The historic village of Lenno, which is part of the municipality of Tremezzina, overlooks an area of the lakefront known as the Tremezzina Riviera or Rivieria of the Azaleas, a stretch of coastline along which are reflected some of the most beautiful historic villas around the lake.
You should know that in 1787, Cardinal Angelo Maria Durini moved to Ossuccio where he had bought the Villa del Balbiano. The prelate loved the small inlet that Lenno overlooks so much, which he renamed the Gulf of Venus, that he decided to build a second residence, the Villa del Balbianello, exactly on the most scenic spot: the promontory of Lavedo. You can reach the villa by boat, which departs from Lido di Lenno, or by taking a nice walk of about twenty minutes through the greenery.
But there are other interesting places to visit in Lenno, such as Piazza 11 Febbraio, where a large religious complex stood until the 18th century, of which the Church of Santo Stefano and the Baptistery of San Giovanni, both built around 1100, remain today.
The octagonal baptistery retains its original Romanesque style on the outside, but inside it has both medieval and Baroque decorations. The church, on the other hand, was considerably remodeled between the 16th and 17th centuries, but hides an evocative crypt that I recommend you visit.
Here’s an interesting fact: You should know that in the neighboring hamlet of Giulino di Mezzegra, just a twenty-minute walk from Lenno, is Villa Belmonte, known for a historical event related to the end of World War II. Well, right in front of the gate of this house, on April 28th, 1945, at four o'clock in the afternoon, Benito Mussolini and his mistress Claretta Petacci, whom the National Liberation Committee did not want to hand over to the United Nations to stand trial, were shot. To commemorate the event, there is a black cross and a shrine with black and white photos of them executed.
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