• The birthplace of Pope Paul VI
• The art of Floriano Ferramola in the churches of the upper valley
• To the marble quarries and ancient churches
• Feudal landowers' castles along the Oglio river

Lake Iseo and Franciacorta

The Camonica Valley

Lake Garda and Sabbia Valley

Home course

The Brescia "Bassa", made fertile by rivers and the springs, has been intensely cultivated since the Middle Ages, when the monks started reclamations everywhere.
The land has contributed to the fortune of powerful feudal families that constructed residences and castles. The squares or the main streets of the towns are lined by arcades that once contained the fruit and vegetable markets. In the country, big dairy farms stand out, long since the ancient inhabitants were forced out by agricultural mechanisation.
In some parts of the countryside, rows of mulberry trees still remind us of a not so distant past, when every family bred silkworms to increase the family budget.

A BRIEF HISTORY

Prehistoric villages are to be found here and there. The most famous are those in Remedello (Aeneolithic, 2300-1800 BC) and in Gottolengo, where in the Bronze Age (1500 BC) there was a fortification.
A good part of "Bassa" was "centurionised"; the Romans allocated farming land to veteran soldiers. The Abbey in Leno provided great impetus for reclamations; it had been founded by the Lombard King Desiderio in 758.
Between 1300 and 1400, in the plain exploits by famous leaders such as Giovanni Acuto, Gattamelata, Bartolomeo Colleoni and Carmagnola took place.
The economy of Bassa is traditionally based on agriculture and livestock, supported since the Middle Ages by the construction of important irrigation canals. In the XVIII cent. silkworm breeding and silk weaving developed.
In 1909 in the skies over Montichiari, the most famous pilots in the world (aviation had started six years before) gave an "air show" in which, in the role of journalist, appeared the young Franz Kafka.

Trompia Valley

North of Brescia, there is no interruption between suburbs alternating with industrial areas, which occupy the banks of the Mella River. Only beyond Marcheno, where the valley narrows, pastures open up onto the mountain slopes, conifer woods thicken and in the background snow covered summits dominate.
On the mountain sides, smaller valleys develop along rivers that once provided the driving power for the furnaces and forges that produced their riches guarded by towers, witnessed by the works of art in the churches.
In the summer the herds climb Maniva, where the three valleys converge, from where, with a clear sky, you can embrace a good part of the entire alpine arc and distinguish the blue of Lake Garda.

A BRIEF HISTORY

Remains of prehistoric inhabitants have been found in the mountains in the area between the Maniva and Nave Valley. The iron ore mines in Collio had been exploited since the Roman era; probably with the use of slaves. The Valeriana road went along the valley and, after crossing over Mt. Guglielmo , passed through the Camonica Valley.
In the middle of the XVI cent., another road connected the Trompia Valley with the Sabbia Valley to transport metal to the furnace in Anfo. Venice commissioned weapons and cannons for its arsenal. Such an important activity stirred interest in Gardone and there grew bellicose factions amongst arms craftsmen; with disorder and episodes of banditry that lasted from the end of the 1500s to 1700. But there were also periods of crisis. At the beginning of 1600, Venice discouraged emigration of craftsmen towards Germany with a band that threatened those who left with the permanent loss of their right to stay. Other important productions began in the XV cent. in the Garza Valley (in Nave and in Caino), where numerous paper mills were built.