Lenna
Lenna: a town in the province of Bergamo
Hello everyone! Today I'm going to talk about Lenna, an Italian town located in the province of Bergamo, in Lombardy. This village is located in the upper Val Brembana, precisely at the confluence between the two branches of the Brembo river, north of Bergamo. In total, Lenna has 562 inhabitants and is part of the Mountain Community of the Brembana Valley.
The history of Lenna
Lenna has always been considered "the gateway" to the Upper Brembana Valley, thanks to its strategic location. In fact, there were already stable settlements here during the Etruscan period. It is believed that the toponym derives precisely from the Etruscan "Le'mina".
Other studies date the name back to the Roman Empire. We know that the Romans settled in Lenna as early as the 2nd century BC and exploited the mineral resources in the surrounding mountains, such as iron. In this way, numerous connections were created with the nearby "pagus Saturnius", located in Val Seriana.
Even during the Middle Ages, Lenna prospered thanks to better living conditions and the arrival of new nuclei fleeing from fratricidal battles between the Guelphs and Ghibellines. Despite the Ghibelline influence, the area was not affected by the fights. With the advent of the Republic of Venice, trade saw further growth, thanks to the construction of the Via Priula that connected Bergamo to the Canton Grigioni.
The famous architect Mauro Codussi was born and lived in Lenna, creating numerous works in Venice. Events and subsequent political regimes did not really affect the village, until the construction of the Brembana Valley railway in the 19th century. This unfortunately led to a period of economic crisis for the town.
The symbols of Lenna
The town of Lenna has as its symbols the coat of arms and the banner. The coat of arms, granted with DPR of March 12th 2004, depicts a shield divided into four parts, with a stylized tower in the center. The whole is surrounded by oak and laurel branches.
The banner, instead, is a yellow flag with the town logo in the center. These are symbols that represent the history and traditions of this small but fascinating mountain village.
Summary
Lenna is an Italian town in the province of Bergamo, located in the Brembana Valley. Settlements have been present here since the Etruscan period and it is believed that the toponym derives precisely from this period. During the Middle Ages, Lenna prospered thanks to better living conditions and the arrival of new nuclei fleeing from fratricidal battles between the Guelphs and Ghibellines.
With the advent of the Republic of Venice, trade saw further growth, thanks to the construction of the Via Priula that connected Bergamo to the Canton Grigioni. The famous architect Mauro Codussi was born and lived in Lenna, creating numerous works in Venice.
The extractive activity, based mainly on iron, brought prosperity to the village. With the arrival of the Brembana Valley railway, however, the town experienced a period of economic crisis. Today, Lenna has 562 inhabitants and is a town rich in history and traditions. The town has as its symbols the coat of arms and the banner, which represent the history and traditions of this small but fascinating mountain village.
