Limonta

Limonta: A Historic Feud of Emperors and Artists

Limonta is the first picturesque village you encounter heading south from Bellagio toward Lecco. Bathed in a warm, southern microclimate, this fertile land has been prized for centuries for its vineyards and ancient olive groves. Historically, the town was renowned for its master craftsmen who carved intricate treasures from olive wood, and for its prestigious quarries that once produced fine black marble and chalk.

Limonta and its “A Thousand Years of History”

The village boasts a legendary heritage: in 835 AD, the Holy Roman Emperor Lothar (grandson of Charlemagne) gifted Limonta to the Monastery of St. Ambrose in Milan. This sparked nearly a thousand years of Milanese monastic rule, which lasted until the arrival of Napoleon in 1797. Since 1927, Limonta has served as a cornerstone of the Oliveto Lario municipality, alongside Vassena and Onno.

Art and Sacred Beauty to Limonta

The heart of the village, Limonta Alta, is home to the Church of Santi Bernardo e Ambrogio. This medieval gem houses two extraordinary works: a 15th-century polyptych of the four evangelists and a 16th-century Madonna and Child attributed to a pupil of the Venetian master, Titian. Literature lovers will find a commemorative plaque on the ancient Church of San Rocco, marking the setting of several chapters from Tommaso Grossi’s 1834 historical novel, Marco Visconti. Along the shore, don't miss the Sanctuary of Madonna del Moletto 1606, featuring exquisite 17th-century frescoes by Giovanni Paolo Recchi, and the Romanesque Church of San Dionigi, which bridges the past and present with a contemporary ceramic sculpture by world-renowned artist Pablo Atchugarry.