Location
Erba lies in the Alta Brianza area, with the municipal territory extending to the shores of Lake Alserio and Lake Pusiano.
History
The comune was formed by the union of Erba Incino, Buccinigo, Cassina Mariaga, Crevenna, Arcellasco and Parravicino. Already inhabited by the Celts, it was known in Roman times as “Herba”. In the Middle Ages it had two castles (one of which, at Villincino, still retains its tower) and was the site of the 1160 Battle of Tassera against Barbarossa; Incino (“Liciniforum”) was destroyed by the Visconti and Torriani. Under Maria Theresa of Austria it experienced a period of great development, with villas and silk mills that hosted Foscolo, Parini and Monti.
What to see
- Buco del Piombo: a karst cave of worldwide geological importance at 695 m, with an entrance 45 m high and 38 m wide (comparable to Milan Cathedral) and about 300 metres of galleries open to visitors, with stalactites and stalagmites; paleontological finds (cave bear remains) and Palaeolithic artefacts have been discovered here. It lies within the protected Valle Bova area.
- Church of Sant’Eufemia: Romanesque, with an 11th-century bell tower.
- Eremo San Salvatore: a hermitage at 570 m, above Crevenna.
- Teatro Licinium: an open-air theatre in Greco-Roman style, built in 1923.
- Villa Majnoni: home to the town hall, with an extensive park.
- War Memorial: a work by Giuseppe Terragni, 1930.
- Museo civico di Erba: in the Villa comunale at Crevenna, with paleontological and archaeological finds.
What to do
Trails towards Monte Bolettone and Boletto; the wild Valle Bova (with climbing crags); from the Buco del Piombo, an hour’s walk leads to the Alpe del Vicerè (903 m), a base for hikes along the ridge of the Triangolo Lariano.
Getting there
Erba station, on the Trenord R18 Como-Molteno-Lecco line, is about an hour and ten minutes from Como; the C40 and C140 bus lines also connect the town to Lecco. By car, exit the SS36 at Erba.
Festivities
8 September, the Nativity of Mary, patron saint of Erba.