Description of the attraction
Angera is a resort town on the shores of Lake Maggiore, famous for its ancient castle, which makes an unforgettable impression. Even in the era of ancient Rome, this city, which bore the name of Angleria, was an important port and transport hub. The status of the city of Anghera was received in 1497 from the Duke of Lodovico Il Moro.
Rocca di Angera Castle is today one of the best preserved medieval fortifications in the area. Perched on the very edge of a limestone cliff high above the waters of Lago Maggiore, it has always been an important strategic structure, both defensively and practically. It was originally owned by the Archbishop of Revenu. Then, in 1384, it was acquired by the Visconti family. And in the middle of the 15th century, the castle passed to Vitaliano Borromeo, whose descendants are still the owners of Rocca di Angera.
The castle consists of five separate buildings, built in different years. The Square Main Tower, or Castellana, was built in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. It offers a dizzying view of the mountains and the lake below. Next to Castellana is the so-called Ala Viscontea - the "wing" of the Visconti. Another "wing" is called Ala dei Borromei. This small palazzo in the alla scalighera style dates from the 13th century: it stands between the outer walls and the ruins of an ancient tower. The last part of the castle, Torre di Giovanni Visconti, was built around 1350. It adjoins the south side of Ala Viscontea.
Among all the premises of the Rocca di Angera, the Hall of Justice, frescoed in the 12th century, stands out for its beauty. Today, the castle houses the Puppet Museum, founded in 1988 by the will of Princess Bona Borromeo Arese. It exhibits over a thousand dolls made of wood, wax, fabric and porcelain from the 18th century to the present day. Part of the museum is dedicated to toys from non-European cultures.
Another attraction of Angiera is the Madonna della Riva temple, built in 1662 after an icon depicting the Virgin Mary feeding the baby Jesus miraculously began to bleed five years earlier. This icon is still kept in the church.
Finally, you can visit the Municipal Archaeological Museum, which is housed in the 16th century Palazzo Pretorio. The prehistoric section of the museum displays artifacts discovered in the so-called "Mithraik antrum" - a cave in which people lived thousands of years ago, and which was dedicated to the Persian god of light Mithra. In the Roman section, you can see items found during excavations carried out in the 1970s by the Association for the History and Archeology of Mario Bertolone. Then about 70 burials of the ancient Roman necropolis were discovered.
