San Carlone statue

The Sancarlone, the statue of Saint Charles Borromeo, stands about 35 m high including its pedestal; the figure itself measures 23.5 m and the granite base 11.5 m. Embossed copper sheets are fixed to an iron frame, while the head and hands are bronze. Giovan Battista Crespi, known as Il Cerano, designed it; work began in 1614, a few years after the canonisation of 1610, and ended in 1698. Two spiral staircases behind the pedestal lead to a balcony, and a hidden door in the folds of the cassock opens onto another spiral staircase and steep stairs inside the figure.

At the top you look out through openings in the eyes, ears and nose. The statue stands on a hill above Arona on Lake Maggiore. The upper stairs are steep and narrow; allow about an hour. Check before you travel whether the climb is currently possible, as it is not always open.