Grantola
Discovering Grantola: history, monuments and places of interest
Hello everyone! Today I want to talk to you about Grantola, an Italian municipality in the province of Varese, Lombardy. Even its name in Varesotto dialect, "Grantùla", has a romantic touch, don't you think? In this text, I'll tell you a bit about its history and its monuments and places of interest. Ready?
History
Grantola has an ancient history that dates back to the 11th century. The coat of arms and the banner of the municipality were granted by the decree of the President of the Republic on 28 May 1962. The banner is a white and blue truncated cloth.
Monuments and places of interest
There are several monuments and places of interest in Grantola, here are the main ones:
Church of San Pietro: It has a very ancient history dating back to the 11th century and used to be the church of the parishes of Grantola and Mesenzana. Inside there are also some very beautiful frescoes.
Church of San Carlo: built in the 17th century according to the project of Richini, it was built at the behest of San Carlo Borromeo himself. Unfortunately, it is abandoned today, but once it was a point of social aggregation, also because the church was also a nursery of beautiful voices!
Church of SS. Peter and Paul: It was built between the 1950s and 1960s.
Palazzo De Nicola: If you like curiosities, you can't miss this palace. It has two towers, built in the 17th century and subsequently renovated. On the outer wall, there are also some Masonic symbols, but what attracts the most attention is the curious orange image that portrays Stephenson's locomotive. This is in memory of Gaspare De Nicola's activity, a builder in 1870 of railways in Italy and Portugal.
"Le Mura": These are the remains of an ancient building, still mysterious and on the bank of the Grantorella stream. It is believed to be the remains of a castle destroyed by the Lanzichenecchi in the 16th century, but in reality, it is a neo-Gothic background from the early twentieth century, of gardens connected to Palazzo De Nicola by a bridge that later collapsed.
"Madonna delle Nevi": This is not a building but a fresco, dated 17 November 1618, located beside the municipal washhouse.
Varese-Luino Tramway: Grantola was a point of passage for the Varese-Luino tramway, inaugurated in the early twentieth century and decommissioned in the 1950s. The route passed through pre-Alpine and Valganna narrow roads.
Cycling: For cycling enthusiasts, Grantola is famous for "La Grantola", those hard hairpin turns on the provincial road that climbs from Grantola towards Cunardo, and are always included in the classic 'Tre valli varesine'.
Society
Grantola is a special place for Biagio Antonacci, who spent his summers there as a teenager. Although he does not name it directly, the singer-songwriter often mentions Grantola in his lyrics. The inhabitants of Grantola are called "maràn" (marrani) by the inhabitants of neighboring villages. Grantola was the birthplace of Maestro Composer Quirino Besati and Giacomo Pierino Gandini, the first clarinet of the Italian Radio Television Symphony Orchestra (RAI). Finally, Grantola was the holiday destination of lawyer Alberto Dall'Ora, the prince of the Milanese bar.
Here's my little guide to discovering Grantola! I hope you liked it and that you can visit this small municipality in Lombardy soon.
