The town of Castelletto Sopra Ticino used to be an important centre of the local economy.

Its ancient harbour prospered by transporting goods and passengers along the River Ticino to Lake Maggiore, to Sesto Calende on the opposite shore, and to the heart of the Po Plain.

It was through here that barges laden with the pink Candoglia marble passed on their way to be used to build Milan Cathedral, as well as those carrying the white Montorfano granite which would end up in Rome to build the Basilica of San Paolo. And no less a personage than Giuseppe Garibaldi used boats provided by a local lawyer to reach Lombardy, on the 23 May 1859, when he was the commander of his military corps “The Hunters of the Alps” (Cacciatori delle Alpi).

All that remains today of the once-bustling harbour is a small landing-stage used for occasional ferry services between the shores of the Ticino.