There are many artistic beauties that every year attract Italians and foreigners to the shores of Lake Como and the historical town of Celtic origin. Known for its architecture and the villas surrounded by nature, walking on the shores of the lake you can discover the environmental work Monument to the European Resistance – inaugurated in 1983 –, by one of the most important international artists: Gianni Colombo.

A protagonist of post-war contemporary art, a member of Azimut/h and one of the founders of Gruppo T, he was invited to present a project for the memorial dedicated to the victims of the Second World War. As he wrote: “The monument extends spatially in the form of an itinerary open to visitors. Therefore, it is a form not only visible, but livable. […] It is the implementation of a place of collective encounter, predisposed to induce reflection and possible dialogue on the concept introduced by the Resistance, which is its ideal connotation.”

Three different staircases lead to an “absent” center, from where one can observe inclined metal plates inscribed with excerpts of letters written by people sentenced to death in World War II. The steps, with different inclinations, tend to alter the state of balance, the perception of space and the behavior of the spectator. An excellent way of making one’s work (Bariesthesia) a liveable place which arouses a sense of amazement and renews a feeling of bewilderment every time you visit it.