Sangiano
Sangiano is a little town with just over 1,200 inhabitants, located some 20 km from Varese. The mountain dominating it offers a spectacular view spanning over the central basin of Lake Maggiore. The history of its name tells of a curious legend associated with legendary knight Giano da Cannero. However, there are two other alternatives for this place name: the less likely one dates it back to the Roman divinity Giano Bifronte, while the most confirmed one – which is also confirmed by older evidence where the town is known as Sangiuan - refers to the presence of an old building dedicated to San Giovanni.
Sangiano amidst history and legend
Birthplace of Nobel Prize winner Dario Fo, the village has an old history enriched with numerous legendary elements.
Indeed, it’s said that a lady (who was nothing more than an old hag) inhabited a manor here several centuries ago on the high grounds dominating Laveno. Many knights travelled there to pay homage to the marvellous woman, and didn’t return. Only courageous Giano (from a small islet near Cannero), who had become suspicious, started out escorted by men who he had hide nearby. The lady of the manor invited him to spend the night with her, but in the morning, her guards woke him to sacrifice him. However at a given time, Giano’s knights burst into the palace, slaughtered the guards and set purifying fire everywhere. The wicked lady of the manor preferred burning and threw herself into the flames to avoid being captured.
Historic news tell us that Duke of Milan Gian Galeazzo Sforza made Sangiano a fief for his hunting prefect at the end of the 15th century. Halfway through the 17th century, the village was acquired by the Besozzi family, who kept it until 1811. The province of Varese was created 116 years later and Sangiano was united with Leggiuno, from which it broke away in 1963.
Things to see in Sangiano
The picturesque little Church of S. Maria del Rosario (mentioned in certain documents dating back to the 13th century) is home to valuable 16th-century frescoes.
Travelling down the partial gravel road to Mount Picuz leads to S. Clemente, a small built-up area with a few rural homes dominated by the homonymous little Romanesque church. It was mentioned in the 14th century but is most certainly older, and was built on a site where prehistoric and Roman finds were found. The apse dates back to the 9th – 10th centuries while the walls of the nave date back to the centuries immediately following. Restoration work in 1965 uncovered a mosaic with geometrical patterns made with white and black limestone and tile tesserae. It dates back to the Carolingian period. There is a fragment on the right wall of a fresco depicting a holy bishop (12th – 13th centuries) and there are symbolic animals on the left wall. A Roman ossuary made with granite from Baveno was discovered nearby. The view is magnificent, especially towards Laveno, Valcuvia and Sasso del Ferro.
The old washhouses located in Via IV Novembre and Via Puccini are also quite interesting, as is historic Villa Fantoni, which was transferred in 1983 to the Municipality of Sangiano on the will of Maria Enrichetta Fantoni. The municipal administration has destined this elegant home with its large rural park open to the public, to host cultural and recreational initiatives.
