Cividate Camuno
Cividate Camuno: a small town in Lombardy
Cividate Camuno, also known as "Hiidà" in the Camuno dialect, is a town located in the middle of Val Camonica, in the province of Brescia, Lombardy. With its 2657 inhabitants, it is one of the smallest towns in the region, and is crossed by the state road 42 of Tonale and Mendola, as well as by the Brescia-Iseo-Edolo railway line.
Physical geography
The territory of Cividate Camuno is delimited by the cities of Breno and Bienno, and is located on the banks of the river Oglio, on a plain that extends southward in an area free of buildings called "Prada" or "Colture". To the east, however, the town borders the Barberino Park. Despite being one of the smallest municipalities in the province of Brescia, Cividate Camuno boasts a territory of great charm.
Climate
According to statistics from the meteorological station of Breno, the climate of Cividate Camuno is rather rigid: the average temperature of the coldest month, January, is -1.0 °C, while that of the hottest month, July, is +20.5 °C.
The history of Cividate Camuno
Cividate Camuno is a city with ancient history: born as a Roman settlement on a site already inhabited in prehistoric times, in the Middle Ages it was an important episcopal center, expression of the families of the Avogadro and Sala. In 1299, the treasurer of the bishop of Brescia drew up a document establishing the episcopal properties in Valle Camonica, and Cividate had to swear loyalty to the bishop himself. In 1364, the city initiated a dispute against the communities of Borno, Esine and Lozio for the supplies of the sublighe of the bridge that crossed the Oglio.
Over the following centuries, Cividate Camuno underwent various vicissitudes, including the reconstruction of the bridge over the river Oglio, which collapsed due to a flood in 1537, and its subsequent destruction and reconstruction due to the flood of 1960. During the period of the First World War, the city hosted several air squadrons, including the 40th, 74th, 113th and the XX Group, later becoming the 20th Group.
Curiosities about Cividate Camuno
Cividate Camuno is, as mentioned, a town of small size but of great interest. The city overlooks an area of great naturalistic and landscape value, with numerous hiking trails and cycling paths, and also has some cultural points of interest. The church of San Zenone, for example, is a work of great architectural and ornamental value, dating back to the seventeenth century. Also of great interest is the central square of the town, which houses an ancient well with the statue of the "Madonna della Fontana", and also the parish church of San Lorenzo, dating back to the fourteenth century, and the church of San Rocco, built in the seventeenth century.
Cividate Camuno is also famous for the production of the precious Bitto cheese, a typical product of Valchiavenna, which is produced and marketed directly by local producers.
In short, despite being a town of small size, Cividate Camuno stands out for its ancient history, its cultural and natural heritage, and the liveliness of its traditions.
