The boat trip on the Upper Lake reveals lesser-known places, including the Abbey of Piona, with its well-preserved cloister, which from the 12th century to today bears witness to the manual work carried out in silence and prayer by the friars.
We embark in Bellagio or Varenna and sail north. On both shores of Lake Como there are small villages, fortresses and castles, villas, churches and chapels. Then, after a long uninhabited stretch, we stop at an isolated landing stage, that of Piona, on the eastern shore. On foot through the woods we reach the abbey of the Cistercian monks, which massively dominates the bay of Piona, as a sign of ancient faith and cloistered life. It was built in the 11th century, following the wisdom and rule of St. Benedict, to protect the area, easy prey for bandits and pirates. We visit the Basilica of S. Nicolao, a jewel of Lombard Romanesque architecture, and the most important work of art, the cloister, which gathers and sublimates the joy, pain and anxiety of the entire world through the life of the monks, woven with prayer, meditation and work.
