages, riverbanks and local destinations. The distinctions below can help you decide which themes to focus on during your trip without confusing the different routes.

Monastic History and Church Art

The former Cluniac monastery in Arlate had an attached chapel, which is now dedicated to Santi Gottardo e Colombano. Part of a late Romanesque fresco depicting Christ Pantocrator has been preserved in the central apse of the Church of Santi Gottardo e Colombano; the work is dated to the 13th century. The Church of Santi Colombano e Gottardo is Romanesque and was built in the 11th century. This makes it possible to distinguish chronologically between the church’s construction and the dating of the surviving fragment of the fresco. For those interested in art history, it offers a concrete comparison between Romanesque architecture and late Romanesque painting.

The Monastero di San Colombano di Arlate in Calco is also one of the ten Lombard sites that make up the Itinerario cluniacense lombardo. This inclusion places the local monastic history in a Lombard context and complements the perspective on the chapel and fresco with the Cluniac itinerary.

Local History along the Salita del Monte

The Salita del Monte offers another way to explore local history. The old, steep connecting road runs between Arlate and the towns of Cassina and Sartirana, as well as the scattered hamlets of Calco Superiore: Caviggiolo, Grugnana, Roncaccio and Vescogna. In April 1799, both the Salita del Monte and the plain of Grugnana were the scene of clashes between Austrian-Russian and French troops.

Routes with Different Destinations

When considering the routes, it is worth distinguishing between their destinations and their course. The eighth stage of the Cammino di San Colombano runs from Calco (Arlate) to Vaprio d’Adda, is 23.3 km long and follows the Adda cycle path along the right bank of the river towards Vaprio d’Adda. Another route starts at the Imbersago ferry: the Itinerario del Parco Adda Nord begins there and leads to the Romanesque Church of Santi Colombano e Gottardo in Arlate, built in the 11th century. The ferry was designed based on drawings by Leonardo da Vinci. The “Da Montevecchia a Imbersago” route descends through the Adda Valley near Arlate. “Natura e arte tra Villa d’Adda, Imbersago, Merate e Calco” ends in Calco at Villa Calchi, a stately residence with frescoes in the Leonardesque style, and the Church of Santi Colombano e Gottardo in Arlate. The possible points of interest therefore range from a riverbank stage of a specified length to a church as a route destination, or a combination of a villa and a church at the end of a route.

Discover more destinations: Bellano, Introbio, Introzzo, Annone Di Brianza, Olgiasca, Gisazio, Calco, Onno.

For the broader travel overview: Lecco.