Taino
The small town of Taino, located on the first hilly slopes of the southern Lombard shore of Lake Maggiore, offers a marvellous view of the lake, from the narrows at Sesto Calende to the basin of Verbania and the Borromean Islands, of the Rocca di Angera (Angera fort) in front of it, and over the summits of the Alps culminating with the Mount Rosa Massif.
The Dumìn of Taino
The view can be enjoyed from the balcony of the Dumìn (little duomo - in fact from far away, its façade reminds onlookers of the duomo in Milan) in Taino – that is the parish church dedicated to Santo Stefano. The bell tower is still in its original Romanesque style, while the church (which already existed in the 12th century) has been modified several times. The village is grouped into several hamlets and districts, such as Cheglio and Monzeglio, so much so that every year the Palio dei Rioni (horse race between the districts) is organised during the second week of September immediately after the Festa del Dumìn (Festival of the Duomo).
Taino and the Giò Pomodoro Park
The public municipal park Taino per la Pace dedicated to the city and all its dead soldiers was designed by Giò Pomodoro and created between 1981-1991 just a few hundred metres from S. Stefano and practically in the same panoramic position. A flight of steps leads from the large square in front of the cemetery into the heart of the park, towards the place of the four cardinal points, which has many symbols.
The materials used to create the monument always came from the valleys of the surrounding lakes: white and grey granite from Montorfano, red granite from Baveno, green granite from Mergozzo, grey gneiss from Valdossola, grey serizzo granite from the Vigezzo Valley, porphyry from Quasso al Monte and yellow sandstone from Angera.
