The ''Triangolo lariano'' is a

geographic Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...

area in Lombardy,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

within the Province of Como. It is represented by a territorial intermediate institution named '' Comunità montana del Triangolo lariano'', with a base in Canzo.

Topography

There are three big lakes in

which reach a depth of more than 300

metre The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its prefi ...

s and cover an area of hundreds of square kilometres. They are aligned west–east, since they all are within the pre-alpine zone of Lombardy region. The westernmost is

Lake Maggiore Lake Maggiore (, ; it, Lago Maggiore ; lmo, label=Western Lombard, Lagh Maggior; pms, Lagh Magior; literally 'Greater Lake') or Verbano (; la, Lacus Verbanus) is a large lake located on the south side of the Alps. It is the second largest l ...

, and it marks the boundary with the region of

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

; the easternmost is

Lake Garda Lake Garda ( it, Lago di Garda or ; lmo, label= Eastern Lombard, Lach de Garda; vec, Ƚago de Garda; la, Benacus; grc, Βήνακος) is the largest lake in Italy. It is a popular holiday location in northern Italy, about halfway between ...

, marking the boundary with the region of

Veneto it, Veneto (man) it, Veneta (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = ...

, and the central one is Lake Como. It is distinguishable by its characteristic shape of an upside-down " Y" or the

Greek letter The Greek alphabet has been used to write the Greek language since the late 9th or early 8th century BCE. It is derived from the earlier Phoenician alphabet, and was the earliest known alphabetic script to have distinct letters for vowels as ...

" λ". The triangle formed by the two diagonal branches of the lake is named in

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

''Triangolo lariano''. This phrase is composed by the noun ''triangolo'' (= triangle) and the adjective ''lariano'', meaning "related to the Larius", the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

name of Lake Como. It consists of a peninsula—whose end is the village of

Bellagio Bellagio may refer to: * Bellagio, Lombardy, an Italian town * Bellagio (resort), a luxury resort and casino in Las Vegas * Bellagio (Hong Kong), a private housing building * Bellagio declaration, an intellectual copyright resolution * 79271 Bellag ...

—but it can be considered as an

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

, as the third side of the triangle (not occupied by Lake Como) is dotted with seven smaller lakes. The tourist town of Canzo lies at the center of the ''Triangolo lariano'' and is the chief town of the ''Comunità montana del Triangolo lariano'' (literally, "Mountain community of ''Triangolo lariano''"), a territorial institution who brings together the 31

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

of the peninsula, of about 71,000 inhabitants.

History

During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, the territory of ''Triangolo lariano'' was divided into four main institutions, three of which was part of the State of

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

; one, instead, was under the rule of the Commune of

Como Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label= Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Its proximity to Lake Como and to the Alps h ...

: * One was the

Pieve In the Middle Ages, a pieve (, ; la, plebe, link=no; plural ''pievi'') was a rural church with a baptistery, upon which other churches without baptisteries depended. The Italian word ''pieve'' is descended from Latin ''plebs'' which, after t ...

of Asso (

Valassina The Valassina or Vallassina is the valley of the upper tract of the river Lambro, situated in the Larian Triangle in the Province of Como, northern Italy. The most important settlement in the area is the town of Asso, from which the valley takes i ...

valley) of the

Archdiocese of Milan The Archdiocese of Milan ( it, Arcidiocesi di Milano; la, Archidioecesis Mediolanensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Italy which covers the areas of Milan, Monza, Lecco and Varese. It has lon ...

and, then, also of the Duchy of Milan. * Another one was the '' Curtis Casalensis'', a league of free communes with Canzo as chief town, within the jurisdiction of the Duchy of Milan too. * Part of the former

of ''Incino'' (= Erba), Duchy of Milan. * Finally, communes who were under the rule of Como (

itself, and the villages on the western coast of the

Lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

Lakes and mountains

The "Triangle" has an altitude between 320 and 1,682 meters above sea level. The most famous mountains are: Corni di Canzo ( Canzo's Horns) (1,372 m) and Mount Cornizzolo (1,241 m), both in Canzo, divided by Mount Raj (1,261 m), also in Canzo, as a tourist destination because of the variety and attractiveness of the landscape; Mount San Primo (1,682 m) and Mount Palanzone (1,436 m) for their height. Mount

Bollettone Bollettone is a mountain in Lombardy, Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory large ...

(1,317 m) too, for its proximity to

, is often visited. The seven small lakes forming the southern border of the region are: Lake of

Pusiano Pusiano ( Brianzöö: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Como, in the Italian region Lombardy, located about north of Milan, and about east of Como. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,225, and an area of .All demog ...

, Lake of Annone (divided into ''Lake of Annone'' strictly said and Lake of

Oggiono Oggiono ( Brianzöö: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Lecco in the Italian region Lombardy, located about northeast of Milan and about southwest of Lecco. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 8,194 and an area of ...

), Lake of

Garlate Garlate ( Brianzöö: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Lecco in the Italian region Lombardy, located about northeast of Milan and about south of Lecco. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,630 and an area of .All d ...

, Lake of Alserio, Lake of

Montorfano Montorfano (English: "orphan hill"; Brianzöö: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Como, part of Lombardy, in northern Italy. It is situated about south of Como, which is at the southern tip of Lake Como, c. north of Milan. It ha ...

, and, finally, the Lake Segrino—placed in the southern border of the land of Canzo—a little glacial lake, celebrated by several authors and poets. ''Triangolo lariano'' is also the name of a

Special Protection Area A Special Protection Area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and certa ...

(593

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100- metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is ...

s) protected by European laws, located in the Corni di Canzo (Horns of Canzo). Its protection concerns 84 precious

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

(including the honey buzzard, the peregrine falcon, the

rock partridge The rock partridge or common rock partridge (''Alectoris graeca'') is a gamebird in the pheasant family, Phasianidae, of the order Galliformes (gallinaceous birds). It is native to southern Europe, and is closely related and very similar to its ...

, the

eagle owl The American (North and South America) horned owls and the Old World eagle-owls make up the genus ''Bubo'', at least as traditionally described. The genus name ''Bubo'' is Latin for the Eurasian eagle-owl. This genus contains 19 species that ar ...

, the

nightjar Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal or crepuscular birds in the family Caprimulgidae and order Caprimulgiformes, characterised by long wings, short legs, and very short bills. They are sometimes called goatsuckers, due to the ancient folk tal ...

, the tawny pipit, the red-backed shrike, and the

ortolan bunting The ortolan (''Emberiza hortulana''), also called ortolan bunting, is a Eurasian bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a passerine family now separated by most modern scholars from the finches, Fringillidae. The genus name ''Emberiza'' is fro ...

) and the habitats, e.g. the natural dry grasslands and scrubland facies on calcareous substrates (Festuco-Brometalia) —– with significant blossoming of

orchids Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

—the

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

pavements and the petrifying springs with

tufa Tufa is a variety of limestone formed when carbonate minerals precipitate out of water in unheated rivers or lakes. Geothermally heated hot springs sometimes produce similar (but less porous) carbonate deposits, which are known as travertin ...

formation (Cratoneurion), and the calcareous beech forests of Central Europe Cephalanthero-Fagion. Inside is another

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

, the

Site of Community Importance A Site of Community Importance (SCI) is defined in the European Commission Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) as a site which, in the biogeographical region or regions to which it belongs, contributes significantly to the maintenance or restoration at ...

"''Sasso Malascarpa''" (328

s), with 52 protected

, among which are the

greater horseshoe bat The greater horseshoe bat (''Rhinolophus ferrumequinum'') is an insectivorous bat of the genus '' Rhinolophus''. Its distribution covers Europe, Northern Africa, Central Asia and Eastern Asia. It is the largest of the horseshoe bats in Europe an ...

, various kinds of backed shrike, and the rare

white-clawed crayfish ''Austropotamobius pallipes'' is an endangered European freshwater crayfish, and the only crayfish native to the British Isles. Its common names include white-clawed crayfish and Atlantic stream crayfish. Distribution It is found from the eas ...

. A peculiar habitat of the reserve consists in the stone springs with

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and even rusty varieties. It is formed by a p ...

formation. The alternation of woods, meadows–pastures, and rock formations in the mountains of Canzo, makes the landscape particularly popular for tourism.Official presentation of the protected areas of Lombardy
/ref>

References

Bibliography

* Longoni, Virginio (1998). ''Religiosità e cultura del Rinascimento nel Triangolo Lariano. Immagini di un'epoca''. Canzo: Comunità Montana del Triangolo Lariano, Assessorato alla Cultura. * Longoni, Virginio (1999). ''Fonti per la storia del Triangolo Lariano. Il medioevo'', Canzo: Comunità Montana del Triangolo Lariano, Assessorato alla Cultura.

External links

* {{Official website, http://www.triangololariano.it/, ''Comunità Montana del Triangolo lariano'' official website Geographical, historical and cultural regions of Italy Geography of Lombardy Protected areas of Italy Protected areas of Europe

Topography

History

Lakes and mountains

See also

References

Bibliography

External links