Breno, Lombardy


Breno is an Italian comune of 4,986 inhabitants in Val Camonica, province of Brescia, in Lombardy.

Geography

It is bounded by other communes of Niardo, Bagolino, Bienno, Braone, Ceto, Cividate Camuno, Condino, Daone, Losine, Malegno, Niardo, Prestine.
The town of Breno stands in a north-south gorge, between the castle hill and the Corno Cerreto, on the left bank of the river Oglio. According to professor Fedele the gorge was once the bed of the Oglio.

History

On top of the castle hill a house dating back to the Neolithic was discovered. In the locality Spinera, at the river Oglio, there is the Sanctuary of Minerva of the first century CE, which was ruined in the fifth century.
In the Middle Ages the Castle of Breno had two towers, one belonging to the Guelph family Ronchi, the other to the Ghibelline family Alberzoni. In the 1397 peace of Breno between Guelphs and Ghibellines, the representatives of the community of Breno sided both with the Ghibellines and the Guelphs.
During the Republic of Venice rule Breno was the seat of the Community of Val Camonica. Breno today is the seat of the Comunità montana di Valle Camonica.
The emblem of the province of Brescia is the group of five blazons: that of Brescia in the center, the town of Chiari, Breno, Verolanuova and Salò.

Monuments and places of interest

Religious architecture

The Castle of Breno rises over a hill inhabited already in prehistoric times. It was the main bastion for the control of Valle Camonica until the seventeenth century.

Demographics

Demographic trends


Colors=
id:lightgrey value:gray
id:darkgrey value:gray
id:sfondo value:rgb
id:barra value:rgb
ImageSize = width:455 height:373
PlotArea = left:50 bottom:50 top:30 right:30
DateFormat = x.y
Period = from:0 till:6000
TimeAxis = orientation:vertical
AlignBars = justify
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:500 start:0
ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:100 start:0
BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo
BarData=
bar:1861 text:1861
bar:1871 text:1871
bar:1881 text:1881
bar:1901 text:1901
bar:1911 text:1911
bar:1921 text:1921
bar:1931 text:1931
bar:1936 text:1936
bar:1951 text:1951
bar:1961 text:1961
bar:1971 text:1971
bar:1981 text:1981
bar:1991 text:1991
bar:2001 text:2001
bar:2011 text:2011
PlotData=
color:barra width:20 align:left
bar:1861 from:0 till: 2838
bar:1871 from:0 till: 3252
bar:1881 from:0 till: 3410
bar:1901 from:0 till: 3195
bar:1911 from:0 till: 3862
bar:1921 from:0 till: 3656
bar:1931 from:0 till: 3651
bar:1936 from:0 till: 3624
bar:1951 from:0 till: 4603
bar:1961 from:0 till: 5009
bar:1971 from:0 till: 5253
bar:1981 from:0 till: 5792
bar:1991 from:0 till: 5274
bar:2001 from:0 till: 4962
bar:2011 from:0 till: 4986
PlotData=
bar:1861 at: 2838 fontsize:S text: 2,838 shift:
bar:1871 at: 3252 fontsize:S text: 3,252 shift:
bar:1881 at: 3410 fontsize:S text: 3,410 shift:
bar:1901 at: 3195 fontsize:S text: 3,195 shift:
bar:1911 at: 3862 fontsize:S text: 3,862 shift:
bar:1921 at: 3656 fontsize:S text: 3,656 shift:
bar:1931 at: 3651 fontsize:S text: 3,651 shift:
bar:1936 at: 3624 fontsize:S text: 3,624 shift:
bar:1951 at: 4603 fontsize:S text: 4,603 shift:
bar:1961 at: 5009 fontsize:S text: 5,009 shift:
bar:1971 at: 5253 fontsize:S text: 5,253 shift:
bar:1981 at: 5792 fontsize:S text: 5,792 shift:
bar:1991 at: 5274 fontsize:S text: 5,274 shift:
bar:2001 at: 4962 fontsize:S text: 4,962 shift:
bar:2011 at: 4986 fontsize:S text: 4,986 shift:
TextData=
fontsize:S pos:
text:data source ISTAT

Culture

Traditions and folklore

The scütüm are in camunian dialect nicknames, sometimes personal, elsewhere showing the characteristic features of a community. The one which characterize the people of Breno is Maia càrte or Pèla pàsser

Museums

The Museo Archeologico della Valle Camonica is located in Breno, also known as the Museo Camuna, and contains artifacts and artworks documenting the history of the region. Among the painting collection, are works by: