Bedizzole
Discovering Bedizzole: history, geography, and origin of the name
Hello friends! Today we will talk about Bedizzole, a small town in the province of Brescia in Lombardy, Italy. With its 12,227 inhabitants and an area of 26.4 km², Bedizzole is located about 17 kilometers east of Brescia and 8 kilometers from Lake Garda.
The physical geography and territory of Bedizzole
Bedizzole is located in Valtenesi, between the high plains of the Po Valley and the western foothills of the lower Benaco morainic hills. The territory is crossed by the Chiese river. The castle, built between the 9th and 10th centuries, is the most important monument in the town and constitutes an interesting residential nucleus, with the main entrance from Piazza 25 Aprile.
The origins of the name Bedizzole
The name Bedizzole has several etymological hypotheses. Until the 15th century, the name was written with a ''-u-'' and then subsequently transformed into ''-i-'' as in ''Bidizolis'' (1507-1520), ''Bidizolarum'' (1517), ''Bidizzolis, Bidizolas'' (1556), ''Bidicciolo'' (1693), and then assumed its current form of Bedizzole with the ''-e-''.
According to various scholars, the name could derive from:
- ''Butisolis'' which was an ancient dominant family in that territory;
- ''imbutisolis'' because the territory appeared as a series of funnels from above;
- ''abetisolis'' or from some spruces that surrounded the parish church of Pontenove;
- ''belle zolle'' or ''bei colli''.
The history of Bedizzole
Bedizzole has a very ancient history. In fact, findings of remains of pile dwellings in the Sonvigo locality date back to the Bronze Age. In the 4th century BC, tribes coming from Gaul, belonging to the Cenomani stock, settled in the territory. The Roman Empire of ancient Bedizzole is attested to by the many archaeological finds. The twelve inscriptions of that era documented the presence of patrician families belonging to the gens Vibia, gens Cornelia, and gens Elia.
In conclusion, Bedizzole is a town that has a great ancient history, uncertain origins of the name, and a very suggestive natural environment. If you visit the area, you cannot miss the castle and the wonderful view of the surrounding plain.
