What to see and what to do in Ranco

Ranco is a small town located on the Lombard shore of Lake Maggiore between the municipalities of Ispra and Angera. The municipality develops between the hill of San Quirico and the southern promontory of the Parco del Golfo della Quassa.

What should be seen and visited in Ranco

Church of SS Martino & Lorenzo

The Church of S.S. Martino and Lorenzo, in Baroque style, consists of a single internal nave, covered by ribbed vaults and decorated with frescoes dating back, mostly, to 1908 (painter Antonio Candeo); in the thirties and in 1968 other decorations and restorations were made; inside there is a chapel in which the statue dedicated to the Madonna del Rosario is kept. The current one comes from Ortisei while the first, much older, coming from Sant’Alessandro in Angera, was transferred with a procession to the Church of Uponne. The baptistery was restored in 1915 and renovated in 1932. Worthy of note is the wooden pulpit, completed in 1928, adorned with five panels depicting the Madonna surrounded, on the sides, by figures of Saints.

Fountain and the old oven in Massèe (via Roma)

In Via Roma at the corner of Via Acquedotto there is an old bakery oven owned but of ancient common use by the residents in the courtyards of that area. In this room, old work tools from the period were collected and exhibited. The Oven is adjacent to the Massari fountain. In this locality there is a fountain which reuses, as a basin, a child's sarcophagus with an inscription on the ansata table. The find dates back to the Roman period.

San Martino

In the locality of S.Martino (About 300 mt above sea level) halfway along the path that leads to S. Quirico which is the top of the hill, you can see the ruins of the ancient parish church visited by S. Carlo Borromeo in 1567. The church was later abandoned.

Gianni Rodari Park

Its renovated lakefront in a modern style and the tip in the “Gianni Rodari” park, offer an incomparable view and are ideal for spending an evening with friends, perhaps enjoying a bit of fresh air.

Sasso Cavallazzo

In the area there are erratic rocks, the most famous is definitely the "Sass Cavalasc", an immense rock is located on the shore of Lake Maggiore. These erratic rocks are often enormous and consist of materials that are not present in the areas in which they are found and are transported by the movement of the ice. They have different origins and tend to be very old. Nowadays this rock is inscribed on the list of the Lombardy Region as a Natural Monument.

It was initially described by Antonio Stoppani, a writer and naturalist of the last century. According to popular tradition, the name "Sass Cavalasc" comes from the fact that the prominent part of the rock vaguely resembles the shape of the head of a horse.

To reach the Sasso Cavallazzo or Sass Cavalasc you can start from the large parking lot of the rugby field following the cycle path briefly (initially go left); a big sign makes clear the path that enters the wood and arrives after passing by some villas on the coast of Lake Maggiore.

The old road and the "Ponte dei Caravalle"

The historic communication route between Ranco and Angera is the so-called "old road", the narrow Via Roma which, passing in front of Cascina Massari, continues halfway up the steep side on the west side of Mount San Quirico and offers some rare glimpses of beauty. At the Cascina (in the district called the Massèe, an area that was once very poor) there is a clear fountain that reuses a Roman sarcophagus of a child as a basin; inside the Cascina there is an ancient oven.

At about 1300 meters from the church, the old road crosses the valley of Caravalle which collects the rainwater of the hill above which is formed between the Pian Peàvar and S. Martino.

Just above this gully passes the ancient "Ponte dei Sassi", recently renovated and adapted to the new traffic requirements. It was built in 1770 and has a single arch with a brick vault and shaped stone edges.

What to do in and around Ranco

• visit the Borromean Islands: a boat trip is surely the best way to make your trip on Lake Maggiore a unique and unforgettable experience. The main attraction of the gulf, however, is the famous Borromean islands: Isola Bella, with the noble Palazzo Borromeo and the Italian gardens, created by exuberant Baroque imagination; Isola Madre, beloved for its lush vegetation, rare plants, exotic flowers, the peacocks, and the parrots in freedom; the Isola dei Pescatori, which houses a picturesque village; finally the islet of San Giovanni, the only one not open
• visit the “Golfo della Quassa” Park: from the tip of Ranco to the Fornace di Ispra, the Parco della Quassa extends. The itinerary for this simple route starts from Ranco and arrives in Ispra (or vice versa), walking along the path that crosses wooded areas, meadows and the bridge over the Acqua Negra canal (also known as Rio Quassa). You also pass in front of the imposing Castelbarco mausoleum, built in the second half of the 1800s
• follow the S. Quirico ring: the San Quirico path is a ring itinerary that is part of the "Vie Verdi dei Laghi" and winds around the homonymous mountain. The easy circular route starts in Uponne where you can leave your car and take the VVL-N1 path. Passing by the church of the Madonna del Rosario in the town you can see the sign of the route that proceeds along a dirt road gradually plunging into the woods towards the Cascine San Martino in the direction of San Quirico. A slight climb leads directly to the historic church of San Quirico located on the top of the mountain: the view from here is wide and sweeps over Lake Maggiore, the Alps and Rocca d'Angera. Returning to the path, continue along the old road that connected the municipalities of Ranco and Angera and which today is dotted with farms and vineyards from which typical Angerese products originate
• visit the “Rocca Borromea di Angera”: on the way back from the valleys to the lake, it is worth making a stop at the Rocca d'Angera, the Borromean fortress perched on a spur of rock overlooking the lake, which houses the extraordinary Museum of dolls and toys, one of the most important exhibitions in Europe of toys of all types of materials and workmanship
• visit Stresa: Stresa overlooks Lake Maggiore near the gulf where you will find the picturesque Borromean islands (Isola Bella, Isola Madre and Isola dei Pescatori), in a very evocative position. This peculiarity, combined with the mildness of the climate and the scenic and architectural beauties, attracts thousands of tourists every year and makes the town one of the most popular Italian tourist destinations since the second half of the nineteenth century. Its lakefront is ideal for relaxing walks and to admire historic houses and luxurious Art Nouveau hotels surrounded by greenery
• visit the Park of Villa Pallavicino: the Zoo Park of Villa Pallavicino has an area of about 20 hectares and is populated by over 40 species of animals including mammals and tropical birds: deer, llamas, Tibetan goats, hares and macaques live in freedom in an area called Lombardina. Zebras, kangaroos and ferrets can be found at Antica Cascina. Next to the bar is a pond with turtles and beavers. Famous are the secular trees of the park (one remembers the imposing Liriodendron, and the former Ginkgo biloba) and the botanical garden, visited each year by thousands of people

Tips about where to sleep in Ranco

These are just some of the accommodation facilities in Ranco. You can find all the hotels, B & Bs and campsites where you can spend a stay or a holiday in Ranco on Lake Maggiore here.

Interesting news about Ranco

Inside the coat of arms of the municipality of Ranco, granted with D.P.R. of July 10, 1962, there are two symbols that represent the two historical and traditional activities of the ranchesi: a vine which, with a bunch of grapes, grows on a green terrace and which symbolizes agriculture; while the silver-colored fish indicates fishing.

The name Ranco seems to derive from the verb rancàr or roncàr, that is, to cut down and burn woods to till, or from the Latin verb runcari, that is to eradicate herbs, to hoe or from the Germanic rucken which means to move.

In the school year 1940-1941 Giovanni Rodari was a teacher at the Elementary Schools of Ranco (then a fraction of Angera). He taught the third and fourth grade pupils and directed the ballots in the first and second sessions.

How to get to Ranco

It is possible to reach Ranco from Milan / Malpensa Airport:

• by car: take the A26 Gravellona Toce motorway to the Sesto Calende exit. Follow the directions for Angera / Laveno. It is about twelve kilometers from the motorway exit
• by train: the Sesto Calende railway station is located on the line that connects Domodossola to Milan and is about eight kilometers from Ranco

Milan Malpensa airport is approximately 22 km away.