Lamon
Lamon, the municipality in the province of Belluno
Hello, today I will talk to you about Lamon, an Italian municipality in the province of Belluno. Lamon, also pronounced in the Lamonese dialect, has a population of about 2634 inhabitants and is famous for the cultivation of the Fagiolo di Lamon della Vallata Bellunese (Lamon Bean from the Belluno Valley) and sheep farming.
Physical geography
The territory of Lamon is located between two long valleys, with the Cismon stream to the east and the Senaiga stream to the south, which just before flowing into the Cismon gives rise to Lake Senaiga. The municipality borders the Belluno municipalities of Arsiè, Fonzaso, and Sovramonte, and the Trentino municipalities of Canal San Bovo, Castello Tesino, and Cinte Tesino. The territory is large and extends over more than 54 km², divided into three fractions: Lamon, San Donato (Lamon), and Arina. Starting from the 360 meters of the Maoli hamlet, it reaches up to 2069 meters of Mount Coppolo. The central plateau, which rises to about 600 meters above sea level, hosts the capital and over half of the entire municipal population.
The climate of the area is typically alpine, with cold and dry winters and moderately warm summers with frequent breezes.
Origins of the name
The origin of the name Lamon has been the subject of several theories. In the seventeenth century, it was thought to derive from "Castrum Ammonis" (Fort of Ammon), referring to a supposed cult of Jupiter Ammon on the hill of San Pietro. But actually, the toponym Lamon could derive from the Proto-Italic "lama," which can be traced back to the Etruscan "lumena" and the Latin "lima," which means "pond" but also "landslide." The evidence in this sense comes from the geological formation of the extensive plateaus of Lamon and Sovramonte, formed by the gradual filling of a large lake that formed at the end of the last glaciation, about 15,000 years ago.
History
Prehistory and ancient times
The territory of Lamon has an ancient and fascinating history. Already in the prehistoric era, it was frequented, as evidenced by the discovery of numerous stone and flint objects. In 1988, a remarkable prehistoric hunter was found in Val Rosna, on the Sovramontino side of the Cismon. But there are also the remains of fossil fauna found in the San Donato cave, including the remains of the Ursus spelaeus, a large bear. Today, a skeleton composed of bones from different specimens is present in the atrium of the municipality.
The historical age
In the historical age, for the Lamonese territory, as well as for the rest of the Feltrino, toponymic evidence confirms the news of Pliny the Elder, according to which the "municipium" of "Feltria" (and its territory, including the Lamonese plateau) was inhabited by Rhaetian peoples.
Conclusions
Overall, the history and geography of Lamon are fascinating and worth exploring. This Italian municipality in the province of Belluno is famous for the cultivation of the Fagiolo di Lamon della Vallata Bellunese (Lamon Bean from the Belluno Valley) and sheep farming, but it also offers much more, such as the natural beauty of the territory and its ancient history. If you have the opportunity, do not hesitate to visit it!
