Ponte San Marco
Ponte San Marco: a dive into history
Hello everyone! Today I want to talk to you about Ponte San Marco, a beautiful hamlet of Calcinato, in the province of Brescia. This place is full of history and just a few years ago archaeological excavations were carried out, revealing the existence of an ancient settlement in the Bronze and Iron Ages.
Prehistory
If you are passionate about archaeology, Ponte San Marco is the place for you! During excavation work for the construction of a square, an archaeological deposit was unearthed and subsequent excavations showed that the area had been inhabited for a long period of time. An extensive settlement, with a regular layout and orientation NNW-SSE, marked by a sequence of perimeter pole holes. Along this axis, rectangular houses were aligned and, under the remains of the settlement, relics related to an older settlement were found.
World War II
Ponte San Marco also has a more recent and tragic history, terrible for the small village during the last months of World War II. Most of the bridges were hit and much of the town was severely damaged. About 20,000 bombs were dropped on the bridges and on the main target, such as the railway. The population had to flee and the landscape changed forever. On February 13, 1945, the most terrible bombing hit Ponte San Marco pulverizing the district: the village became a small Berlin and the name of the bridge became "Bridge of Death". On April 24th and 25th, 1945, the retreating Germans, pursued by American planes, blew up the railway bridges.
Conclusions
Ponte San Marco is a hamlet of Calcinato that has a lot to offer in terms of history. The archaeological area takes us back in time, to the Bronze and Iron Ages, while the more recent history of World War II teaches us how cruel our world can be. Ponte San Marco is an incredible place and if you happen to walk in those areas, I recommend you to visit it: you won't regret it!
