Berzo Demo (
Camunian: ) is an Italian
comune
A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...
in
Val Camonica
Val Camonica or Valcamonica (), also Valle Camonica and anglicized as Camonica Valley, is one of the largest valleys of the central Alps, in eastern Lombardy, Italy. It extends about from the Tonale Pass to Corna Trentapassi, in the c ...
,
province of Brescia
The province of Brescia (; Brescian: ) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Lombardy region of Italy. It has a population of some 1,265,964 (as of January 2019) and its capital is the city of Brescia.With an area of 4,785 km2, it is the ...
, in
Lombardy
The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...
, northern
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
.
Geography
The town of Berzo Demo is nestled on the southern slopes of the
Pian della Regina. It is formed by three villages: the more downstream is Demo, the central one is Berzo and on top is Monte. It is bounded by other communes of
Cedegolo
Cedegolo ( Camunian: ) is an Italian ''comune'' of 1,258 inhabitants in Val Camonica, province of Brescia, in Lombardy, northern Italy.
Geography
The village of Cedegolo is located in a narrow gorge formed by Oglio river, on its eastern side. I ...
,
Cevo,
Malonno,
Paisco Loveno,
Sellero,
Sonico.
History
Monday 6 April 1299, the consuls of the
vicinia of Berzo and Demo go to Cemmo where is Cazoino Capriolo, Chamberlain of the Bishop of Brescia
Berardo Maggi. Here swear according to the usual formula loyalty to the bishop, and pay the tithe due.
On 15 May 1365 the Bishop of Brescia Enrico Sessa invests
iure feuds for a tenth of the rights in the territories of Breno, Vione, Vezza, Sonico, Malonno, Berzo Demo, Astrio, Ossimo and Losine Giovanni and Gerardo sons of Pasino
Federici of Mu.
The peace of Breno of 31 December 1397, the representatives of the community of Demo, Albertino di Martino di Demo and the notary Giovannino Boldrini of Saviore, stands on the Ghibelline bank of
Oglio.
On 17 September 1423 the Bishop of Brescia Francesco Marerio invests iure feuds for a 10th of the rights in the territories of Monno, Cevo, Andrist, Grumello, Saviore, Cemmo, Ono, Sonico, Astri, Malegno, Cortenedolo, Vione, Incudine and Berzo Demo at Bertolino della Torre of Cemmo.
In 1760 Berzo Demo and Monte had 790 inhabitants.
Between 1927 and 1948 (Royal Decree 28 September 1927) Berzo Demo was joint to
Cedegolo
Cedegolo ( Camunian: ) is an Italian ''comune'' of 1,258 inhabitants in Val Camonica, province of Brescia, in Lombardy, northern Italy.
Geography
The village of Cedegolo is located in a narrow gorge formed by Oglio river, on its eastern side. I ...
.
Main sights
The churches of Berzo Demo are:
* Berzo
** Parish Church of
St. Eusebius, fifteenth century in origin, extended in the seventeenth. The ancon of the high altar was made by Pietro Ramus.
* Demo
** Parish of
San Lorenzo; the portal bears the date 1757
** Church of
St. Augustine, near the bell tower, now deconsecrated. Within a tombstone dated 1640.
**
Church of San Zeno, on a small hill at the foot of the commune, is of the sixteenth century. It has a triangular tower-bell.
** Church dedicated to
Saint Valentine
Saint Valentine (; ) was a 3rd-century Roman saint, commemorated in Western Christianity on February 14 and in Eastern Orthodoxy on July 6. From the High Middle Ages, his feast day has been associated with a tradition of courtly love. He is al ...
(or "of the Dead"): Until a few years ago it was covered with votive offerings (
ex voto), especially anatomical ones (legs, feet, hands).
*The bell tower of 1865 stands on the ruins of a medieval tower-house
Culture
The scütüm are in
camunian dialect
Eastern Lombard is a group of closely related variants of Lombard language, Lombard, a Gallo-Italic languages, Gallo-Italic language
spoken in Lombardy, mainly in the provinces of Bergamo, Brescia and Mantua, in the area around Cremona and in p ...
nicknames, sometimes personal, elsewhere showing the characteristic features of a community. The one which characterize the people of
* Berzo is Bersàgoi
* Demo is Gòs
* Monte is Gàcc
On 28 June, the eve of
feast of Saints Peter and Paul
The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul or Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul is a liturgical feast in honor of the martyrdom in Rome of the apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul, which is observed on 29 June. The celebration is of ancient Chri ...
, the villagers put an
egg white
Egg white is the clear liquid (also called the albumen or the glair/glaire) contained within an egg. In chickens, it is formed from the layers of secretions of the anterior section of the hen's oviduct during the passage of the egg. It forms a ...
in a bottle which they leave in the open air until the next morning; albumin coagulated in filaments then evokes the masts and sails of a
boat
A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size or capacity, its shape, or its ability to carry boats.
Small boats are typically used on inland waterways s ...
, it is the
boat of Saint Peter.
References
Sources
*
External links
Historical photos - Lombardia Beni Culturali
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in Lombardy