Molteno (;
) is a (municipality) and a hill-top town in the
Province of Lecco
The province of Lecco (; Lecchese: ) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Lombardy region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Lecco.
As of 2017, the province had a population of 337,211 on a surface of divided into 85 ''comuni'' (: ''com ...
in the Italian region
Lombardy
The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...
, located about northeast of
Milan
Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
and about southwest of
Lecco
Lecco (, , ; ) is a city of approximately 47,000 inhabitants in Lombardy, Northern Italy, north of Milan. It lies at the end of the south-eastern branch of Lake Como (the branch is named ''Branch of Lecco'' / ''Ramo di Lecco''). The Bergamasqu ...
. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,206 and an area of .
[All demographics and other statistics: Italian statistical institute Istat.]
Geography

The central feature of the area is the isolated hill, ''"Il Ceppo"'', on the top of which is the church of San Giorgio (patron saint of the region). The slopes around it are still partly covered in vines and mulberry trees.
The Molteno castle, which commanded the area from this hill in medieval times, no longer exists.
Molteno is also the meeting point of the two main rivers of the area, the
Bevera and the smaller Gandaloglio.
The municipality of Molteno contains the ''
frazioni
A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' ('municipality') in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidat ...
'' (subdivisions, mainly villages) Gaesso, Molino, Luzzana, Raviola, Pascolo, and Coroldo.
Molteno borders the following municipalities:
Annone di Brianza,
Bosisio Parini,
Costa Masnaga,
Garbagnate Monastero,
Oggiono
Oggiono ( Brianzöö: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Lecco in the Italian region Lombardy, located about northeast of Milan and about southwest of Lecco.
As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 8,194 and an area of ...
,
Rogeno,
Sirone.
History

Molteno was a
Roman settlement, however it is not known by what name the settlement was called, nor whether the origins of the name "Molteno" stretch back that far. Nonetheless, numerous weapons, ceramics, tools, iron-ware, coins and even tombs have been found here from that period.
The area remained
pagan
Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...
relatively late. Christianity spread in the surrounding countryside from the end of the 5th century, and the first churches were built in the town only around the 6th century. After the collapse of the
empire
An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...
, the region fell into warring tribes which allied with the principal barbarian leaders, such as
Uraias the Ostrogoth, who laid waste to Milan in 539. In 568 the
Lombards
The Lombards () or Longobards () were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774.
The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written betwee ...
entered northern Italy, giving the region its future name of
Lombardy
The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...
.
Molteno's ''il Ceppo'' hill forms a natural fortress and medieval documents confirm that during the time of the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
, Molteno was a castle, surrounded by
fortifications
A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...
that were later pulled down in peacetime (although the ''Piazza di Castello'' still marks the spot).
Emperor Barbarossa of the Holy Roman Empire, in his long-running war against
an alliance of powerful Italian city states, led several enormous armies through this region in order to attack
Milan
Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
.
With the prosperity of the Renaissance, the republican
city states (''"
Communi"'') of Italy came to be increasingly dominated by powerful families (''"
Signorie
A ''signoria'' () was the governing authority in many of the Italian city-states during the Middle Ages, Medieval and Renaissance periods.
The word ''signoria'' comes from ''signore'' (), or "lord", an abstract noun meaning (roughly) "governme ...
"''). Molteno traditionally fell within the political orbit of
Milan
Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
and as such was controlled by families like the
Della Torres, the
Visconti and the
Sforza
The House of Sforza () was a ruling family of Renaissance Italy, based in Milan. Sforza rule began with the family's acquisition of the Duchy of Milan following the extinction of the Visconti of Milan, Visconti family in the mid-15th century and ...
. Molteno's parent state was unique however, in that the Milanese
Signoria of the Visconti family was recognized and controlled by a constitution.
Molteno, like the rest of the Brianza region, later saw the passing of numerous foreign administrations including the Spanish, the French and the Habsburgs before joining the insurrection that led to the
unification of Italy
The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century Political movement, political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the Proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, annexation of List of historic states of ...
.
Culture and places of interest

The
town hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...
of Molteno is situated within the park of ''Villa Rosa''. The town centres around the ''Piazza Risorgimento'', from which runs the street up to the ''
Chiesa di San Giorgio'' on the top of Ceppo hill. From the
forecourt and broad steps of the church it is possible to look southwards over a wide panorama of the countryside and of the hill country of the
Brianza. The houses cluster in narrow, crooked streets around the slopes and the base of the hill. Another central feature of Molteno is ''Piazza Europa'', which every Wednesday hosts the town market.
Local events include:
* ''San Rocco'' – Festival of the town's
patron saint
A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...
, August 16
* ''"Un’avventura, le Emozioni"'' festival – annual festival held in September in tribute to the famous Italian singer/songwriter
Lucio Battisti, who lived in Molteno (1943–1998) and is buried nearby.
Transport
The historic Molteno railway station (1888) is now an important centre of interchange in the
Brianza region, between the
Como–Lecco and the
Monza–Molteno–Lecco lines.
The comune of Molteno is also crossed by the ''
Strada statale 36 (SS 36)'' from
Milan
Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
to
Passo dello Spluga on the Swiss-Italian border.
Demographics
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Images
File:Vicolo Molteno Malgrate.JPG
File:Molteno stazione ferr.JPG, The Molteno train station
References
External links
www.comune.molteno.lc.it/
{{authority control
Cities and towns in Lombardy