Gussago
Welcome to Gussago: a look at the physical geography of the town
Hello everyone, and welcome to Gussago, a municipality located in Franciacorta, in the province of Brescia in Lombardy. The town is characterized by a hilly terrain divided into three parts. The central part is hilly and corresponds to the hamlets of Piazza, Casaglio, Pomaro, Villa and Ronco. The city borders other municipalities such as Cellatica and Brescia to the east, Roncadelle to the south, Castegnato and Rodengo-Saiano to the west, Brione and Villa Carcina to the north, and Ome to the northwest.
Gussago was placed in zone 3 ("low seismicity that may be subject to modest shaking") following the Ordinance of the President of the Council of Ministers n. 3274 of 2003, revised by the Lombardy Regional Council n. 2129 of July 21, 2014.
The watercourses that run through Gussago are the La Canale, Solda and Gandovere streams, which give the town a climate conditioned by the hilly relief. During winter, the coldest days may see frost and snowfall, while in summer heat invades the Po Valley: in the southern part of the country, there may be suffocating heat, while in the northern part there may be appreciated local breezes. The average annual temperature hovers around 19°C, oscillating between -5° and +35° on average (source: MeteoBresciano).
Origins of the name and history of Gussago
The toponym Gussago would derive from the Latin language ''Acutianus'' whose root would come from the Roman personal name ''Acutius Fundus'', Acuto's estate, a Roman landowner mentioned in various tombstones found in the area. However, the suffix -ago suggests a more ancient, Celtic or Gallic origin.
The village was known as ''Gausaringo'' in a diploma of Berengario II. Later toponyms found were ''Gixiago'', ''Gussiacho'' and ''Gussiago''. In the fourteenth century, the form ''Guxago'' was attested, while in the tenth century ''Guxagum'' was used.
In the locality Navezze, remains of Quaternary vertebrates have been found suggesting the existence of a prehistoric trail. This came from the current Brescia and ran halfway up the municipal territory touching the current localities of Fantasina, Caporalino and Ronco, destined to Iseo and the Bergamo territory.
There are also testimonies of the presence of the Roman Empire with six tombstones, one dedicated to the God Neptune and two large capitals near the rectory of Ronco. Gussago, during that time, was Pagus and was crossed by the important road Bergamo-Verona.
Medieval era and Pieve Vecchia
During the High Middle Ages, the Pieve, also called "Pieve Vecchia" by the Gussaghesi, was established in the eighth century. The only remaining artifact of the ancient ecclesiastical building is the Mayorans pulpit (or Mavioranus). This was part of a sarcophagus of barbaric forms, perhaps Lombards, and is now used as an ambo in the Church of Santa Maria a Pie del Dosso.
