Viggiù

Certainly Vicus Julii was home to one of the many stationes that the Romans used to winter or rest before crossing the Alps.

From the fourteenth century, the inhabitants of the village began to extract and work the A partire dal Trecento, gli abitanti del borgo cominciarono ad estrarre e lavorare 'the marble of Viggiù', gray sandstone, compact and with a fine grain that lends itself well to being carved with a chisel. A tradition of stonemasons, sculptors and architects contributed to the creation of the Duomo di Monza, the Duomo di Milano, the Certosa di Pavia, the Sacred Mountain of Varallo, Varese and Orta, and the tower of the Campidoglio in Rome. Not to mentioned the carved doorways, the coats of arms, the chimneys that still can be admired in the many palaces.

In addition to the 'picasass' (the stone sculptors famous around the world), Viggiù has a name for its Pompieri (firemans) celebrated in a song.

To see:

-the Valceresio view from the church of Santo Stefano

- the hermitage of Sant' Elia, with the superb sight to Viggiù, Lugano Lake, Porto Ceresio, Morcote and Besano.

-San Martino, the first parish

- San Siro, in Bareggia, builted in 1100-1200, with 1400 invaluable frescoes

- Museo Butti, with the modeling of the sculptor Enrico Butti

Curiosity: Once, Viggiù was linked to Bisuschio with a tram