The eighth point of the Mining Park Trail of Malcantone is the village of Astano

The village of Astano also has a very ancient origin. The structure of the historical core bears witnesses to the existence of a monastery centre. Medieval historical documents speak of a convent of the Umiliati order. In fact, it consisted of two adjoining convents divided into a female and a male section.

Astano is the birthplace of several famous architects. One of these is Domenico Trezzini who was commissioned by Tsar Peter the Great to build the city of St Petersburg.

Another architect who became famous in Italy was Carlo Alberto Donati who was very active in the Spoleto region.

The name Astano derives from the Latin Ad Stagnum, meaning near the pond. In fact, not far from the village we find a depression that was originally a marshy area.

From the slope of Mount Rogorio descends a stream whose waters were used to run mills. In the Middle Ages, a silk spinning mill was set up in the vicinity of this stream, which used the energy of its waters to process silk.

From this village, it is a short journey to the Italian border, where not far away is the sanctuary of Trezzino, a hamlet of the municipality of Dumenza(I). This sanctuary is a reference point for the August Madonna festival for the communities of Astano, Dumenza and Sessa.

This route also leads as far as the shores of Lake Verbano to the town of Luino, where in earlier times the people of Malcantone also walked to the weekly market on Wednesdays.

Several miners who ploughed the mines were from Astano or settled in this village.

At the point where the sign marking this path stands by the stream in Via Surent, we can observe a Piedmontese millstone found in the Lisora stream in the Costa area. This millstone was used to finely grind crushed auriferous stones and then treat them with mercury to extract the gold and silver contained therein.