LarioLago di Como

What to See · Churches

Sanctuary of Santa Maria sopra Olcio

Ramo di Lecco

Mandello del Lario →

The sanctuary of Santa Maria sopra Olcio stands at about 660 metres, in the territory of Mandello del Lario, on the edge of the old road that led from the lake to the Valsassina. It cannot be reached by car: from the hamlet of Somana one climbs on foot along a stone path marked by a Way of the Cross, up to a Romanesque church with a hospice, in a position overlooking the Val Meria.

History

The sources say it was born around the year 1000, not for a relic or an apparition but for the devotion of those passing by. The road was much used: there was even a farrier to serve travellers, and in 1913 horseshoes were found by the boundary wall. In 1145 the church was so important that it obtained the protection of the Holy See, under Pope Eugene III, in documents of the parish archive of Olcio; it then received bequests of land and houses, so that Pope Benedict XII recalled its holdings at Gorbo, Zeno, Bornico and Sonvico. eccoLecco adds a confirmation under Nicholas V too (1447-1455).

The complex had a life as hospice and convent. The Mandello tourist site and the CAI Grigne say that in 1335 it was a hospice of the Benedictines, with medieval annexes; Wikipedia speaks of a convent of local monks who followed the Rule of Saint Benedict, under the authority of the bishop of Como and the Pope. In 1441 the bishop of Como closed it, because the monks were few and the wayfarers fewer still, and the lands were returned to the legitimate heirs at Somana and Mandello. The CAI adds that since 1440 the church has depended on the parish of Olcio.

Then decay. In 1713 a hermit, Alessandro Carizzoni, came back to live in the convent, and stayed until his death in 1790, doing many repairs including the porch in front of the church. The CAI and the Mandello site speak of a restructuring already in 1600, while the other sources place the hermit’s work in the 18th century. The most important restorations are that of 1927 and the one after the serious fire of 1997, which mainly damaged the church (a page of eccoLecco writes 1197, an evident typo).

What to see

The church is small, with a single nave, like many Romanesque ones, and stands on a rise beside the buildings that housed wayfarers, in an ensemble that has kept its old look and, with its walls, gives an impression of a fortress. In the presbytery are frescoes and a 16th-century painting of the Madonna and Child with Saints Lawrence and Rocco. The bell tower, of the 11th century, has kept some original features, such as four small arches on elongated corbels. In front of the church is the porch, which looks onto the Val Meria.

The real spectacle is the walk. The path starts at Somana, near via Santa Maria, and climbs first on a very scenic asphalt stretch, then on a stepped mule track in the wood, where about every hundred paces a black cross with a crown of thorns marks the stations of a modern, simple Way of the Cross. Shortly before the goal one meets the chapel of Santa Preda, also called Santa Brigida, at about 600 metres, with a fine view of the Grigne, and finally a stone staircase. From the sanctuary the lake and Mandello can be seen.

Getting there

The church can be reached only on foot. From Somana the CAI Grigne and the Mandello site give half an hour along trail markers 15 or 17; a hikers’ blog, in 2014, wrote 30-40 minutes, and another travel site about an hour, so it is best to allow between thirty and sixty minutes. In Somana parking spaces are few, and the climb, writes eccoLecco, is not suited to a pushchair.

From Olcio one can walk up to Somana in twenty to thirty minutes and go on from there; the path also crosses the Sentiero del Viandante near the little chapel of San Bernardo. From the church longer excursions start: to the Alpe d’Era in an hour (marker 15 for the little church at 832 metres, 17 for Cà di Angiolitt at 991 metres), from which one continues towards the Bietti-Buzzi hut or the Elisa hut; to the Zucco di Sileggio (1,372 metres) in about two hours (markers 17 and 17A) or in 1 hour 45 minutes (17B), with a final stretch that can be done on two metal ladders (30 metres) or on a path.

Practical information

  • The Mandello tourist site and the CAI Grigne mention a refreshment point at the church. We found no official hours either for the refreshment point or for the church: it is best to ask the parish of Olcio or the Pro Loco of Mandello before climbing.
  • Altitude: 660 metres according to Wikipedia and eccoLecco, 661 for the CAI Grigne and the Mandello site.
  • See also the Sentiero del Viandante and the town of Mandello del Lario.

Sources

On the map

← Back to What to See