1824.3 Excursion from Lake Como 



with waters and woods,) of the laicc, and 

 of llie Valteline; and, when he g:ave 

 peace to Loml)ardy, it was on condition 

 of paying liini an impost of 35,000 

 sequins, or 420,000 francs, and of ceding 

 Liccco, JNIarignau, and all that he had 

 conquered on the lake, and in the 

 Valteline. 



At Dnngo, near Musso, are iron- 

 mines, Ironi wiiich advantages accrue, 

 as the iron is manifestly good, and 

 would be of the first quality, were it not 

 mixed with copper. From Dinigo the 

 next step is to Gravedona, a beautiful 

 village, sheltered by a mountain from 

 the north winds, and fronting the great- 

 est breadth of the lake. Here the tra- 

 veller slops to admire a magnificent 

 palace erected by Cardinal Ptolcmco 

 Gallio, lord of this canton. The old 

 church has been abandoned, as the 

 waters of the lake have risen to a level 

 with it. In the parish, and the sur- 

 rounding districts, are water-mills for 

 sawing, manufactories of silk-spinning, 

 and houses for refining salt; the pro- 

 ducts are exported to the Orisons. In 

 the neighbourhood is the village of 

 "Verscio, (Verselio,) the inhabitants of 

 which erected to Pliny the younger, 

 their fellow-countryman, a funeral nio- 

 iniment, which is now to be seen in the 

 Rossi palace at Milan. 



Chiaveniia, which is at a little dis- 

 tance, forms the frontier of the country 

 of the Orisons. To repair to Coire, the 

 capital of the canton of the Orisons, the 

 traveller must cross the high mountain 

 of Splugen, and from thence be may 

 advance into Germany, by passing 

 through Pleurs or Pluro. Here is yet 

 contemplated, with terror, the dreadful 

 downfai of the mountain which over- 

 whelmed this unfortunate country in 

 1618. Here is found the stony sub- 

 stance, ollaris, which is cut and framed 

 into vessels for culinary purposes. Near 

 it are the acidulous mineral waters of 

 St. Maurice, and also the cfilux of the 

 Adda, which falls into the Lario, after 

 passing through the Yaltcline in a 

 course of twcnly-five leagues. 



Arrived at the frontiers of the Valte- 

 line, (he first objoct is iBormio, the chief 

 ])lace of a canton ; it lies in a narrow 

 valley, the entrance to which was for- 

 merly delended by a high wall willi a 

 gate, the vestiges of which are yet 

 visible. 



About half a league from llormio, 

 on the declivity of Mount lilaglio, are 

 thermal wateis, formerly celebrated by 

 Cansiodorus, secretary to King Thco- 



to the Valteline and Bellano. 



317 



dorick ; they are sulphureous, and mucli 

 frequented by invalids from the Valte- 

 line and tlie Orisons. 



Near the valley of Bormio is that 

 called Engadine, where the Romance 

 language is still spoken and written, 

 that is, the idiom wiiich certain Romaa 

 legions, stationed in the canton, trans- 

 mitted to their descendants, and which 

 lias been preserved for twenty centiuies 

 therein; traces of it remain in the 

 FrionI, and in certain districts of Spain. 



Keeping along the banks of the lake 

 of Como, we pass through the plain of 

 Colico, then through Doro, (Doris,) 

 Corenno, (Corinthos,) to Dervos, (Del- 

 phos,) where the lake is very deep. We 

 then coast along the sides of a gulpli 

 which are well cultivated; here we find 

 Bellano, a largo trading town, with 

 considerable manufactures of silk 

 spinning. 



From Bellano we enter into the Val- 

 sassina, an ancient domain of the Tor- 

 riani, who came to aid tiie IMilanese 

 against Barbarossa. They held posses- 

 sion of the district for a long lime, but 

 at length were driven from it by the 

 Visconti, their enemies ; and, in general, 

 were destroyed, or perished miserably. 

 The plain of Valsassina was formerly a 

 lake. It contains, at present, a furnace 

 on the Swedish plan, or iron foundry, 

 there being quarries in the vicinity from 

 which it is extracted. The Valsassina 

 is not well cultivated, as the inhabitants 

 are mostly miners. Tobacco was for- 

 merly planted in it, but this is now 

 nearly given up. 



At Bellano, the traveller will divert 

 bis steps to see the Orrido, an object, 

 the whole of which deserves bis atten- 

 tion ; a precipice, where the river 

 Pisverna falls from a height of 200 

 feet; and, at the bottom, has scoo|icd 

 out a tortuous channel, by which it 

 passes into the lake. It appears to 

 more advantage on passing the river, 

 over a very high bridge constructed 

 with iron chains; it is narrow, and 

 trembles in the passage. Here is an 

 ascent, by a very narrow staircase cut in 

 the rock, to a balcony, where the inte- 

 rior of the cavern which the water falls 

 into may be best observed. 



The canton furnishes various kinds of 

 marble, lumachelli, occhiadina, so 

 named, as consisting of glol)ules which 

 liave the appearance of eyes; also tlio 

 bindcllino, or striped black, white, &c. 

 In the village of Varenna arc not a few 

 marble work-shops. This village re- 

 tains a natural warmth, from its situa- 

 tion 



