Discover in the post the history of the Lombard people and the origins of the Lombardy region: a cultural excursion that cannot help but surprise you.
If theLombard period fascinates you and you would like to know more about the people who gave the name to the Lombardy region, this post is for you.
"There is an island to the north, which is called Scadanan, a word that means" harm ", where many people live, among them was a small people called the Winnili" (Origo gentis Langobardorum, 1): with these words the oldest source on the origins of Lombard people it tells us that those who entered the Italian territory, combined their culture with the late Roman and Christian one and gave the name to the Lombardy region, and then descended to Benevento, were a people of great travelers. Of warriors, looters, conquerors.
Those who love to travel have always been fascinated by those who traveled before him and often rediscovering its history and retracing its steps increases the curiosity, awareness and value of the journey itself.
When will you find yourself traveling to the Northern Italy, remember that in the province of Varese, in a very green river valley, that of Olona, among small villages, narrow streets, chestnut trees and woods, you can visit two stages of this long journey of many centuries ago.
The archaeological park of Castelseprio and the FAI site of the Torba Monastery, further down the valley, they are a very interesting destination for those who are following a thematic itinerary but also for those wishing to spend a pleasant day of excursion, between nature and ancient history.
To see
The archaeological site of Castelseprio and the Monastery of Torba are Lombard monumental complexes included in the Unesco list. At the Archaeological Park you can appreciate what remains of a fortified high-altitude system of late antiquity, reused and renovated by the Lombards and survived until its destruction by the Visconti in the late thirteenth century.
The walls, traces of the inhabited area and the religious complex of San Giovanni Evagelista are preserved.
Inside the park, in the thirteenth-century convent of San Giovanni, a antiquarium, a very useful path for the independent visitor who wants to understand and deepen their knowledge of the subject.
Going up the path behind the reception and information center, you reach Santa Maria foris Portas: erected between the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries, it preserves an extraordinary fresco decoration which tells the story of Mary and Christ's childhood according to the tradition of the apocryphal gospels.
Downstream, near Torba, Gornate Olona, the walls extended until they reached the river: a watchtower is still today a significant example of military architecture of the time. In the late Lombard period these places became the seat of a female monastery. Today a FAI site, the monastery is accessible and the subject of new archaeological research, visits to the public and museum teaching activities for students and children.
How to reach us
Castelseprio
By car from Milan: A8 motorway towards Varese, Solbiate Arno exit, follow the signs for Carnago and then for Castelseprio.
From Varese: follow the provincial road for Gazzada, Schianno, Morazzone, Carnago, Castelseprio.
Gornate Olona (VA)
By car from Milan: A8 motorway towards Varese, Solbiate Arno exit, follow the signs for Carnago, for Castelseprio and then for Gornate Olona.
From Varese: follow the provincial road to Gazzada, Schianno, Morazzone, Carnago, Castelseprio and then take the road to Gornate Olona.
