Some are huge and take up a city block and others are so tiny that you can miss them when you walk by. They are the churches, duomos (cathedrals), chapels, monasteries, and niches that are everywhere in Italy. Often, while we are driving I can see a stone church high up on a mountainside with no apparent road or access. It makes me wonder, who built it and how did they get the materials up to that remote spot? I recently reread Pillars of the Earth because I am in awe of how these places were constructed before cranes and power tools existed.
The Duomo in Como was built over a 300 year period (1396-1770) and took so long that it incorporates three different styles of architecture (Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque). The Basilica of St Fedele which is a block from our house was begun in the year 1120 with a Romanesque design. I believe it is the church bells from St Fedele that wake me up each morning. As we hike, I am seeing the private little chapels and religious niches that have been built and cared for over the years.
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| Duomo in Como |
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| St. Fedele (rear) |
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| St. Fedele |
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| St. Tecla in Torno on Lake Como |
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| Duomo in Bergamo |
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| St. Guiliano |
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| Along the trail to Baradello Castle |
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