Holiday apartment in Civo – discover churches, art and mountain trails

Civo is home to four parishes and numerous churches of particular artistic value. There are also mountain views, a hiking trail and a mountain bike route.

Churches, chapels and art in Civo

The Church of Sant'Andrea in Civo was built towards the end of the 15th century, remodelled later and is now presented in the Baroque style. From there, you can reach the Oratorio dell'Immacolata, which dates from the 17th century. The church square is also home to 14 chapels that form a Way of the Cross and were built in 1756. A single-nave church with six chapels contains paintings and frescoes by Pietro Bianchi from Como, as well as stucco statues by Agostino Silva.

The Church of San Bartolomeo stands in Caspano. The Baroque building was constructed between 1730 and 1738 by master craftsmen from Ticino and houses works by Giacomo Parravicini (Gianolo). The second chapel contains a depiction of the Resurrection of Lazarus by Luigi Donati, dating from 1508. Within Civo, Caspano is also distinguished by old aristocratic palaces, which are now dilapidated and used for agricultural purposes.

Further traces of the past can be found in various parts of the village. In the centre of Civo, an old residential building features a votive fresco from the 15th century depicting the Trinity. East of Civo stands the Chiesetta di S. Bernardo in a scenic location; it is characterised by the austere simplicity of its exposed stone walls. At the western entrance to the borgo stands Palazzo Parravicini, also known as “del Podestà”; inside, it has a large 16th-century colonnade. The Oratorio di Sant'Andrea was recently restored and contains paintings by Lombard masters from the 15th and 16th centuries.

In Civo, fountains and washhouses are located along roads and connecting routes between the various hamlets. Further fountains can be found in the village centres, often on the main square, where they once served as meeting places for the local population. High up, at an altitude of 2,000 metres, lies the Oratorio dei 7 Fratelli. It has been restored and preserves traces of 16th-century frescoes.

Mountain views and trails around Civo

The Santa Margherita chapel in Poira di Civo was built in 2000. The meadow in front of the chapel offers views of the Orobie side, particularly Val Gerola.

For active days, the “Anello del Bivacco Bottani” circular trail from Civo covers 11.3 km, around 1,281 metres of elevation gain, and has a stated walking time of 5 hours and 55 minutes. The route starts in Poira di Dentro and leads across the plateau of Alpe Visogno to the Bivacco Bottani Cornaggia.

A mountain bike route is called “Civo-bike”. Civo is designated as both the starting point and destination for this route; the starting point is the church square of Sant'Andrea in Civo.

More destinations for planning your trip

More ideas for places to visit: Chiuro, Fenile, Casacce, Berbenno, Prata Camportaccio, Campo, Cedrasco and Dubino.

For the higher-level travel overview: Sondrio.