Look At These Outstandingly Precise Miniatures of Lake Como Romanesque Churches: You Won’t Believe Your Eyes!
© Laura Zanotta
“It might interest you to know,” Tully says, “that there’s a reason people build miniatures. Doesn’t matter if it’s guys laying out model railroads or women decorating dollhouses. It’s about control. It’s about reinventing reality.” […] “Some people get a lot of satisfaction in creating a little world they can escape to. In making things turn out the way they want, at least in their dreams.”
― Jane Lotter, The Better David Club
If you know us - at least in broad terms - you’ll know that here at Lakeside we have a genuine obsession for details: you can see this especially in the photos of our properties online, the attention we put in capturing even the smallest detail in a property to tell its story.
Because, as we keep saying, every detail in architecture tells a story, and deserves to be studied carefully!
This is even more true when it comes to artistic and religious architecture: if you’ve travelled through Italy a little bit, you know what we mean. Italian churches, regardless of the specific century they belong to, are in most cases an explosion of incredible details, stunning frescoes, outstanding sculptures and carvings... and much more.
Well, if you love the religious architecture of Lake Como and you’re interested in studying its amazing details, you’ll be happy to know that there’s a way to do it: there’s in fact a local artist who creates charming miniatures of the most beautiful Romanesque churches between the lake and Valle Intelvi.
© Laura Zanotta
We’re talking about the scale models made by Alberto Zanotta, a retired bricklayer who has decided to arm himself with a lot, a LOT of patience to rebuild brick by brick, stone by stone some of the most fascinating and iconic architectural gems of our region.
© Laura Zanotta
He employs real building techniques and materials (understandable, after almost 55 years of work in building sites!): he begins with inspections, taking photos and collecting measurements. Then he works on it for months - sometimes years.
© Laura Zanotta
Curious to peek at some of his works?
Campanile di Ossuccio
It’s technically impossible - really impossible - to pass by Ossuccio (Tremezzina) without noticing the surreal beauty of the bell tower of the church of Santa Maria Maddalena.
Image by Terry Clinton via Flickr
We’re talking about a "campanìn" - as the inhabitants of Ossuccio call it - so masterfully perfect: a harmonious combination of Romanesque and Gothic that has been chosen as the symbol of Lake Como.
Pic by ClemetNic via Flickr
You can find this miniature in our Argegno office, Piazza Roma 4: don’t hesitate to drop by and have a look!
Details
5 months of works;
1.160 little bricks (white concrete mixed with colored oxide;
12 kg of weight;
Completely in masonry (finely sifted sand, lime and concrete);
Stones from Monte Galbiga in Valle Intelvi (first fragmented, and then worked individually);
Bas-reliefs of the belfry made with ceramic powder;
Wrought iron cross;
Base in olive wood (in homage to the plant that populates Ossuccio, and the whole Tremezzina area).
Chiesa di San Giacomo, Ossuccio
The most striking feature of the church of SS Giacomo and Filippo (10th-11th century) is the elegant lightness of its bell tower “a vela”, silhouetted against the green of Isola Comacina in Ossuccio, Tremezzina.
Chiesa dei SS. Giacomo e Filippo, © Lakeside
We just love the trussed roof of this church, the fact that the foundations rest directly on the lake, and the interior frescoes from the early 1000s.
Alberto took 6 months to make this scale model, always in masonry: he worked the stones individually and then laid them, one after the other, with mortar made of very fine sand and lime.
Details
1:60 scale;
Completely in masonry;
Faithful reproduction of all the details, including the ceded part of the apse (later rebuilt over the centuries), the broken or missing arches on the facade, the iron keys and the weaving for the expansion on the lake facade, the ivy on the outside, the door with the arch buffered on the side of the state road, the external fresco of San Giacomo and the internal one of San Cristoforo, the internal benches, the altar, the cross, the trusses.
You can find this miniature in our Menaggio headquarter, Via IV Novembre 3. Again, don’t hesitate to pop in if you’re around!
Duomo di Como
Alberto started the miniature of Duomo di Como in 2019, and - according to his forecasts - he will take approximately 3 years to complete it. A long journey still ahead!
Here you can see a preview of the artwork: this is definitely his most complex work!
Other incredible works
If you jump to Alberto’s Instagram and Facebook pages, you’ll see his whole collection of works. This also includes the miniature of the stunning church of Santa Maria del Tiglio in Gravedona.
Look also at the church of San Giorgio in the picturesque hamlet of Pellio Superiore, Valle Intelvi!
Finally, as realtors we can’t help loving these miniatures of little rustic properties… aren’t they just lovely?
No worries if you fall in love with them and you want to buy something similar on Lake Como: we’ll find you a house like that, it’s a promise!
Why these miniatures?
When looking at these thorough works, a questions rises automatically: what drives an artist to waste diopters and time behind a tight vivisection of the smallest details of a building?
We found in Margaret Turner Hicks’ words (among the 2006 judges of the Miniature Art Society of Florida) an interesting hypothesis of the meaning of this form of art:
There is something extremely fascinating about the exquisite art of miniatures. The artist's skill, reflected in the details of the work, reveals a world that is often overlooked by most, except for those who take the time to observe it.
We like to think at Alberto’s work as an intimate dialogue between him and the building he wants to reproduce. We believe that behind the choice of the work that from time to time he decides to reproduce there is nothing but an act of love for our region. And we are proud of this!
© Laura Zanotta
Miniature Artistiche di Alberto Zanotta: Facebook page; Instagram page
Article by Laura Zanotta
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