Town in the province of Como, located in the overflow plain of the river Liro, opposite the peninsula Piona and Mount Lignona, Gravedona, whose name derives probably from the Celtic-Ligurian word "grava" (coast of pebbles), is located in an area inhabited since prehistoric times, as evidenced by the findings of some cremation tombs, typical of the Gauls. Important Roman town on the ancient Via Regina which connected the plain of Milan with Chiavenna, going through Como. In the IV and V centuries the town was the center of the spreading of Christianity, whilst in the Middle Ages, together with the adjacent municipalities of Dongo and Sorico, it became the symbolic capital of fief of the Three Parishes. In the XII century it shared the fate of the Duchy of Milan and in 1335 Gravedona found itself under the dominion of the Visconti.
The Parish of St. Vincent was built in Romanesque style in 1072 on an existing early Christian basilica of the V century, and in the XVII and XVIII centuries the building submitted further refurbishments. Of the original structure today remain only part of the outer walls and the apse, the crypt and two inscriptions from the VI century.
The Church of Santa Maria del Linden is an admirable example of Lombard Romanesque style, built in the XII century in white and black marble. At the center of the façade there is a built- in bell tower. Inside, the building features a single nave with round arches and loggias, there is walled Roman altar, a remnant of the mosaic floor of theV century, an immersion baptismal font which dates previously to the one in the baptistery of San Giovanni Battista, a Romanesque wooden crucifix and frescoes of XIII-XVI centuries.
Of great historical and artistic interest is the Church of Santa Maria Delle Grazie del 1467, a prototype of the churches with crossed arches, decorated with Renaissance frescoes of the Lombard school.
Not to miss: the Church of Saints Gusmeo and Matthew, a XIII century Romanesque church with a fresco of Fiammenghino "the glory of God the Father and the Angels" (1608), which decorates the vault of the presbytery, and Palazzo Gallio, a national monument, built in 1586 by Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio designed by Pellegrino Tibaldi, the palace is built where an old medieval castle stood. Full of artworks, the building enjoys a splendid view over the lake.