Holiday apartment in Arlate: monastery, culture and Adda routes

Arlate combines sacred history, historic paths and routes in the Adda Valley. The area is home to a former Cluniac monastery, the Church of Santi Gottardo e Colombano and the Salita del Monte. There are also routes leading to Imbersago and Vaprio d’Adda.

Monastery, chapel and Romanesque art

The former Cluniac monastery of Arlate had an attached chapel. Today, it is dedicated to Santi Gottardo e Colombano.

The Church of Santi Gottardo e Colombano was built in the 11th century. In its central apse, part of a late Romanesque fresco depicting Christ Pantocrator has been preserved; it is dated to the 13th century.

The Monastero di San Colombano di Arlate in Calco is one of the ten Lombard sites involved in developing the Itinerario cluniacense lombardo. The itinerary of Parco Adda Nord leads to the Romanesque Church of Santi Colombano e Gottardo in Arlate.

For those interested in culture, sacred architectural history and medieval art take centre stage in Arlate.

Historic paths and local history

The Salita del Monte is an old, steep connecting road. It runs between Arlate and the villages of Cassina and Sartirana, as well as the scattered districts of Calco Superiore: Caviggiolo, Grugnana, Roncaccio and Vescogna.

The Salita del Monte and the plain of Grugnana were the scene of fighting in April 1799. Austrian-Russian and French troops faced each other there.

For planning purposes, the steepness of the Salita del Monte is a specific detail of this section of the route.

Hiking and cycling along the Adda

The eighth stage of the Cammino di San Colombano runs from Calco (Arlate) to Vaprio d’Adda and is 23.3 km long. It follows the Adda cycle path along the right bank of the river towards Vaprio d’Adda.

At 23.3 kilometres, the stage provides a specific framework for planning the day.

The “Da Montevecchia a Imbersago” route descends through the Adda Valley near Arlate. The itinerary of Parco Adda Nord begins at the ferry in Imbersago. The ferry was designed based on drawings by Leonardo Da Vinci.

The “Natura e arte tra Villa d’Adda, Imbersago, Merate e Calco” route ends in Calco with Villa Calchi, a noble residence featuring frescoes influenced by Leonardo’s style, and the Church of Santi Colombano e Gottardo in Arlate.

The stage to Vaprio d’Adda and the route to Imbersago follow different directions in the Adda area: one along the right bank, the other descending through the valley near Arlate. For hikers and cyclists, the riverbank, the direction through the valley and the 23.3 kilometres can be used as concrete factors in their own planning.

Discover more places in the surrounding area

For your further travel planning, you can also take a closer look at Torre De' Busi, Oliveto Lario, Ballabio, Suello, Garbagnate Monastero, Olginate, Premana and Maggio.

Return to the main travel overview: Lecco.