Brunate

Brunate
Country	Italy
region	Lombardy
province	Como  (CO)
Local name	Brünàa
Coordinates	45 ° 49 '  N , 9 ° 6'  E Coordinates: 45 ° 49 '10 "  N , 9 ° 5' 50"  E
height	715  m slm
surface	1.96 km²
Residents	1,685 (Dec 31, 2019)
Population density	860 inhabitants / km²
Post Code	22034
prefix	031
ISTAT number	013032
Popular name	Brunatesi
Patron saint	Andrew (Apostle) ( November 30th )
Website	Brunate
View of Brunate

Brunate ( Brünàa in Lombard dialect ) is an Italian municipality in the Lombardy province of Como . It has 1685 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2019) and is located at an altitude of 715 meters. There are several theories about the place name .

history

The settlement of Brunate was mentioned for the first time in 1240. However, archaeological finds show that the area was already in the 4th century BC. Settled by the Celts . The monastery of Sant'Andrea was founded there in 1340. From that time on, Brunate was a secluded place of worship, also because access to the village was very difficult. Around 1817 a mule track was laid from Como to Brunate. Later two roads from Como and Tavernerio were built, which are still used today to get to Brunate.

In the second half of the 19th century, Brunate became a popular resort for wealthy Milanese who built numerous Art Nouveau villas. During this time there was also a casino in Brunate , which was closed again after the Second World War . In 1943 Brunate was incorporated into Como, but in 1947 it was converted back into an independent municipality through a referendum.

After the Second World War, Brunate changed from an elite holiday resort to a destination for mass tourism . Today most of the holidaymakers come from the USA and Japan .

Personalities

Penčo Slavejkov's memorial stones

• Mara Berni , Italian actress, was born in Brunate in 1932.
• Arrigo Cappelletti , Italian jazz musician and essayist, was born here in 1949.
• Penčo Slavejkov , Bulgarian poet, died in Brunate on June 10, 1912. Two memorial stones on a wall of the hotel where he died and a bronze bust by the community library commemorate him.
• Alessandro Volta (1745-1827), scientist.
• Claudio Gentile (* 1953), football player, lived in Brunate for some time.
• Alberto Bonacossa (1883–1953), chemist, sports guide and owner of the sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport , owned a villa in Brunate that is now inhabited by his family. The Bonacossa family participated economically in the construction of the mountain railway.

Attractions

Como – Brunate funicular

Faro Voltiano

In Brunate there are the following attractions:

• the funicular from Como to Brunate , opened on November 11, 1894 , which is still in operation today and whose station is located in Piazza A. Bonacossa. The engine room can be visited.
• the numerous Art Nouveau villas, most of which are in Via Pissarottino, Via Roma, Via G. Scalini and Via A. Pirotta
• the old town
• the churches of Sant'Andrea Apostolo (parish church), Madonna di Pompei (in the old town), Sacro Cuore, San Maurizio (in the district of the same name) and Santa Rita
• the Volta Lighthouse, a 29 meter high lighthouse in 1927 to mark the 100th anniversary of the death of Alessandro Volta was built
• the wonderful panoramas, because of which Brunate is called "Balcone sulle Alpi" ("Alpine balcony"); On a clear day you have a view of the western Alps (from which Monte Rosa stands out in particular ), the Apennines and the Po Valley .

Hiking trails

Brunate is also known as the start or end point of numerous hiking trails . Particularly famous are:

• the Strada Regia (King's Road) to Bellagio , which reopened in 2006; Before the construction of motorable roads, the Strada Regia was an important traffic route that connected the villages on the east side of Lake Como . Natural monuments such as the Massi Erratici (boulders carried by the melting glaciers) and the Massi Avelli (tombs from the Longobard period after the fall of the Roman Empire), as well as characteristic villages, lie along this path .
• the Dorsale del Triangolo Lariano through the mountain range between Lake Como and Lake Lecco to Bellagio; This path can also be used by mountain bike and offers a beautiful view of Lake Como and its surroundings.

literature

• Anna Ferrari-Bravo, Paola Colombini: Guida d'Italia. Lombardia (esclusa Milano). Milano 1987, p. 267.
• Lombardia - Touring club italiano, Touring Editore (1999), ISBN 88-365-1325-5 , Brunate Online

Web links

Commons : Brunate  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Statistiche demografiche ISTAT. Monthly population statistics of the Istituto Nazionale di Statistica , as of December 31 of 2019.
2. ↑ Location description of a hotel