Morterone: the smallest town in Italy in Valvassina

Morterone - Morterone is the smallest town in Italy and is located in the province of Lecco, in the mountain area of Valvassina. There are ten inhabitants permanently, with peaks reaching up to thirty at certain times of the year. It is a place of heavy traffic for those who visit these valleys and love the mountains. For this reason the town does its best to welcome those who decide to stop for a lunch or a walk in the silent streets.

It is in fact an interesting area from a naturalistic point of view. It is located at the foot of Pizzo del Monterone, it is an area rich in woods, and it is also a karst area: there are caves, sinkholes, resurgences, and about forty cavities explored. Morterone, however, is the starting point for many routes in the Valvassina area, and this is what makes the town still alive. The locals are forced to descend hairpin bends that lead to Ballabio, the nearest town, and to shops of various kinds for any eventuality, but there are many who choose these areas as a holiday resort, some even with their own homes. Characteristic in the locality of Frasnida, the houses built with local stone, the so-called 'piode' obtained from the homonymous canal, since 1600. Among the oldest in Morterone, one from 1812 stands out. What holds the inhabitants here is the attachment at the roots, even if the population of the area does not seem possible.