Val Camonica - Val Camonica

Val Camonica
Natural reserve of rock engravings
Location
Val Camonica - Location
StateItaly
RegionLombardy
Surface 1,335 km²
Inhabitants118.323
Tourism site

Camonica Valley is a valley of the Lombardy.

To know

Valle Camonica (or also Valcamonica and, in the Camunian dialects, Al Camònega, poetic Camunia) is one of the largest valleys in the central Alps, in the Lombardy east, about 90 km long.

Geographical notes

Start from Passo del Tonale, at 1,883 m a.s.l. and ends at Corna Trentapassi at Pisogne, on the Lake Iseo. It has an area of ​​approximately 1335 km² and 118,323 inhabitants. It is crossed in all its length by the high course of the Oglio river, which originates in Wooden bridge and has its mouth in Sebino between Pisogne is Costa VolpinoAlmost all of the valley is included in the administrative territory of the province of Brescia, excluding the municipalities of Lovere, Rogno, Costa Volpino and the Val di Scalve (where is it Schilpario) belonging to the province of Bergamo.

Background

Valle Camonica derives its name from the term in Latin language with which the classical writers in ancient times called the population who lived there: the Camuni.


Territories and tourist destinations

Valle Camonica divided into tourist areas

Valle Camonica can be divided into eight tourist areas. Each area refers to a chief town where it is possible to obtain information on the surrounding communities.

  • Wooden bridge and Upper Valle Camonica - My nature
  • Edolo and Orobie Bresciane - The mountain to discover
  • Cevo and Valsaviore - In the heart of the Adamello
  • Capo di Ponte and Middle Valle Camonica - Ten thousand years of UNESCO history
  • Breno and surroundings - Sanctuaries, castles and Roman times
  • Borno and Altopiano del Sole - It shines all year round
  • Bienno and Valgrigna - The valley of the hammers
  • Darfo Boario Terme and Lower Valle Camonica - Spas and skiing between nature and mountains

Urban centers

Ponte di Legno and Upper Camonica Valley

Wooden bridge, Frigidolfo stream

Edolo and Orobie Bresciane

Edolo, Old Town

Cevo and Valsaviore

Cevo, panorama

Capo di Ponte and Middle Camonica Valley

Capo di Ponte and fractions

Breno and surroundings

Breno and castle

Borno and Altopiano del Sole

Borno, panorama

Bienno and Valgrigna

Bienno, Old Town

Darfo Boario Terme and Lower Valle Camonica

Darfo Boario Terme and lake Moro

Other destinations

  • Boario Terme - Her Thermal baths, in the territory that gravitates around the Valcamonica they were already used in the sixteenth century; they had a great sponsor in Alessandro Manzoni who praised them, making them so famous far beyond the local borders.
  • Houses of Face - Village with characteristic stone houses.


How to get

By car

To reach Valle Camonica from the Val di Sole is Trentino through the Tonale Pass:

On the train

The Valley can be reached by train thanks to the line managed by Trenord Brescia-Iseo-Edolo. For information, rates and timetables consult the Trenord websiteThe countries where the stations of the line are located are (from north to south):

By bus

Map of public transport in Valle Camonica

Valle Camonica can be reached from Milan, Bergamo (including the airport Orio al Serio) or from Brescia via daily connections.


How to get around


What see

Ponte di Legno and Upper Camonica Valley

Edolo and Orobie Bresciane

Cevo and Valsaviore

Capo di Ponte and Middle Camonica Valley

Breno and surroundings

Borno and Altopiano del Sole

Bienno and Valgrigna

Darfo Boario Terme and Lower Valle Camonica

Rock art

Rosa camuna is an anthropomorphic (so-called "astronaut"). Area Foppe, Natural Reserve Rock engravings of Ceto, Cimbergo and Paspardo
  • Main attraction2 Rock engravings of Val Camonica. The rock carvings of Val Camonica (UNESCO site nº 94, Rock art of Valcamonica) constitute one of the largest collections of prehistoric petroglyphs in the world and were the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in Italy (1979). UNESCO has recognized over 140,000 figures, but new uninterrupted discoveries have progressively increased the total number of cataloged engravings, up to two hundred thousand if not three hundred thousand. Rock art in Valle Camonica is reported on about 2,000 rocks in over 180 locations including 24 municipalities, with a particular concentration in the municipalities of Capo di Ponte, Ceto (Nadro), Cimbergo, Paspardo, Sonic, Sellero, Darfo Boario Terme, Ossimo where there are 8 parks equipped for the visit. The engravings were made over a period of eight thousand years, up to the Iron Age (1st millennium BC); those of the last period are attributed to the Camuni people mentioned by Latin sources. The petroglyphic tradition did not end suddenly: engravings - albeit in a very small number, not comparable with the great prehistoric activity - have been identified from Roman, medieval and even contemporary times, up to the nineteenth century. Most of the engravings were made with the hammer technique; fewer those obtained through graffiti. The figures are sometimes simply superimposed without apparent order, but often instead appear in a logical relationship between them, as an illustration of a religious rite or a hunting or fighting scene; this approach explains the schematism of the images, each of which is an ideogram that represents not so much the real object, but its "idea". Their function can be traced back to celebratory, commemorative, initiatory or propitiatory rites - first in the religious sphere, later also secular -, which were held on particular, single or recurring occasions. Among the best known signs found in Val Camonica stands the so-called Rosa Camuna, which has been adopted as the official symbol of the Lombardy region. In the local dialect of Valle Camonica the rock engravings are indicated with the reductive term of "pitoti", or puppets. 
  • 3 Municipal Archaeological Park of Seradina-Bedolina, Via Pieve di San Siro, 25044 Capo di Ponte (The park is located in the hamlet of Cemmo. Park the car at the cemetery and continue on foot, following the signs, on the cobbled road.), ☎ 39 0364 42104, 39 334 6575628 (Mobile phone), @. Simple icon time.svgfrom 1 March to 31 October from 10.00 to 17.00 (last admission scheduled for 16.30) closed on Thursdays - from 1 November to 28 February from 10.00 to 16.00 (last admission scheduled for 15.30) Open Saturday, Sunday and Monday . Closing day: Thursday. The managing body is the Cultural Tourist Agency. Although formally structured as a park only in 2005, the historiated area has been the subject of study for many years. The Municipal Archaeological Park of Seradina-Bedolina contains the "historical" localities of Seradina I, II, III, Corno di Seradina and Bedolina and is located in an extremely interesting position both in terms of urban-territorial location and in within the panorama of prehistoric Camunian culture. The park is characterized by two areas separated by a difference in height of about 100 m. and connected by an ancient path that climbs along the ridge. The rock carvings brought to light here mostly belong to the late Bronze and Iron Age. Within the area there are three visiting routes: Seradina II affected by the orange route, Seradina I and Corno di Seradina affected by the red route; the green path leads to the Ronco Felappi site while Seradina III can be visited along the brown path. The blue route is dedicated to Bedolina, the plateau above Seradina where the so-called “topographic maps” are represented. The Bedolina area can be visited by collecting the keys in advance at the park ticket office. 


What to do

Ponte di Legno and Upper Camonica Valley

Edolo and Orobie Bresciane

Cevo and Valsaviore

Breno and surroundings

  • Gaver ski area (Gaver). 

Borno and Altopiano del Sole

Bienno and Valgrigna

Darfo Boario Terme and Lower Valle Camonica


At the table

The spongades
  • Weeks of Camuna gastronomy (XII edition - 2013). Simple icon time.svgFrom the September 7 to the November 3. Almost all the restaurants in the Valley offer menus based on typical products. During the event, meetings, walks and guided visits to the territories of the Camonica Valley are also organized. 

Typical products of the Camonica Valley are:

  • The spongades, a kind of round and traditionally not filled brioche, widespread especially in the areas of Borno, Breno is Bienno.
  • The rye bread
  • The fatuli, a seasoned goat cheese from Valsaviore
  • The casoncelli (stuffed pasta), there is no single recipe as almost every country has its own variant.

Valle Camonica is traditionally famous for sausages and cheeses. Some dishes are typical of well-defined areas of the valley.

Ponte di Legno and Upper Camonica Valley

  • Gnoc de la cua (De.co.)
  • Silter cheese (PDO)
  • Casolet cheese
  • Calsù (stuffed ravioli)
  • Monno potato
  • Grilled polenta and strinù (sausage)
  • Game meat

Edolo and Orobie Bresciane

  • Cuz by Corteno Golgi
  • Mìgole (crumbs) by Malonno
  • Grilled polenta and strinù (sausage)
  • Game meat

Cevo and Valsaviore

  • Fatulì cheese
  • Grilled polenta and strinù (sausage)
  • Game meat

Capo di Ponte and Middle Camonica Valley

  • Rosa Camuna cheese
  • Spongada (sweet focaccia)
  • Chestnuts (and derivative products) of Paspardo
  • Casoncelli (stuffed ravioli)
  • Grilled polenta and strinù (sausage)

Breno and surroundings

  • Beef with Breno oil
  • Spongada (sweet focaccia)
  • Bré cheese
  • Casoncelli (stuffed ravioli)
  • Grilled polenta and strinù (sausage)

Borno and Altopiano del Sole

  • Salami from Ossimo
  • Grilled polenta and strinù (sausage)

Bienno and Valgrigna

  • Casoncelli (stuffed ravioli)
  • Grilled polenta and strinù (sausage)
  • Game meat

Darfo Boario Terme and Lower Valle Camonica

  • Casoncelli (stuffed ravioli)
  • Grilled polenta and strinù (sausage)
  • Wines of Darfo Boario Terme

Drinks

Capo di Ponte and Middle Camonica Valley

  • Wines of Capo di Ponte, Ono San Pietro, Cerveno, Losine

Breno and surroundings

  • Wines of Piancogno

Darfo Boario Terme and Lower Valle Camonica

  • Wines of Darfo Boario Terme


Tourist infrastructure

Among the historical and most characteristic infrastructures we find the Terme di Boario, the Roman museum of Cividate Camuno, the park of rock engravings in Capo di Ponte, the museum of hydroelectric energy in Cedegolo and the Cantina Bignotti in Pian di Borno.

Safety


Useful information

Useful information on the entire Valle Camonica area:

Ponte di Legno and Upper Camonica Valley

Edolo and Orobie Bresciane

Cevo and Valsaviore

Capo di Ponte and Middle Camonica Valley

Breno and surroundings

Borno and Altopiano del Sole

Bienno and Valgrigna

Darfo Boario Terme and Lower Valle Camonica


Around

Itineraries

Other projects

  • Collaborate on WikipediaWikipedia contains an entry concerning Val Camonica
  • Collaborate on CommonsCommons contains images or other files on Val Camonica
  • Collaborate on WikinewsWikinews contains current news on Val Camonica
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