Location
Lierna lies on the eastern shore of the lake, between Mandello del Lario and Varenna.
History
Its origins are ancient (the name is thought to derive from “Hibernia,” Roman winter encampments), with the first certain document dating to 854. Its history was marked by disputes between the neighbouring comuni of Mandello and Varenna, who long contested jurisdiction over it: administrative separation from Mandello del Lario came only in 1743.
What to see
- Riva Bianca, a beach of white pebbles among the most famous in Lombardy, free and unequipped (with a small kiosk), in the hamlet of Castello.
- The Lombard Castle, a medieval hamlet with frescoed walls and the Romanesque chapel of Santi Maurizio e Lazzaro (16th-century frescoes): here in 1573 Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy founded the chivalric order of the same name.
- The Church of Sant’Ambrogio, a 17th-century parish church.
- Villa Besana, a Liberty-style villa with a large lakefront park.
- The Genico Mill, a 17th-century water mill now a museum, the only one in Lombardy to preserve its original wooden wheel.
What to do and excursions
Lierna is the second stage of the Sentiero del Viandante, certified by the Touring Club Italiano — the same route described in the dedicated itinerary linked to this page — with the Abbadia-Lierna and Lierna-Vezio stretches. From here you can also climb to the Alpe di Lierna, on the western side of the Grigna.
Getting there
Lierna’s station is on the Trenord line that runs from Lecco up to Bellano, Colico, Sondrio and Tirano; by boat, the Navigazione connects the village to Como and the other lake landings.
Festivities
7 December, Sant’Ambrogio, patron saint of Lierna.