Brentonico
Brentonico: The Trentino Municipality of Sorna Plateau
Hello friends! Today I will talk to you about the Municipality of Brentonico, located in the province of Trento in Trentino-Alto Adige. This town is famous for its mild climate and atypical morphology compared to other areas of Trentino.
Physical Geography
The Brentonico plateau is a portion of territory nestled between Mount Baldo and Mount Altissimo di Nago. The area is characterized by a climate and morphology different from the typical Alpine region of Trentino. Brentonico is divided into four districts: Fontana, Lera, Fontechel, and Vigo. The Fontana district borders with the Lera district where the municipality is located. The Vigo district faces south towards Verona, while to the west, towards Lake Garda, the Fontechel district rises. Brentonico is famous for the art of stonemasonry, an activity that has characterized the town for many years. The numerous quarries that surround the village of Castione have now become open-air museums, but once they were important suppliers of marble for altars and furnishings of churches in Tre Venezie and Tyrol.
Origin of the name
The locality owes its name to its shape reminiscent of a basin. Brentonico has pre-medieval origins and a fascinating ancient history. According to legend, it was founded by the Brenti, a barbarian people descended from Northern Europe in the period between the 3rd and 4th century AD, along with the Pannonians. Originally, it was a castelliere, first barbarian and then Roman. In his ''Historia Langobardorum,'' Paul the Deacon mentions the "castrum Bremtonicum" among those destroyed by the Franks in their advancement on Trentino territory in 590.
History
In 1923, Brentonico had the detachment of the Loppio hamlet, aggregated to the municipality of Mori, as a result of the territorial district reform.
Monuments and Places of Interest
Brentonico boasts numerous religious architectures like the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, located in the Vigo district, rich in six altars. Within it, the church conceals the crypt of St. John, which represents an early place of worship. The square plan and the trapdoor entrance of the crypt recall the Romanesque style of the 10th century. The walls are decorated with splendid frescoes recently restored. Another point of interest is the portals of some houses like that of casa Baisi, decorated with the mural paintings of the Milanese painter Casari, or casa Balista, with its 18th-century bifores. Even the Bais house, a former salami factory with the late 18th-century stone loggia, and the Longhi house, built with baroque taste, represent exceptional examples of architectural art.
In conclusion, Brentonico represents one of the hidden gems of Trentino-Alto Adige. With its atypical morphology, ancient history, and artistic heritage, Brentonico is a destination not to be missed for nature and art lovers. Thanks for reading this short trip through the wonders of the village of Brentonico.
