Ternate
Ternate: History and Curiosities
Ternate is a beautiful municipality of 2,526 inhabitants, located in the province of Varese in Lombardy. Like all places in Italy, it has an interesting and unique history. In this brief guide, we will discover the history of Ternate, starting from prehistoric times to the present day.
Prehistory
It all began when in 1864, some prehistoric pile dwellings were discovered in Swiss lakes. This fact aroused the curiosity of Italian and Lombard scholars, who began investigating in the lakes of Varese. The research carried out in Lake Varese and the nearby Lake Monate led to significant results. Later, research was also carried out in Lake Comabbio, but the results were hindered due to its muddy nature. In the Ternate area, carbon, pole heads, and other artifacts, such as a monosyllabic canoe, were found. The chronological placement of these artifacts has not been possible to establish, but it is presumed that they date back to the Bronze Age.
A prehistoric trace of the Ternate territory was traced in the Brabbia Swamp, thanks to the owner of Lake Napoleone Borghi, who discovered a prehistoric station in September 1879. It is a raised area of land formed by a numerous series of mounds ranging from 70 cm to 2.20 m high over an area of 8000 m². 300 flint knives, 500 ceramic shards, carbon, sharpened wood, and a chestnut bow of 1.14 m with two flint tips and an arrow with a flint tip still embedded were found.
Roman period
The Roman presence in Ternate has been demonstrated by the presence of some necropolises near Longori or Longarolo, near an abandoned road between Travedona and Ternate, as well as in the Abbate forest, located to the right of the municipal road that leads to Biandronno. All of this was documented thanks to the recovery work carried out by Giuseppe Quaglia in 1879.
Middle Ages
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Ternate followed the events that involved all the territories subject to the jurisdiction of the Pieve and the Diocese of Milan. During the Middle Ages, an important event in the life of the Ternate territory was the foundation of the Monastery of San Sepolcro in the 11th century, by a certain Ansegiso. This monastery was built on the hill between Lake Comabbio and Lake Monate, where the homonymous locality stands today. A testimony of its foundation is attested in a diploma of Archbishop Ariberto. It is said that he, on divine inspiration, had built a church in honor of the Holy Sepulcher of Christ the Redeemer near the villa of Trinade (the current Ternate) in the locality of Crusicula (a small cross, indicating the point where the roads formed a cross, the main one from Comabbio to Travedona and the other that descended into the village of Ternate), located in the parish of the Pieve of Brebbia. Since the manuscript is undated, different hypotheses have been put forward that place the foundation between 1024 and 1032. However, it is likely that its foundation dates back to a date prior to 1025 (the year in which the Archbishop of Milan obtained its iuspatronato).
Conclusions
In conclusion, the history of Ternate is very interesting and full of curiosities and events that have characterized the different eras that have succeeded over the centuries. The testimonies of the past, such as prehistoric, Roman, and medieval ones, enrich the territory and make our country unique. Anyone who wants to visit Ternate could enjoy the beauty of the landscape and its rich history.
