Exploration of the Site

The small village of Loveno belongs to the municipality of Menaggio and is located in the province of Como. It is surrounded by hills and mountains and sits 150 metres above Lake Como. The village boasts features of great geographical, historical, artistic, anthropological and social interest.

The village with its characteristic stone houses dates back to the 17th century. From the 19th century onwards, important bourgeois merchant and entrepreneurial families settled there, often linked by family and economic ties. Among them were families from Milan (Alberti, Azeglio, Vigoni, Bolza, Pensa, Garovaglio) and also from Germany, Switzerland and England (Mylius, Vonwiller, Wachs, Meyer, Mylius-Mennet, Grunelius, Wyatt).

The decision of these upper middle-class families to settle in Loveno left its mark on both the architecture and the landscape; numerous manor houses or villas with gardens were built and, in some cases, large agricultural estates were established. These properties have not been used for specifically agricultural purposes for some decades. But they are a vivid reminder of a whole way of life, one that included the production of fruit, vegetables, wine, meat and cheese. Villa Mylius Vigoni, which today belongs to the Federal Republic of Germany, is a perfect example of this. The estate comprises a set of small stone houses that were originally used for just such agricultural activities. In collaboration with the municipality of Menaggio, Villa Vigoni has created an approximately one-hour hiking trail that connects the most important buildings used for agricultural purposes. It is an extension of the Rete Sentieristica del Parco della Val Senagra (‘Hiking Trail Network of the Senegra Park’). Thanks to a grant provided by the BMBF, Villa Vigoni has developed a digital hiking trail in Italian and German, which is freely accessible.

The trails trace the everyday life of the time, which was characterised by agriculture, animal husbandry, hunting and silk production. It was therefore of fundamental importance for the local economy and also shows how human labour has shaped the area over the centuries (through cultivation, terracing, the planting of mulberry or chestnut trees, regular mowing, etc.) as well as leaving its mark on the landscape of Lake Como that we are familiar with today.

This documentation is possible thanks to special funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

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