Taino
Taino: a corner of Lombardy on the shores of Lake Maggiore
Taino is a small Italian municipality located in the province of Varese, in Lombardy. With its 3,597 inhabitants, it stretches along the first hills of the Lombard Prealps, where the great Po Valley meets the mountains that contribute to the formation of the Alps. The town is located on the south-eastern shore of Lake Maggiore, a few kilometers from the point where the lake meets with the Ticino River, and is surrounded only by two municipalities, Sesto Calende and Angera.
History of Taino
The name Taino may derive from the Latin 'Taginus' or from the Insubrian term 'Ta' (good) and 'Vyn' (wine), which indicated the 'land of good wine'. However, the history of the municipality dates back to the Neolithic era and has gone through several settlement periods, such as those of the Gauls and Romans. In the Middle Ages, it was part of the Pieve di Angera and was owned by the Archdiocese of Milan. In the sixteenth century, after a long struggle, it became a fiefdom of the Marino family and later passed to the descendants of the Serbelloni family, who were its owners until the beginning of the twentieth century. In 2020, two Taino local police officers took part in the making of a small video clip that was included in the music video 'We Are Warriors' by Canadian singer Avril Lavigne.
Symbols and monuments
The coat of arms of the municipality is divided into two parts: the first represents a silver unicorn, with an ancient gold crown around its neck, on a red background; the second part, instead, is made up of a sorb plant with golden fruits on a silver background, with roots once placed in a meadow. Among the main monuments, there are the Church of Santo Stefano Protomartire, which preserves a medieval Lombard bell tower, the Church of Sant'Eurosia, the remains of the Church of San Damiano, and the Church of San Giovanni Battista, both in Cheglio, a fraction of the municipality of Taino.
Villa Crivelli Serbelloni and its park
Inside the municipality of Taino, you can admire the majestic Villa Crivelli Serbelloni, whose building was constructed around the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In the past, the villa was used as a fortified structure, later it was subject to a re-elaboration and was commissioned by Alessandro Serbelloni. In the garden of the villa, it is possible to admire a vast collection of plants, some of which date back to the nineteenth century. The park also hosts a loggia located at the top of the tower, which dominates the entire property. Both the villa and the park were designed according to the schemes of romanticism.
In summary, Taino and its hamlet of Cheglio are enchanting places in the province of Varese in Lombardy, rich in history, natural beauties, and period architectures. If you are thinking of visiting the area, we recommend including Taino on your list of places to visit.
