The attractive Como territories of the Alto Lario offer a lot from a tourist point of view and the picturesque, fascinating Valle D' Intelvi , a natural jewel that is located close to the extraordinary Lake Como boasting a historical and monumental heritage of enormous importance is of course a great highlight of this land.

In this beautiful valley in the shape of the letter "Y" that is wedged between two magnificent lakes such as the Lario and the Ceresio or Lake Lugano you will be enraptured by the fairytale landscapes starring the impervious Intelvesi plateaus on the slopes of the Alps, impressive rocky spurs dominating suggestive woods and mountain gullies that form magnificent gorges.

Castiglione d'Intelvi is one of these places not to be missed, a centre located at 650.0 meters of altitude in the heart of the Lario Intelvese Mountain Community bordering the beautiful municipality of San Fedele d'Intelvi  and known for being one of the cradles in Italy of one of the most appreciated cheeses in the province of Como and the nearby Canton of Ticino where it was born the legendary Zincarlin  that we will have the opportunity to know and taste.

Castiglione d'Intelvi immediately appears very attractive with its core surrounded by an alternation of green and rugged mountains, woods and steep valleys that characterize this geographical area located in a strategic position close to the Switzerland border and dominated by the suggestive silhouette of Monte Crocione.

Historically, these places, after the settlements of the Celts and the Roman colonization with then Lombard and Frankish occupations, were subject to a long dispute between the Duchy of Milan and Como in a war of about a decade.

Linked to that medieval event, you can dwell on the image of what remains of a fortress that was destroyed in that period, the remains of the Castle erected by the noble Camozzi family.

Continuing the visit you can admire another building linked to the previous facts, namely the Mariani Fortress House  which miraculously remained unharmed and today shows its solid well-preserved wall structure, a building that consisted of one of the major bastions developed to defend the village. 

You can start the visit the beautiful Church of Santo Stefano  dating back to a period between 1635 and 1638, it was the first baptismal church in the Valle D' Intelvi built on the remains of a thousand-year-old plebeian house destroyed in 1590 following the overflow of the Cazzola stream.

The dedication to St. Stephen the Protomartyr raises the assumption that the ancient church was built no earlier than the 5th century while the new one that can be seen today was consecrated in 1775 by Bishop Giambattista Mugiasca.

You can admire its splendid façade with two orders and an adjoining high bell tower raised on a quadrangular plan built with regular stone ashlars combined with rough stone wall sections.

Visiting the interior you can appreciate the beautiful central nave with side chapels and the magnificent frescoes and paintings by various artists including Innocenzo Carloni, Gaetano Corti, Onorato Andina  and  Giovanni Battista Barberini.

In front of the presbytery you can appreciate the vaults and the nave frescoed by talented Baroque painters such as Giulio Quaglio  and Carlo Inganni.

The church preserves an ancient baptismal font in serizzo, plaster frontals developed by the famous masters of Intelvia, an altar dating back to the eighteenth century.

Continuation with the Church of Sant'Agata dating back to the 16th century, a small building with a hall layout and a gabled façade.

The interior is characterized by two bays, one of which contains two niches and two chapels developed on a rectangular plan with a presbytery decorated by Giulio Quaglio, also author of a canvas frontal and a valuable altarpiece depicting the martyrdom of St. Agatha. Alongside Quaglio, other artists such as Giuseppe Giani, Giangiacomo Chigi, Innocenzo Carloni and Onorato Andina collaborated in embellishing the church.

Then I recommend visiting the Oratory of the Madonna del Restello whose name originates from "restel" which in local dialect means gate that according to popular narratives would have protected the community from the plague in the 18th century.

The building, developed on an octagonal plan, is in an elevated position with respect to the road that leads to Dizzasco, contains splendid frescoes by Antonio Ferretti and a very valuable polychrome frontal executed by the scagliolist artist of Verna Pietro Solari.

I suggest in Castiglione d' Intelvi visiting a Farm - Dairy producing the famous Zincarlin, one of the exquisite dairy masterpieces of the Alto Lario.

The history of this iconic delicacy that originally apart from Como has one of its focal points in nearby Switzerland, exactly in the Muggio Valley and in the pastures surrounding Monte Generoso in the  Canton of Ticino where it was actually born although today we could speak of a common band in terms of production divided into these two neighbouring territories and the province of Como currently considers Zincarlin as a product that has been assimilated but has become with time and native production traditions.

This delicacy is classified as a  Raw Pasta Mascarpa Ricotta  created from cow's milk, with lower percentages of goat's milk .

The curd is left to coagulate for about twenty-four hours, in its elaboration as per tradition the shape is shaped manually, flavoured with pepper, sea salt and small doses of finely chopped herbs  to give it intensity of flavour and in its own way becoming the protagonist in the spiciness process.

A fundamental phase to avoid unpleasant moulds is the traditional cleaning using white wine and salt that will be passed on the outside every day and the aging process  takes place in a specially prepared room at suitable temperatures and called Cingherlino.

The shape of Zincarlin is quite peculiar, resembling an upside-down cup or a bowl and the weight of a fresh piece is around 400.0 grams.

The skin has a pale reddish hue, the colour of the paste depending on the period of maturation shows a variable colour between yellowish and white and the apex in terms of quality is reached after at least a month and a half in some cases even over two months.

In the cut the appearance of the paste with its molecular consistency, Zincarlin presents itself with a fat and tender cream with hints of herbs and a flavour vaguely similar to vanilla.

This cheese, due to its characteristics boasts a considerable versatility, excellent if eaten fresh with a splash of olive oil and a touch of fresh parsley, excellent on bruschetta, divine in the stringy aged form on polenta.

Time for lunch of the day I recommend starting with an appetizer with mixed cold cuts and pickles and followed by very substantial single dishes of your choice such as Braised in Red Wine or Luganighe in Sauce or Stewed Roe Deer, all these specialties served with Polenta Uncia or baked potatoes with rosemary.

A visit to Castiglione d'Intelvi is recommended to all those who love art, history, who want to admire unique landscapes overlooking the wonderful Lake Como and certainly appreciate gastronomic products such as the iconic Zincarlin, a delight of the Intelvi Valley.

Link :  https://valleintelviturismo.it/territorio/castiglione-intelvi/

Where to Stay | Recommended Accommodation

Hotel La Torre

Gianna House