Castello dell’Innominato ('the unnamed castle') history dates back to the Carolingian period. At that time on the hill of Somasca, the upper district of Vercurago, there was a signalling tower, that became a fortress some centuries later (documented in 1158). From 1454 this land felt into the clutches of the Republic of Venice and the Adda River became the natural border between the Serenissima (Venice) and the duchy of Milan.The fortress was destroyed by the French, who begun some months before a war against Venice and the bailey was shelled by the Russian in 1799 during the battle between the Napoleonic troops and the Austro-Russian.
today the stone arch, small chapel and walls remain. From the bailey you can admire the wonderful landscapes and sights on the eastern branch of Lake Como to the Alps (north) and the flow of the Adda River (south).
References:Towering 52 meters above the sea, Bengtskär lighthouse is the tallest one in Scandinavia. The building started in in 1905 after the shipwreck of S/S Helsingfors and was completed in 1906. The lighthouse was designed by architect Florentin Granholm. On December a special petrol lantern, designed and built in Paris, was brought to Bengtskär and installed atop the tower.
German fleet bombarded Bengstkär in the First World War in 1914. Since the Gulf of Finland was heavily mined, it was not until 1919 that the surrounding seas were declared safe for shipping, that the light was lit again.
After the war the military value of Bengtskär increased as part of the defence system of independent Finland. In Second World War (1941) Soviet Union made a suprise attack to island. After a bloody battle, the small Finnish garrison emerged victorious. Intermittent repairs to the facility continued during the post-war period.