Bienno ( Camunian: ) is an Italian ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' in

Val Camonica Val Camonica or Valcamonica (), also Valle Camonica and anglicized as Camonica Valley, is one of the largest valleys of the central Alps, in eastern Lombardy, Italy. It extends about from the Tonale Pass to Corna Trentapassi, in the c ...

province of Brescia The province of Brescia (; Brescian: ) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Lombardy region of Italy. It has a population of some 1,265,964 (as of January 2019) and its capital is the city of Brescia.With an area of 4,785 km2, it is the ...

Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...

. It is one of

I Borghi più belli d'Italia () is a non-profit private association of small Italian towns of strong historical and artistic interest, that was founded in March 2001 on the initiative of the Tourism Council of the National Association of Italian Municipalities, with the a ...

("The most beautiful villages of Italy").

Geography

The village is located in Val Grigna, on the northern side of the river Grigna. It is bordered by other towns such as:

Bagolino Bagolino (Brescian: ) is a ''comune'' in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy, Italy, in the valley of the river Caffaro, on the right side of Valle Sabbia. Bagolino is known for the cheese named Bagòss and the carnival. Similar to grana padan ...

Berzo Inferiore Berzo Inferiore ( Camunian: ) is an Italian comune of 2,316 inhabitantsDato Istat all'31/12/2008
in

Bovegno Bovegno (Brescian: ) is a ''comune'' in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy. It borders the communes of Artogne, Berzo Inferiore, Bienno, Collio, Esine, Gianico, Irma, Marmentino and Pezzaze. It is located in the valley named Val Trompia. ...

, Breno,

Cividate Camuno Cividate Camuno ( Camunian: ) is an Italian ''comune'' of 2,774 inhabitants (2011), in Val Camonica, province of Brescia, in Lombardy. Geography The territory of Cividate Camuno is bordered by several municipalities: to the east Bienno, on the no ...

, Collio,

Prestine Prestine (''Prèhten'' in camunian dialect) is a former ''comune'' in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy. It is now a ''frazione'' of the municipality of Bienno. It is situated in the Val Camonica Val Camonica or Valcamonica (), ...

History

In 1295 a dispute occurred with the neighbouring village

regarding some high pastures. On 25 January 1350 the bishop of Brescia invested iure feuds for a tenth of the rights in the territories of the Municipality of Bienno (vicinia) and men of Bienno. This also happened back in 1295, 1336, and later in 1388, 1423 and 1486. In 1391 the land of Bienno, which sided with the

Ghibellines The Guelphs and Ghibellines ( , ; ) were factions supporting the Pope (Guelphs) and the Holy Roman Emperor (Ghibellines) in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy during the Middle Ages. During the 12th and 13th centurie ...

, was the site of extensive

cattle raiding Cattle raiding is the act of stealing live cattle, often several or many at once. In Australia, such stealing is often referred to as duffing, and the perpetrator as a duffer.Baker, Sidney John (1945) ''The Australian language : an examination ...

by the

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as The Royal City, it is roughly east of Kitchener, Ontario, Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Ontario Highway 6, ...

Camuni, led by Baroncino Nobili of

Lozio Lozio ( Camunian: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about ...

. The peace of Breno was signed on 31 December 1397 by the representative of the community of Bienno, Lanini Bertolino di Martino, who was a

Ghibelline The Guelphs and Ghibellines ( , ; ) were factions supporting the Pope (Guelphs) and the Holy Roman Emperor (Ghibellines) in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy during the Middle Ages. During the 12th and 13th centu ...

. Between 1805 and 1815 the town of Bienno was united to

and called "Bienno with Prestine."

Main sights

Bienno is part of the club of "The Most Beautiful Villages in Italy" creation of the Council of Tourism of the Association of Italian Municipalities (ANCI). Statua di Cristo Re Bienno

Religious architecture

* The parish church, dedicated to Saints Faustino and Giovita, was rebuilt in the early years of 17th Century strictly in accordance with

Counter-Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also sometimes called the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to, and as an alternative to or from similar insights as, the Protestant Reformations at the time. It w ...

rules; a single

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

with six side altars; impressive painting cycle mostly made by Giovanni Mauro della Rovere (also known as ''Il Fiamminghino''); a beautiful

wrought iron Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.05%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4.5%), or 0.25 for low carbon "mild" steel. Wrought iron is manufactured by heating and melting high carbon cast iron in an ...

gate dating back to 1647; a 17th-century

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

made by members of the Antegnati family and remodeled by Serassi. * The smallest church in the lower part of the old town, the ''Chiesa di Santa Maria Annunziata'' (once called ''Santa Maria degli Orti''). In its single nave, it contains frescoes of great value produced during the 16th century by various artists, including

Giovanni Pietro da Cemmo Giovanni Pietro da Cemmo (15th century - 16th century) was an Italians, Italian painter. Details on the artist's life are very scarce: perhaps born in Cemmo, he was active from 1474 to 1504 in a large area including Brescia and Cremona. Gi ...

and

Romanino Girolamo Romani, known as Romanino ( – ), was an Italian High Renaissance painter active in the Veneto and Lombardy, near Brescia. His long career brought forth several different styles. Biography Romani was born in Brescia. His early trai ...

. The frescoes also include, among various subjects, a

danse macabre The ''Danse Macabre'' (; ), also called the Dance of Death, is an artistic genre of allegory from the Late Middle Ages on the universality of death. The ''Danse Macabre'' consists of the dead, or a personification of death, summoning represen ...

to the right of the altar. * Hermitage of St. Peter and Paul, built in the second half of the 20th century, but originated in the 11th or 12th century, when

Cluny Cluny () is a commune in the eastern French department of Saône-et-Loire, in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. It is northwest of Mâcon. The town grew up around the Benedictine Abbey of Cluny, founded by Duke William I of Aquitaine in ...

monks came to

Valcamonica Val Camonica or Valcamonica (), also Valle Camonica and anglicized as Camonica Valley, is one of the largest valleys of the central Alps, in eastern Lombardy, Italy. It extends about from the Tonale Pass to Corna Trentapassi, in the c ...

* Church of San Defendente on a hill at the north entrance of Bienno dating back to the 15th century. * Church of ''St Peter ad Vincula'' (or ''San Peder Suc'') of 16th century. It is built onto a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

Bacchus In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; ) is the god of wine-making, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre. He was also known as Bacchus ( or ; ) by the Gre ...

(hence the name ''St. Peter Succo'') of which you can see the remains in the back of the building. * Hill of

Christ the King Christ the King is a title of Jesus in Christianity referring to the idea of the Kingdom of God where Christ is described as being seated at the right hand of God. Many Christian denominations consider the kingly office of Christ to be one o ...

: there stands a monument to Christ the King, a golden statue erected in 1931. * Chapel of the pools (''Cappella delle piscine''), dating back to the 15th century and reworked in the 17th century.

And also

* The House of Panteghini, built in 1483. * The House of Bettoni dated of 1550. * The Simoni-Fè Palace, was given in 1932 to the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

by the Countess Paolina Fè of Ostiani Montholon when she left, after a fatal hunting accident caused by her husband, Count '' Jean Charles Tristan de Montholon '', son of

Charles Tristan, marquis de Montholon Charles Tristan, Marquis de Montholon (; 21 July 1783 – 21 August 1853) was a French general during the Napoleonic Wars. He chose to go into exile on Saint Helena with the ex-emperor after Napoleon's second abdication. Early life and career Mon ...

, suspected to have poisoned the Emperor

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

, in

Saint Helena Saint Helena (, ) is one of the three constituent parts of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a remote British overseas territory. Saint Helena is a volcanic and tropical island, located in the South Atlantic Ocean, some 1,874 km ...

, and brother of '' Hélène Napoleone Bonaparte de Montholon '', whose father could be

and who lived 90 years, with the exception of the

usufruct Usufruct () is a limited real right (or ''in rem'' right) found in civil law and mixed jurisdictions that unites the two property interests of ''usus'' and ''fructus'': * ''Usus'' (''use'', as in usage of or access to) is the right to use or en ...

of the lower floors, left to ''Liberata Fostinelli'' and ''Battista Panteghini'' and all their descendants '' ad vitam eternam'', to reward them from their

loyalty Loyalty is a Fixation (psychology), devotion to a country, philosophy, group, or person. Philosophers disagree on what can be an object of loyalty, as some argue that loyalty is strictly interpersonal and only another human being can be the obj ...

. This usufruct has been transferred to the municipality of Bienno by their children ''Battista Panteghini'', son of Liberata, and ''Maria Bettoni'', whose family was the owner of the Palazzo Bettoni in Bienno, in 1988, because of the difficulties of maintenance and heating the palace, and their old age. It becomes the Public

Library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

and a

cultural center A cultural center or cultural centre is an organization, building or complex that promotes culture and arts. Cultural centers can be neighborhood community arts organizations, private facilities, government-sponsored, or activist-run. Africa * ...

Traditions and folklore

The scütüm are in

camunian dialect Eastern Lombard is a group of closely related variants of Lombard language, Lombard, a Gallo-Italic languages, Gallo-Italic language spoken in Lombardy, mainly in the provinces of Bergamo, Brescia and Mantua, in the area around Cremona and in p ...

nicknames, sometimes personal, elsewhere showing the characteristic features of a community. The one which characterize the people of Bienno is ''Padèle''. On 28 June, the eve of

feast of Saints Peter and Paul The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul or Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul is a liturgical feast in honor of the martyrdom in Rome of the apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul, which is observed on 29 June. The celebration is of ancient Chri ...

, the villagers put an

egg white Egg white is the clear liquid (also called the albumen or the glair/glaire) contained within an egg. In chickens, it is formed from the layers of secretions of the anterior section of the hen's oviduct during the passage of the egg. It forms a ...

in a bottle which they leave in the open air until the next morning; albumin coagulated in filaments then evokes the masts and sails of a

boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size or capacity, its shape, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically used on inland waterways s ...

, it is the boat of Saint Peter.

Events

All buildings, museums and churches are open to the public every year, for a week, until midnight in August, during the village festival called ''Mostra Mercato'' former flour mill and

forge A forge is a type of hearth used for heating metals, or the workplace (smithy) where such a hearth is located. The forge is used by the smith to heat a piece of metal to a temperature at which it becomes easier to shape by forging, or to the ...

are returned to service. This week welcomes thousands of visitors.

Film

Mostra mercato 2014
Mostra Mercato 2014

People

Geltrude Comensoli Geltrude Caterina Comensoli, also known as Mother Geltrude (January 18, 1847 – February 18, 1903) is the Patron of Youth, Val Camonica and Relic Custodians. Her first attempt at religious life was curtailed by illness, and she took up work a ...

(Bienno, 1847 -

Bergamo Bergamo ( , ; ) is a city in the Alps, alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from the alpine lakes Lake Como, Como and Lake Iseo, Iseo and 70 km (43 mi) from Lake Garda, Garda and Lake ...

, 1903), religious. * Luigi Ercoli (Bienno, 1919 -

Mauthausen Mauthausen was a German Nazi concentration camp on a hill above the market town of Mauthausen (roughly east of Linz), Upper Austria. It was the main camp of a group with nearly 100 further subcamps located throughout Austria and southern ...

, 1945), Italian partisan. * Battistino Bonali (Bienno, 1962 -

Huascarán Huascarán (), ( Quechua: Waskaran), Nevado Huascarán or Mataraju is a mountain located in Yungay Province, Department of Ancash, Peru. It is situated in the Cordillera Blanca range of the western Andes. The southern summit of Huascarán (Huasc ...

, 1993), alpinist.

Photo gallery

Image:Abitazione con elementi decorativi - Bienno (Foto Luca Giarelli).jpg, Casa e Fucina Image:bienno casatorre1.jpg , House Tower Image:Torre Rizzieri - Bienno (ph Luca Giarelli).jpg, Another Tower Image:Oratorio_di_S_Carlo_Borromeo_-_Bienno_(Foto_Luca_Giarelli).jpg, Oratorio de San Carlo Borromeo Image:bienno lavatoio.jpg, Lavatoio on Vaso Re Image:Panorma centro storico - Bienno (Foto Luca Giarelli).jpg, Panorama in the morning File:New Panteghini House at Inol (Berzo Inferiore).jpg, New Panteghini House at Inol (Berzo Inferiore) Image:Chiesa_San_Pietro_in_Vincoli_Bienno.jpg, Chiesa San Pietro in Vincoli Image:Bienno old 1930.jpg, Old Bienno in 1930

References

Sources

External links

Historical photos - Intercam

Historical photos - Lombardia Beni Culturali

{{Authority control Cities and towns in Lombardy Borghi più belli d'Italia