Montorfano
Montorfano: the municipality in the province of Como
Montorfano is an Italian municipality in the province of Como, located in Lombardy, with a population of 2472 inhabitants. The municipality takes its name from Monte Orfano, whose morainic origin overlooks the surrounding territory. The Lake of Montorfano, located in the immediate vicinity, also takes its name from Monte Orfano and is part of the territory protected by the Natural Reserve of Lake of Montorfano.
History of Montorfano
The area surrounding Lake of Montorfano has been inhabited since prehistoric times, as evidenced by the remains of pile-dwelling. During the Iron Age, the culture of Golasecca settled in the area, built a castrum on Monte Orfano and was later subjected by the Insubri, a Gallic population. In 196 BC, the Insubri were defeated by the Romans. With the fall of the Roman Empire, the area was abandoned until the Middle Ages.
The castrum on Monte Orfano was restored for strategic purposes and was included in a series of fortifications used for the transmission of messages from Castel Baradello to the upper Valtellina. During the struggles between Como and Milan for supremacy, the village was an important reference point as the Rocca of the mountain could control the Milanese plain. In the thirteenth century, Montorfano was given in fiefdom to the Mandelli family by the Duke of Milan, Matteo I Visconti.
In 1413, Giacomo Mandelli of the counts of Montorfano won in a tournament the hand of Elisabetta Rusca, daughter of the Lord of Como, Franchino Rusca, bringing a period of peace between Milan and Como. The fortress of Montorfano was destroyed and rebuilt several times, but was definitively demolished by Charles V of Habsburg in the sixteenth century.
Donato Montorfano and his work
Donato Montorfano, author of the great Crucifixion fresco in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, on the opposite wall to Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper, is also part of the history of Montorfano.
Conclusions
Montorfano is a municipality rich in history and suggestive places, from the nature of the Natural Reserve of Lake of Montorfano to the presence of Monte Orfano. The fortress was destroyed and rebuilt several times, with Giacomo Mandelli of the counts of Montorfano as the protagonist of an important tournament that brought a period of peace between Milan and Como. The history of Donato Montorfano and his monumental work in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, complete the story of this ancient municipality.
