Visit Palanzo, one of the most spectacular views of Lake Como

Palanzo is a small, ancient agricultural village above Faggeto Lario. It originally belonged the parish of Nesso and thereafter it was an independent municipality until the Fascist era. Nowadays, it is one of the three hamlets of Faggeto, in our opinion the one that deserves the most attention. 
Go to Palanzo cemetery and park here (45.86712778688984, 9.161170959504997), there are some free parking lots. Walk back to the village and, when you reach the crossroads, go up to the left following via Pisciola.
You will easily arrive at a small and quaint square where the Church of St. Ambrose stands, a beautiful building of medieval origin. As you leave the church, cross the portico on your left and walk up the steps that run along the church, until you pass by the historic wash-house. 
Stop here and close your eyes: you may still hear the women at work, often singing or discussing village stories, other times arguing or laughing, but always sharing dreams, sorrows and labors.

Just little above, a mosaic catches our attention: it depicts the event Sagra del Vino, Torchio di Palanzo. At harvest time, in fact, the monumental 16^th-century wine press is celebrated, and is put into operation so that the juice of the first pressing can be offered for tasting. The whole village hosts traditional traveling music, food and wine stalls, art exhibits, activities and workshops for children. Even the village's ancient wine cellars are open to tourists with tastings of typical products and matching wines.

Climbing further, you’ll come to the walls of the ancient castle, where a tower dating back to the 11^th century and now privately owned is still well preserved. The tower was much taller, as the missing stones were used to build the bell tower of the Church of St. Ambrose. 
As you leave the stone portico, which probably was the original access to the fortification, you come to a fork in the road. A beautiful historic bridge on your right leads to the path to the Bocchetta di Palanzo, while if you climb to the left you will reach the Madonna del Soldo. 

Madonna del Soldo: one of the most spectacular views of Lake Como

Continuing on the left to Madonna del Soldo, an easy fifteen-minute path will take you to the Sanctuary, which, believe us, offers one of the most spectacular views of Lake Como. Right in front of you is Laglio and George Clooney's famous Villa Oleandra. Founded as the Church of Maria Addolorata, the later name del Soldo seems to derive from the duty (in Italian “soldo”, meaning money) demanded of merchants who passed through this street.

The famous winepress of Palanzo

Now walking down the steep Via Crucis, we quickly return to the square of the Church of St. Ambrose and go in search of the famous winepress of Palanzo. You can find it easily: go down the front steps at the entrance to the Church, pass under a portico, cross the very small Piazza Beltramè and continue down the steps. At the second street on the right, you will find a simple wooden door with the “TORCHIO” sign engraved on the lintel. You are free to open the latch and enter. The interior is truly amazing: there is a huge press carved from chestnut trunk 12 meters long and 3 meters in circumference. The wooden screw, that still moves it, is about 6 meters high, and on the stone is engraved the date of its making, 1572. Many tools of the time are also stored in the room.
The majestic press has been elected a national monument. 
Leaving the press, we suggest you simply get lost in the maze of narrow streets in the village, mostly curved and narrow stairways that wind around houses and draw poetic and truly original paths.