The abbey of Piona

The abbey of Piona is located on the Olgiasca peninsula, a hill overlooking the lake just below the town of Colico. The abbey is a place of history, art and religion where you can take a break from the overwhelming rhythms of daily life and enjoy a feeling of inner peace. The Piona abbey is undoubtedly a must-see for anyone who is looking for religious tourism on the eastern shore of Lake Como.

Here are some practical information that you need to know before visiting the abbey. It can be visited all year round and with a reservation it is also possible to get a free guided tour (an offer is appreciated). To reach Piona, you have to drive up the road that runs through the Olgiasca promontory, you cross the village and then you descend along a cobbled road. You proceed for a few minutes, until you see a gate with the statues of two saints in perfect balance on stone columns. It is possible to cross it by car, so as to park for free right at the entrance to the Abbey.

And from now on silentium, we are about to enter a sacred area, the signs say. Respectful behavior and appropriate clothing are the entrance pass to the religious site. At first, you will see a large and well-kept garden with a panoramic view of the lake. A short and pleasant walk leads to the cloister. Built in the second half of the 13th century, in Romanesque style but with some early Gothic elements, it has a quadrangular shape characterized by round and decorated arches. The cloister houses in its center a small fountain and a tree, symbols of life and purity.

Its walls still preserve partially legible fragments of frescoes made between the 13th and 15th centuries. Among these, the so-called "calendar" is certainly the most particular representation one can come across. Arranged along the north wall, this fresco represents the typical agricultural work carried out during the various months of the year, thus providing a beautiful testimony of the daily life of the time. On the eastern side of the cloister, you can take a look at a spacious room where the monks currently meet to elect the superior, discuss important problems and admit new monks in the abbey.

​As soon as you leave the cloister, you will find the entrance to the church dedicated to San Nicola. It was built about a hundred years before the cloister and its interior appears simple, small and bare, with the exception of a fresco depicting scenes relating to Christ and the twelve apostles. You can then proceed along a beautiful avenue shaded by rows of trees, until you reach a place of absolute faith. In face, you will come across some benches arranged in front of a grotto with the statue of the Madonna, which recalls the more famous grotto of Lourdes.

Coming back, you can stop at the bar (open only during the summer), go down the lake to admire fantastic views or learn about the daily life of those who live here more closely: Ora et Labora are the words that mark the days of the monks of Piona, who alternate moments of devout prayers with phases of rigorous craftsmanship. Two activities that ordinary visitors can also be a part of: by participating in the masses that take place at pre-established times in the first case, by stopping at the monastic emporium in the second. Returning to the parking lot, it is in fact possible to enter a large hall used for the resale of products made by the Piona monks themselves. You can thus enjoy the products of their work by buying jars of honey, balsamic candies, herbal teas, ointments and liqueurs, while a white-robed monk will wait for you at the cash desk. (emporium opening hours: 9.00-12.00 / 14.30 - 17.00).

Piona is a place that evokes peace and serenity, despite having experienced a turbulent past. From splendid medieval jewel, symbol of evangelization, it became a place of decay and abandonment over the centuries, and the culmination of its dark period was reached in 1798, when all the assets of the Abbey were sold at auction. Thanks to some fortunate circumstances, the Cistercian monks managed to repopulate the priory in 1938. And so the abbey was reborn, once again becoming the center of vitality and spirituality for which it was originally built. ​Piona is thus the story of an abbey that managed to survive all the events that affected it and is still here today to allow pilgrims, faithful or not, to relax their minds from the rush of modern life.