Comune in Lombardy, Italy
Blevio (Comasco: Biev [ˈbjeːf]) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Como in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of Milan and about 2 kilometres (1 mi) northeast of Como. It overlooks the eastern shore of Lake Como from hilly slopes starting at more than 200 metres (660 ft).
Blevio borders the following municipalities: Brunate, Cernobbio, Como, Moltrasio, Torno.
History
The comune of Blevio includes seven villages, the so-called "the seven cities" (Capovico, Cazzanore, Girola, Maggianico, Mezzovico, Sopravilla, Sorto), the most important of which was Capovico, the closest one to Lake Como. The municipal territory extends from 200 to 1,140 metres (660 to 3,740 ft) above sea level.
The etymology of the name of the city could be found in the Celtic Ligurian "Biuelius" (Latin "vivo – alive", Welsh "byw", old Irish "biu – I use to be" and Anglo-Saxon "beo – I am, I become", Indo-Germanic "bheou").
In 1497 the ruler of Milan Ludovico Sforza gave the fief of Blevio, together with some other near villages, to his lover Ludovica Crivelli. In the following centuries, Blevio became closely linked to Como and finally became a fief of the Tanzi patrician family, whose wealth was based on the silk industry. Count Antonio von Tanzi Blevio, who had been ennobled by the Habsburgs due to his banking activity, built a large villa on the rocks of Perlasca, now part of the neighbouring town of Torno. In 1798, the villa and the village became a possession of the Taverna and Borromeo families, two of the most affluent families of the Milanese aristocracy, before being created as a free town after the Napoleonic invasion of Italy. A minor branch of the same family, who received the title of Edler von Tanzi by the Habsburgs, continued to keep vast possessions of lands in Blevio and nearby Torno until early 1900.
Blevio joined the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1859 and later the Kingdom of Italy in 1861, following the conquest of the Piedmontese army of Lombardy. Its numerous lakefront villas host a number of Italian and international celebrities, including singers, actors and athletes.
