Fiorano al Serio
Fiorano al Serio: a unique municipality in its territorial extension
Fiorano al Serio is a municipality in the province of Bergamo located on the right bank of the Serio river and part of the Comunità Montana della Valle Seriana. The municipality is unique in its territorial extension, measuring only 108 hectares, making it the smallest of the 1500 municipalities in Lombardy and one of the last 100 Italian municipalities by area.
The physical geography of Fiorano al Serio
Territory
The municipality is located in a recess of the Serio river at an altitude ranging from the alluvial plain to about 550 meters (Cedrina mountain slopes). The territory extends over three large alluvial terraces, the highest of which is the San Fermo plateau, the second is the historic center, while the third is called "Prato Nuovo" and is dedicated to the industrial area.
Administrative border
The municipality's boundary is delimited by the course of the Serio river, which divides it to the southeast from the municipality of Cene and to the east from the municipality of Casnigo. To the south and west, it borders Gazzaniga through the course of the Misma stream, which runs in the homonymous small valley. To the north, the territorial limit is given by the course of the Vertova stream, located in the Val Vertova, which administratively divides it from Vertova, while to the northeast, the fraction of Semonte borders Fiorano.
Hydrography and internal roads
The main watercourse that crosses the territory of Fiorano al Serio is the Misma, a right tributary of the Serio, which collects the waters of numerous small streams from the surrounding slopes. With regard to internal roads, the town is located along the Serio river and is crossed by an ordinary road network referring to Via Locatelli, the main artery of traffic and commerce in the lower valley.
The inhabited center of Fiorano al Serio
Much of the population lives in the inhabited nucleus located in the valley along the course of the Serio. Thanks to the building expansion that took place during the twentieth century, the inhabited center is now merged with the neighboring towns, creating a sort of elongated city that goes from Bergamo to Colzate.
Cementification of the San Fermo and Pianure localities
Construction in Fiorano al Serio has not only been concentrated in the plain but also in mountain locations such as the areas of San Fermo and Pianure. In the last years of the second millennium, there was massive cementification of these areas.
In conclusion, Fiorano al Serio can be considered a unique town in its territorial extension, which, despite its small size, is rich in history and culture. The territory, whose history dates back to about two million years ago, is rich in natural beauty and presents a varied landscape between plain and mountain.
