Monte Magnodeno
A panoramic vantage point between the lake and the Alps.
“From the top of the castle, like the eagle from its bloody nest, the wild lord dominated all the surrounding space where a man could place his foot…”
A. Manzoni, I promessi sposi (The Betrothed)
In Vercurago, in the Somasca district to be precise, lies the Castle of the Unnamed, the fortress that was the home of the ‘Unnamed’, the powerful lord to whom Don Rodrigo turned to abduct Lucia.
It stands on a rock on Monte Magnodeno at 180 metres above the lake and still today exerts an enormous fascination. Destroyed and abandoned after a war in 1509, only the remains can be seen today, including a quadrangular enclosure with a partially demolished tower, which was converted to a chapel in memory of San Girolamo Emiliani, the founder of the Order of the Somaschi Fathers. A large cross at the centre is the replacement for a previous cross erected in honour of the Saint in the sixteenth century.
The ruins of a tumbledown farmhouse were found between the rock and the inhabited village that are thought to be the remains of the Malanotte, the tavern-guardhouse of the Bravi.
Looking at the castle from below, the strategic importance of the place can be appreciated; from on high, the view ranges over the Lecco plateau and the hills of Monte di Brianza.
The Castle of the Unnamed can be found on an interesting trek over the slopes of Monte Magnodeno along the Rotary trail; alternatively, it is a short walk from Vercurago, which can be reached by bus from Lecco city centre.
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