SHARRYLAND
Visino: gateway to the Valley of Springs
The ancient village that died buried by a landslide, but was able to be reborn from its rubble
Where is
What it is and where it is
Visino is a hamlet of Valbrona, located at the entrance to the valley. Its origin is very ancient: findings date it back to the Bronze Age. Strolling through the streets of the hamlet one encounters historic palaces and noble residences, such as Palazzo De Herra, Palazzo Gorio and the house of the Countess. the ancient church of San Michele and the parish church of the Beata Vergine Assunta, whose bell tower houses five bells, which were also built with the fusion of three very old ones that belonged to the church of San Michele.
Why it is special
Visino is an excellent starting point for embarking on the trails on the Larian ridge and discovering the most beautiful corners of the valley. For example, it is considered the gateway to the Valley of the Springs, so called because it has been rich in water since ancient times. Numerous streams flow down from the surrounding mountains, forming waterfalls and cascades. Only the Foce is called a torrent (Foce Creek) and collects water from multiple springs. It flows in a northeast/southwest direction and flows into the Lambro at Valle Tegna in Asso forming a characteristic waterfall.
Not to be missed
The church of San Michele is the most important heritage of Visino, rich in pictorial works of the highest level. Its origins are uncertain but certainly very ancient: St. Michael was the patron saint of the Lombard population, so it is safe to assume that the building was built at the time of the Lombards (6th-8th centuries). The real treasure of the church is the polyptych by Ambrogio da Fossano known as the Bergognone, the Madonna by Andrea Appiani, and other important works given on deposit by the Brera Art Gallery.
A bit of history
The origin of Visino is very ancient. People lived in the beginning by hunting, fishing and herding; only later did agriculture develop. The plain was all flooded due to the presence of the Foce stream, which contributed to the feeding of the population. Once the lake dried up, the fields were reclaimed and the urban center of Olimna was born. In the first few centuries after 1000 a landslide came off the mountain and destroyed and buried the entire settlement of Olimna. Only the upper part of St. Michael 's remained intact. The inhabitants then moved further north, and only in the early twentieth century did the name become Visino and it was annexed to the municipality of Valbrona.
Trivia
How did the polyptych by Ambrogio da Fossano known as the Bergognone, considered one of the great masters of 15th-century Lombardy, come to Visino is the area's greatest mystery. Having no certain data, we rely on imagination: probably, someone of the local wool workers who had more success beating the markets of various cities, commissioned the work to donate it to the village church.
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