Eugi Gufo's siteEugi Gufo

In the increasingly distant year of 2017, I had already happened to visit Sulzano during a tourist trip. On that occasion, however, it was merely a transit stop: I walked from the railway station to the ferry pier in order to board the boat to Monte Isola (and then, naturally, walked the same stretch again on the way back).
In the summer of 2023, while planning my August travels, I realised that Sulzano is the first stage — when starting from Pilzone — of the «Cammino della Via Valeriana», a route that is almost entirely mountainous and based on ancient communication roads connecting the city of Brescia, Lake Iseo, Val Camonica and the Alpine passes. And since, from 2020 onward, I have devoted the forced August pause primarily to mountain (or near-mountain) walks, I thought it might be an excellent opportunity to verify whether, six years earlier, I had overlooked anything of significance.
Those arriving in Sulzano via the aforementioned path are rewarded with a pleasant view of the parish church of San Giorgio (construction began in 1726) and of the section of Monte Isola where the ferries arrive.

As also happens in Pilzone, the single track of the Brescia—Iseo—Edolo railway runs only a few metres from the church façade. Consequently, the automatic barrier — open or closed — of the level crossing is an unavoidable element of any photograph. Yet without the railway, many visitors would never have reached these places at all; so let us not complain excessively. At most, we may gently observe how remarkably aligned the churches of these lakeside villages tend to be. More interesting is the façade itself, which concludes with a false pediment designed to disguise the lack of funds for constructing a genuinely tall structure.

The interior of the church is attractive, largely thanks to a rich and well-balanced use of polychrome marble.

The town’s secular architecture, by contrast, is not especially abundant.

It is therefore far more rewarding to search for small, pleasant corners — each of which creates its own modest atmosphere — rather than for buildings of high artistic or architectural value.

The true strength of Sulzano lies in its monuments. For example, the monument of the Associazione Nazionale Marinai d’Italia dedicated to those lost at sea is not the usual anchor with a chain, but a bomb (presumably aerial) striking a target (presumably also intentional).

The monument dedicated to the citizens of Sulzano fallen in all wars resembles a sniper rifle when viewed from the side and a crane when viewed from the front.

But the most curious monument of Sulzano is the one that initially struck me as a frightened samurai confronted by a mutant chicken. Only thanks to the plaque at its base did I discover that it actually represents the Italian poet Teofilo Folengo (1491–1544).

From 18 June to 3 July 2016 — more than a year before my previous visit — Sulzano also hosted the art installation The Floating Piers: a series of floating piers, 16 metres wide, allowing visitors to walk from Sulzano to Monte Isola. The total length of the work was approximately three kilometres, about half of which extended along the pedestrian streets of Sulzano and Monte Isola. I am not in a position to assess the artistic value of such an installation (particularly without having experienced it in person), but I imagine that walking upon it must have been an unusual pleasure.

Unfortunately, other modern creations tend to endure more reliably. For instance, I do not recall ever having seen rubbish containers secured with chains. Evidently, they conceal resources of extraordinary value.

It may be wiser to redirect one’s attention towards Lake Iseo.

And/or to greet the ferry pier from which departures to Monte Isola take place.

Let us also acknowledge the small but attractive railway station. At this point, I should note that the single-track railway line is not particularly busy: on average, two trains pass per hour — one in each direction.

Directly in front of the station stands one of Sulzano’s principal attractions: a dispenser of fresh, free drinking water. I tested it personally — try to recall the heat of August 2023 — and can now recommend it with complete confidence. The sparkling version is genuinely well made, unlike certain office water machines whose enthusiasm exceeds their capacity.

And that concludes the inventory. There is nothing further of notable interest in Sulzano. Should you happen to include this town in a travel itinerary, do not allocate an excessive number of minutes to its exploration.