The earliest known inhabitants of the area were hunter-gatherers who made use of the cave known as the Wolf's Den (Tana del Lupo), at the foot of the cliffs. By the Roman era, Angera (then known asStatio, a place for changing horses) was an important lakeside port on a trading route, but by the fourth century it was in decline, and in 411 it was destroyed, along withMilan, by theVisigoths. By the eleventh century, the area had passed into the ownership of theArchbishops of Milan, and the first castle was built on a strategic site above the town. The district came under the rule of theHouse of Visconti in the thirteenth century, and in 1449, it was sold to theBorromeo family. It received the title of city fromDuke Ludovico il Moro in 1497. Later the town was under Spanish rule for two centuries, followed by Austrian rule which lasted until 1861.[3] By the year 1580, the city name was listed as Anghiera on theVatican Gallery of Maps.
In 1776, the Italian physicistAlessandro Volta first discovered methane in the marshlands of Angera while on his summer holidays. He succeeded in isolating the gas, which he calledinflammable air from marshlands, in 1778. It was what we nowadays call methane.[4]
One of the main buildings in the town is theRocca Borromeo di Angera (Borromeo Castle), a castle overlookingLake Maggiore at the top of a 200 metres (660 ft) limestone hill, on the side opposite to the town ofArona. It houses theMuseum of Dolls, including a collection of more than a thousand exhibits from the whole of Europe. The castle was founded in the early Middle Ages (before the 10th century) and was later owned by theDella Torre,Visconti (after theBattle of Desio in 1277) and Borromeo families. There are two parish churches, Saint Maria Assunta and Saint Alessandro, and the town also houses an archaeological museum, based in an elegant building from thefifteenth century, serving as a repository for the region's most significant historical artefacts. It stands as the primary venue of the Widespread Museum of Angera. Visitors to the Museum can access a selection of publications focused on local history and archaeology. TheSanctuary of Madonna della Riva is an octagonal building designed byGerolamo Quadrio. It is built on the site where a fresco of theMadonna, dating from 1443, was seen to sweat blood on 27 June 1657.[5]
