Basilica di San Nicolò
The first thing you notice from Piazza Cermenati is not the basilica at all — it's the campanile, a 96-metre neo-gothic spike the locals call the *matitone*, the big pencil, rising improbably above the lake. The church it belongs to is older and quieter in its ambitions, its neoclassical façade of six Ionic pilasters facing the water with a certain Lombard composure.
Step inside and the centuries layer up fast: a Romanesque baptismal font from 1596, seventeenth-century furnishings by the Fantoni workshop of Rovetta, a chapel painted with stories of Saint Anthony in the manner of Giotto, and two pipe organs — one mechanical, one electric — that still see regular use.
💛 What travellers fall for
People who come back tend to time it for a weekday morning, when the light through the barrel vault is clear and the chapels are nearly empty. The bell tower climb is worth the effort — nine bells cast in 1904, the largest at 2,700 kilograms, and a view across the lake that puts the whole city in context.
The story behind Basilica di San Nicolò
A church on this site appears in written records as early as 1252, and the walls it stands on are older still — visible remnants of the fortified medieval village of Lecco. By 1449 the building had deteriorated enough that the people of Lecco petitioned Francesco Sforza for urgent restoration. A more substantial rebuilding began in 1596, and by 1774 the structure had acquired its neoclassical façade with triangular tympanum and Ionic pilasters.
The architect Giuseppe Bovara gave the basilica its current form between 1831 and 1862; the church was consecrated in September 1930 and elevated to a basilica in 1942. The campanile came later, designed by Giovanni Ceruti and completed in 1904 on the foundations of a 15th-century round bastion. Restoration of the frescoes and stuccos in the 1990s returned much of the interior to its earlier condition.
Good to know
The basilica is free to enter and open Monday to Friday 09:00–12:00 and 14:30–18:30, Saturday mornings only. The bell tower can be visited separately. Piazza Cermenati and the lakefront are a short walk in either direction.
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What travellers say about Basilica di San Nicolò
A beautiful church near deserted when I visited. The interior decoration is quite a contrast to that of Lecco more generally. I think you are allowed to climb the tower, but there was no indication of how this was possible when I visited. Check it out if you are in the area.
This Basilica is located in downtown Lecco, a charming place in the southeastern part of Como lake. It has an elevated position overlooking the center and lake. Facade is neoclassic with Corinthian columns, and a high separated bell tower. Free to enter
Wonderful church, I attended mass and was moved, I recommend it to anyone going to Lecco.
A fast tour within this sacré place is worth it... Discover yourself all the treasures kept here.
Not big, but quite impressive
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