Orrido di Bellano is a deep natural gorge, originated
more than 15 million years ago, dug by the Pioverna creek, which flows from
Valsassina to Lake Como, which gradually sculpted this inlet, form the narrow
and deep gorge that we can admire today.
This gorge owes its name from the poet
Sigismondo Boldoni who called it a "horror of a horrible
horrendousness".
History
of Orrido di Bellano
During the glaciations, in
Valsassina a lake was formed, whose waters during the following period of
thawing fell into the Orrido. It is thought that the passage of these waters
originated the canyon eroding the territory.
Initially
the waters ended with a high waterfall, descending from a rocky step, which
over time has eroded to form today's ravine of the Orrido.
Already
from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the waters were used for the
processing of iron extracted from the mines of Valsassina, and subsequently
also by a cotton mill near the Orrido which opened in 1870.
Tradition
Tradition says that here lies
the valiant warrior Taino, buried with his treasure, and that the tunnels that
branch off towards Bellano were used during the Austrian occupation to avoid
the patrols during the curfew.
At
the entrance of the Orrido there is an irregularly shaped tower with some
windows to railing and an internal spiral staircase called "Cà del
Diavol". The original function of the turret is not known, but as early as
1700 it was used as a fossil museum. Its name is linked to mythological
figures, including that of the Satyr, who decorate the front of the last floor,
and local traditions and rumors that tells of satanic rituals performed inside.
Info: http://www.turismobellano.it/it/orrido/
