Location
Vercana is part of the Comunità Montana dell’Alto Lario Occidentale, above Domaso.
History
The name is said to derive from the Gallic deity Vercana. In the 5th century the territory belonged to the Pieve di Gravedona and the “Tre Pievi”. In the 18th century the painter Antonio Maria Caraccioli was born here, known as “il Caracciolo da Vercana”, the author of frescoes in the parish church before emigrating to Palermo in 1770.
What to see
- The church of San Salvatore, a 15th-century parish church with Baroque interiors.
- The Sanctuary of the Madonna della Neve, in the hamlet of Carate: built in 1630 at the end of a plague, it houses a 15th-century Marian image and a bell from 1639.
- Caino, an idyllic hamlet about 2 km above Vercana, with panoramic views over the Valtellina and towards Bellagio.
What to do
A stretch of the Via dei Monti Lariani crosses the territory; also scenic is the walk from Domaso to Gera Lario along the Antica Strada Regina. Climbing to the mountains above Vercana you reach Alpe Graglio, Montalto and, further away, Livo.
Getting there
Above Domaso, you climb up with a short detour from the SS340 Regina, also served by bus line C10 Como-Menaggio-Colico.
Festivities
22 November, San Salvatore, patron saint of Vercana.