Lecco: Isola Viscontea and Ponte Azzone Visconti on the way to Pescarenico

In the city of Lecco, located in the southest part of eastern Lake Como, there is a small yet curious island. You can see it in the area where the lake turns into river Adda. It consists of a 2500 meters square land that is really close to the mainland, even though it is not connected to it at all. Its name is isola Viscontea. 

You can spot it while walking towards the district of Pescarenico, famous for the novel "The Betrothed" written by Alessandro Manzoni, or you can also glimpse at it from the nearby Ponte Azzone Visconti, usually called "Ponte Vecchio" (old bridge) by the locals, so as to distinguish it from the more modern "Ponte Nuovo" (new bridge).

On one side of the island there is a huge field covered in trees, while on the other side there is a pink, two-floor building characterised by a yellow, circular tower decorated with the symbol of the Visconti, a noble italian family from Milano that used to govern the city of Lecco: a snake.

Isola Viscontea has an artificial origin dating back to the 15th century, because it was formed by an accumulation of debris resulting from works to widen the embankment for facilitating the flow of the Adda.

Initially it was probably used as a small military fort to control navigation at the meeting point between the river and the lake, thanks to the tower overlooking the water. Later it became the home of boatmen and fishermen until 1956, when they were denied the possibility of creating a bridge that connected it to the mainland. As a consequence, its owners abandoned the island.

The second half of the twentieth century witnessed its decline as the island was no longer used for private or commercial purposes. After decades of abandonment, only a project promoted by an association between 2011 and 2014 revalued the island, with a series of initiatives and events to allow thirty-five thousand people, from Lecco and beyond, to visit it. In 2013 it was also recognized by the FAI as a place of historical-cultural interest.

A few steps from the Viscontea island stands Ponte Azzone Visconti. Built between 1336 and 1338, it had the function of controlling the communication routes, as Lecco was in a strategic position connecting Lake Como, Valsassina and the city of Milan. Initially it had eight arches, but in subsequent periods three more were added. In the past it was also characterized by other elements that no longer exist today: two defensive towers with a drawbridge at the entrance to the bridge, a statue and a small chapel with the Madonna.

If you are in Lecco, we recommend including Isola Viscontea and Ponte Azzone Visconti in your itinerary: two important pieces of local history that you can easily reach thanks to the pleasant walk that connects the lakewalk to the district of Pescarenico.