LANDASCAPES AND RELIGION
At the end of a beautiful walking, travelling along a panoramic mule track with a breathing view, you can reach a beautiful 17th century church.
About 35 minutes away from Claino, travelling along a panoramic mule track, you can reach the headlands on which stands the small and much loved Oratory of Santa Giulia. As shown by an inscription on the bell tower, the current building dates back to the 17th century. The exterior, which has fallen into disrepair, is a stark contrast to the elegantly decorated interior.
In front of the entrance, you can find a seventeenth-century portico, while on the walls inside the nave, there are six frescoes enclosed in plaster frames which depict episodes of Saint Julia’s martyrdom.
It is not known which artists painted five of the frescoes, which date to around 1600, while the sixth fresco representing Saint Julia’s kidnapping in Corsica, is the work of the painter Pietro Verzetti, a native of Milan.
Above the pillars, you can see many frescoes and among these frescoes, stand valuable plaster sculptures of the four Evangelists and the four Doctors of the Church, created by Francesco Pagani and dating back to 1640.
If you look above the altar, you can see an altarpiece which represents a crucifix standing between the Saints Julia and Vincent, while on either side should hang two paintings by Battista Buzzi of Claino.
These paintings, dating back to 1746, represent Saint Julia’s martyrdom and were unfortunately stolen. On the wall of the entrance, you can see many old and recent small paintings placed by worshipers as they come to receive the grace of God.
In the past, people would set off from this church and they went from the Intelvi Valley to Lake Como or to move livestock to Cavargna Valley. The Oratory of Santa Giulia is a place in which the peace of nature reigns.
It is the ideal location for a quiet break where you might use the picnic areas, quench your thirst with the spring water from the fountain and admire the beautiful sunset over Lake Lugano.
