Val Camonica

Val Camonica (or "Valcamonica", in camunian dialect "Al Camònega", poetic "Camunia") is one of the largest valleys of the central Alps, in eastern Lombardy, about 90 km long. Starts from Tonale Pass, at 1883 mslm and ends at Corna Trentapassi in the comune of Pisogne, near the Lake Iseo. It has an area of about 1335 km² [Area of the comunes, exclueded Val di Scalve] and 118,323 inhabitants e 118.323 [Sum of ISTAT data of comunes at 31 dicember 2007] .

It is crossed in its full length from the river Oglio, who was born in Ponte di Legno and has its mouth in Sebino lake between Pisogne and Costa Volpino.

Valle Camonica derives its name from the Latin "Vallis Camunnorum", or the Valley of the Camunni (the name which the Romans called the inhabitants).

Almost all of the valley is included in the administrative territory of the province of Brescia, excluding common Lovere, Rogno, Costa Volpino and the Val di Scalve, that are parts of the province of Bergamo.

Geography

Territory

We can divide the territory of Valle Camonica in three main areas:

# Low Val Camonica: is a flat area full of meadows and fields, which starts from the shores of Lake Iseo and reaches up to the crest of cross Bienno, sometimes referred to as the threshold Breno;
# Middle Val Camonica: from threshold Breno comes up to common of Sonico - Edolo. The "lower middle valley" extending from Breno to Sellero, then starts the "upper middle valley" from the narrow gorge Cedegolo until Sonico - Edolo;
# High Val Camonica: This area of the valley below the Periadriatic Seam, and has an east-west orientation. Starts in the Val di Corteno and continues until the town of Ponte di Legno, tested in place. The climate is similar to the average Valtellina.

It is bounded by these borders:

* The Val di Scalve is a side valley of Val Camonica, but was always been both historically and administratively a separate entity.

Hydrography

The Valle Camonica is crossed by the River Oglio, the fifth longest river of Italy, which was born in Ponte di Legno from the confluence of rivers Frigidolfo and Narcanello. It flows into Lake Iseo between the municipalities of Pisogne and Costa Volpino.

At the town of Rogno its western shore falls under the administration of the province of Bergamo.

Abundant are the streams that descend from the sides of mountains to join to the Oglio ("Oi" in camunian dialect) of which some are seasonal, and during the summer are dry.

At high altitude there are many alpine lakes, including Lake d'Arno, Lake Moro, as well as many water catchment constructed in the first half of the twentieth century, in order to channel water to power hydroelectric plants in the area.

History

The ancient history of Valle Camonica begins with the end of last ice age, around 15,000 years ago when the glacier, melting, creates the valley. The glacier that dug the valley ra 90 km long and often a few hundred meters.

The inhabitants, who had begun to visit the valley already in 'epipaleolitico, settled from the Neolithic. They were the Camunni, people of uncertain origin, famous for stone carvings. Although little is known of his company, this people has left more than 350,000 petroglyphs, which are Val Camonica of the largest center of rock art in Europe.

Towards the end of the first century BCE Valle Camonica is attached to Roman Empire and founded the city of Cividate Camuno, with spas, theater and amphitheater and a sanctuary of Minerva, among the largest in the Alps.

During the Middle Ages the area are frequent and numerous clashes between the Guelphs and Ghibellines Camuno, the first who supported the power of the Bishop of Brescia and of the papacy, the second of the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1287 the Camonica Valley rebelled to the interference of Brescia and the Visconti of Milan, called by both sides as arbitrators, extended during the fourteenth century control over the area.

There was a long battle between the Republic of Venice and Milan during the first part of the fifteenth century to control the valey. Venice won and the area passed under the control of the Serenissima until 1797. In this long period, known as the "Pax Veneta", the civilian population is devoted to trade, especially of iron, and ruled in almost autonomous with a community of Valle Camonica that was an expression of nearby premises.

The nineteenth century was a very complex, where the area will pass through the control of the French to that of the Austro-Hungarian kingdom Lombardo-Veneto. Only at the end of'800 the Val Camonica was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy.

In 1914 there was the outbreak of World War I: Valley it is fought on a post along the borders dell'Adamello Group. It is known as "White war in Adamello".

In 1955, is created by the Archaeological Superintendence of Lombardy the National National of Naquane stone carvings in Capo di Ponte.

UNESCO Site

It is home to the greatest complex of rock drawings in Europe, with approximately 350,000 petroglyphs drawn by members of the Camunni tribe on hundreds of exposed rocks dating from about 8000 BC; cosmological, figurative, and cartographic motifs are featured, in some locations forming monumental hunting and ritual `scenes´. It includes also scenes of zoophilia.

The best-known drawings were first discovered in 1909 by Walter Laeng, a Brescian geographer. He announced his finding of two carvings on two boulders on the Pian del Greppe near Cemmo.

Since the 1950s, the imagery from thousands of rock surfaces has been `catalogued´, in a vast, on-going project of transcription and classification. In 1979, UNESCO included these samples to its World-wide Patrimony listing of rock art.

Culture

World Heritage Sites

Rock Drawings in Valcamonica, site UNESCO n° 94
* Parco nazionale delle incisioni rupestri di Naquane in Capo di Ponte
* Parco archeologico nazionale dei massi di Cemmo
* Parco archeologico comunale di Seradina-Bedolina in Capo di Ponte
* Parco archeologico di Asinino-Anvòia in Ossimo
* Parco archeologico comunale di Luine in Darfo Boario Terme
* Parco archeologico comunale di Sellero
* Parco archeologico comunale di Sonico
* Riserva naturale Incisioni rupestri di Ceto, Cimbergo e Paspardo in Nadro

Monuments and places of interest

Medieval villages

* Bienno, has the recognition of being among the "Most Beautiful Villages of Italy"
* Lovere, has the recognition of being among the "Most Beautiful Villages of Italy"
* Pescarzo (Capo di Ponte), typical small town

Castles

* Castle of Breno, Largest Castle Val Camonica
* Castle of Gorzone, home of Federici, stands on a hill next to the Dezzo sheer
* Castle of Cimbergo, located on the downstream of the Re, dominates the middle Valley
* Castle of Lozio, the fortress where was consumed the "slaughter of Lozio"
* Castle of Mù, the bastion of Federici high valley, they remain the foundation

Roman city

* Theatre and Anphiteatre park in Cividate Camuno
* Sanctuary of Minerva in Breno

Mountain excursion

* Paths of CAI in the Parco dell'Adamello
* Trench of first world war (so called "Guerra Bianca in Adamello") in Vezza d'Oglio

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* Boario Terme
* Angolo Terme

Museums and tematic parks

* Parco tematico "Archeopark", Darfo Boario Terme
*Museo etnografico del ferro, delle arti e tradizioni popolari, Bienno
*Museo Civico Camuno, Breno
*Museo didattico di arte e vita preistorica, Capo di Ponte
*Museo didattico della riserva, Nadro
*Museo archeologico di Valle Camonica , Cividate Camuno
*Mostra museo Camillo Golgi, Corteno Golgi
*Museo etnografico, Ossimo
*Museo parrocchiale d'arte sacra, Ponte di Legno
*Museo della Guerra Bianca in Adamello, Temù

antuaries and churches

* Santa Maria della neve in Pisogne
* Chiesa di Sant Antonio in Breno
* Santa Maria Annunziata in Bienno
* Santuario del Cristo Re in Bienno
* Santa Maria Assunta in Esine
* Monastero di San Salvatore in Capo di Ponte
* Oratorio dei Disciplini in Montecchio
* Pieve di San Siro in Cemmo
* Santuario della Via Crucis in Cerveno (Sacri Monti)

Winter sports

* Ponte di Legno
* Borno
* Montecampione
* Aprica

Photo gallery

References

External links

* [http://www.voli.bs.it/itinera/Cd/english/Default.htm Itinera in Valcamonica (EN)]
* [http://www.sitiunesco.it/index.phtml?id=593 Italian World Heritage Sites]
* [http://www.civitascamunnorum.com National museum and archaeological park with roman theatre and amphitheatre]

* [http://www.rupestre.net/alps/valcamonica.html Valcamonica Rock Art, records and pictures]
* [http://www.europreart.org/cgi-bin/baserun.exe?_cfg=mappa.cfg&_tar=_record&_fil=%22Valcamonica%22%24area&_act=top EuroPreArt, European Prehistoric Art database, 50 Valcamonica rock art records]

See also

* Camunni
* Rock Drawings in Valcamonica
* Val Camonica witch trials

Others projects