Walking tour through history, lake and culture
5 February 2026
The Lecco Bell Tower: History, Symbol and Pride of the City
Thin, elegant, unmistakable: Lecco's bell tower is more than just a bell tower. It is the city's symbolic beacon, the point that soars between the houses and the mountains, attracting the gaze and the hearts of Lecco residents and visitors alike. At 96 metres high, the bell tower of the Basilica of San Nicolò is one of the tallest in Italy and certainly one of the most scenic, set between the lake and the sky, with the Grigne and the Resegone as its backdrop.
Its history is an interweaving of faith, ingenuity and identity. The present bell tower was built at the end of the 19th century, but its roots go back much further. The Basilica di San Nicolò, to which the bell tower belongs, already existed in the Middle Ages, but was completely renovated in the 19th century. At the beginning of the 19th century, the religious building was enlarged and redefined according to the canons of the time, with the construction of the neoclassical pronaos by architect Giuseppe Bovara, a central figure in the architectural renewal of Lecco.
The bell tower, however, was built at a later stage, between 1902 and 1904, to a design by architect Giovanni Ceruti. The intent was clear: to give the city a new, recognisable symbol, capable of representing the renewed vigour of the Lecco community in an era of social, cultural and industrial ferment. The structure was built in neo-Gothic style, with an octagonal section that rises sleekly upwards to the pyramidal spire that towers above it, elegant and well-proportioned.
The bell tower rests on a massive base and, as it rises, it lightens in volume to become a lantern dominating the cityscape. It houses eight bells and a clock visible from various points in the city. The material used, predominantly stone and brick, fits harmoniously into the architectural context of the historic centre. Its verticality dialogues with the horizontal line of the lake and the surrounding mountain peaks, in a visual balance that is surprising for its natural harmony.
But the bell tower is not only architecture: it is also memory and sentiment. During the two world wars, its bells marked solemn moments, musters, mournings. It was a silent witness to the changes in Lecco, to its evolution from a Manzonian village to a modern city. Even today, the tolling of its bells accompanies the days of its citizens, between spirituality and everyday life.
Climbing to the top of the bell tower is an experience that many tourists do not forget. The 380 steps lead to an extraordinary vantage point overlooking the entire gulf of Lecco, with its waters, mountains and red roofs. An observation point that, on a clear day, allows views as far as Milan and the Swiss Alps.
The bell tower of San Nicolò is today one of the most photographed monuments in Lecco, often associated with the image of the city itself. Its soaring lines are reflected in the water of the lake, in paintings, on postcards, in travellers' tales. It is a symbol that combines faith with beauty, history with local identity, in a rare and precious union.
Visiting Lecco without looking up at its bell tower would be like reading The Betrothed skipping the first lines: one would miss the essence, the suggestion, the incipit of a tale that continues to this day, stone by stone, sound by sound.
When you visit a website, information may be stored or retrieved and saved in the cache of your browser, mainly in the form of cookies. Check your cookie services here.
