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Guide to Lake Iseo, Lombardy, Italy

Introductionhouse in Crema. The Tadini familys only
Lake Iseo, also called Lake Sebina, isson died in
the fourth largestlake in the LombardyLovere in 1799 where they often took
region of Italy. The lake was formedholidays. Count Tadiniprovided the funds
bythe Valcamonica Glacier, and is 24to built the Palazzo, in memory of
kilometres long and upto 5 kilometreshisson.
wide. This width is not always obviousThe English writer and poet Lady Mary
asthe largest lake island in Europe,Wortley Montagulived in a villa on the
Monte Isola, sits in thecentre of theoutskirts of Lovere in the 1740s. Lady
lake. The lake is situated just northMary is said to have written many
of Bresciaand Bergamo, this beingletters to her daughter inthe villa
reflected in the fact that itgarden, and been inspired to write
isadministered on the western bank bypoetry by thebeauty of her surroundings.
the Bergamo districtcouncil, and on theIn fact she declined an invitationto the
east bank by the Brescia districtVenice carnival saying, there are
council.plenty things to do inthis village
The River Oglio, flowing down from thewhich, by the way, is one of the most
Val Camonica andentering between Loverebeautifulthat exists. Lady Mary came to
and Pisogne, mainly feeds thelive in Italy in 1741,supposedly for
Lake from the north. The Val Camonicahealth reasons, although it is thought
has thermal spasand prehistoric rockthatshe no longer wanted to live with
carvings. At the southern end of thelakeher husband. Lady Maryhad travelled to
lies the Torbiere, a peat bog and now aTurkey as wife of the British
nature reserve.Ambassadorand there she came across the
South of this lies the Franciacortapractice of inoculationagainst smallpox.
valley, producing the bestsparkling wineShe had her own children inoculated
in Italy.butwas never given proper credit for
On the eastern bank, a few kilometres upintroducing the practice in
from the lake, isthe Natural Reserve ofBritain. Lady Marys daughter married
the Pyramids of Zone, a uniqueformationLord Bute, whobecame prime minister of
of pillars created by uneven glacialBritain in 1762, a year after Lady
erosion. Thesixty-kilometre perimeterMarys death.
lakeside is dotted with villagesandLovere has another literary connection
towns, the main ones being Iseo,in Georges Sand, the
Sarnico, Lovere,French novelist, who wrote of Lake Iseo
Pisogne and Marone. These towns areto a friend in
full of historical andcultural interest,London, Come, I have found a lovely
yet it is pleasant to stroll alongplace to live. Georges
thepromenade or linger over a drink in aSands real name was Aurore Dupin, but
café. There are avariety of watershe had taken amans name as it was not
sports available on the Lake and fishingdeemed suitable for ladies to
ispopular with the locals, tench beingbenovelists in the 19th century, and she
the prized catch. Thereis a goodoften dressed as aman. She had a
selection of walking and cycling trails,long-standing affair with Chopin. After
and intheirbreak up in 1847 she wrote the
Winter there is skiing north of Lakenovel Lucrezia Floriana. Theromance
Iseo in the Presolanoarea.between a young Italian noble and an
Unique pointsolder lady isset on Monte Isola. It is
The fact that Lake Iseo is not wellsaid that this novel inspired manyvisits
known outside Italy andtherefore lessby ladies seeking romance to the area!
touristy makes it more appealing. OneIn 1854 Lovere joined the industrial
of itsbiggest attractions is Monterevolution, with thedevelopment of the
Isola, the largest inland lakeisland infirst large steel complex in the region.
Europe, which is easily reached by ferryLovere prospered as an industrial centre
and withno cars on the island it is veryuntil the 1980s,but this has left a scar
peaceful, making it ideal forwalking oron the landscape.
cycling. There are also the Pyramids ofValle Camonica
Zone,where the erosion of glacialAs you head round the north of the lake,
deposits has left pinnacles ofearth upyou may wish tohave a slight detour to
to ten metres high. On the westernvisit the Valle Camonica. This valleyis
lakeshore arethe bogns of Castro and90km long and contains 41 towns and
Zorzino, sheets of limestone thatplungevillages, making itthe longest valley in
into the lake. North of the lake in ValItaly. The healing powers of the
Camino youcan see hundreds ofwatersof the spa town of Boario Terme
prehistoric rock carvings at thewere written about as earlyas 1497 by
National Park of Rock Engravings and tothe naturalist Paracelsus. The Italian
the south of thelake is the Torbierewriter
peat bog and Franciacorta, the areawhereManzoni was a regular visitor, living to
the renowned sparkling wine is produced.the age of 88. Nearbyat the Capo di
Getting therePonte is the National Rock Engraving
Nearest airportsPark,with prehistoric rock carvings,
Bergamo (Orio Serio)dating from Neolithic timesthrough to
Bresciathe Iron Age. The carvings relate to the
Veronahistory ofthe Camuni tribe throughout
Milan (Malpensa)this period. It is an amazingsite,
Milan (Linate)containing thousands of figures: an
All of these airports are withinenormous stonehistory book. One of the
reasonable travellingdistance to Lakemost common carvings is that ofthe
Iseo. Most international flights comeCamonic rose, which is now the emblem of
intothe
Milan Malpensa, although the low costLombardy region. On this site is the
carrier Ryanair usesArcheopark, an open-air interactive park
Bergamo and Brescia.where you can try out various
Car: travelling on the Milan Venicedailyprehistoric activities e.g.
motorway (A4) to go tothe West bank Oflighting a fire, shooting with a bowand
Lake Iseo you would come off atarrow and grinding corn and baking
Sarnicojunction and on to the SS649. Tobread. The
reach Iseo town, travellingeast on theArcheodromo is a realistic construction
A4, you would also come off at Sarnicoof a Neolithic villagewith six huts
exit, andtravelling west on the A4 youperched on a rocky hill. Some school
would turn off at Brescia up thegroupsstay in the village for a few days
SS510.to get an authentic taste ofprehistoric
Public transport: There are regularlife. Personally speaking I think Id
connections by bus andtrain to Bresciarather go backto my hotel bed and
from all the nearby airports,shower. The traditional art
thenconnections from Brescia by bus andofwoodcarving continues in this area.
train to Iseo. The traincontinues upThe Cammunian Wood
the east bank to Pisogne.Handicraft Workshops in Boaria Terme,
Once you have reached Iseo the mostwhere all types ofobjects from religious
relaxing andpicturesque option forornaments to babies cribs areproduced,
getting around the lake is the ferry.can be found in the area. A fusion of
Guide to Lake Iseo, clockwise from Iseomodern and
town on thesouthern shores.16th century techniques are used to
ISEO TOWNcraft the goods.
I am really fond of Iseo town; it has aPISOGNE
relaxed ambience,wide squares and aPisogne was an important centre in
lovely promenade with a fantastic viewofmedieval times forcommerce - a large
the lake and Monte Isola. It is quiteweekly market was held there. Thetown
lively, mainly withhad a ring of walls and a system of
Italian families and couples.gates but not muchis left standing now.
Iseo was a business centre in RomanIn the Market Square you would behung in
times, and it was animportant port untila cage suspended from the tower for
the end of the 19th century. The hero ofnon-paymentof taxes due to the bishop.
Italian unification, Garibaldi, isTax was due on almosteverything -
celebrated with a statue andfountain infishing, hunting, milling, salt and
the main square. Also on this square isiron. Thebishops were forbidden to
theinflict any punishment that wouldcause
Palazzo Vantini, built in the 1833s andloss of blood, so humiliation was the
now used as thetown hall. The Pieve dinext best optionto extract their dues.
S. Andrea dates back to the 12thcentury,In 1518 eight women accused ofwitchcraft
and is distinctive because of its cuspedwere imprisoned in the Widow Tower
Romanesque bell tower. The 11th centurybeforebeing burned.
CastelloJust off Market Square is Santa Maria
Oldofredi was recently restored and nowAssunta church,which contains a
houses the publiclibrary.150-year-old pipe organ. The facade of
Just south of the town are the peatthe
bogs; Torbiere delPalazzo Fanzango is adorned with
Sebino is now a nature reserve. Lakemedallions depicting thecharacters from
Iseo was around 10metres deeper in thethe book I Promessi Sposi (The
past, but erosion of the bed of theBetrothed)written by Manzoni. This is an
River Oglio at the southern outflowimportant piece of Italianliterature,
meant that the lake levelbegan to drop,telling the tale of how love triumphed
cutting off a shallow basin, whichfor twopeasants despite the efforts of a
graduallybecame a large marsh with peatylocal tyrant. The book alsohas a vivid
deposits. During theindustrialisationdescription of the spread of the Plague
of the 19th century local factoriesin 17thcentury Milan.
beganusing the peat as a source ofAt the end of the 17th century, Pisogne
energy, eventually excavatingmost of thewas home to thenotorious bandit Giorgi
peat deposits. Imagine digging up theVicario. There was not muchbrotherly
peatusing a caged spade with aloyalty between the bandits as Vicario
five-metre handle!trackeddown and killed Giuseppe Techi
Evidence of prehistoric settlement wasfor a reward. Techis headwas delivered
found during peatcutting: stoneon a tray decorated with bay leaves to
arrowheads, blades and daggers datingtheauthorities. A double whammy, a
fromreward and lesscompetition locally!
5000 BC. Now the area is of greatPisogne hosts the local festival of
scientific interest andhome to manymushrooms andchestnuts on the last
species of bird and fish.Sunday in September.
The Franciacorta region, south of Iseo,MARONE
has become wellknown for its sparklingMarone is situated in a beautiful spot
wine. In the mid 1950s ain a green valley atthe foot of Monte
youngentrepreneur started to makeGuglielmo. There are ruins of a
sparkling wine emulating themethod usingfirstcentury Roman villa, Co del Hela as
in the Champagne region of France.you enter the town. Onthe lakeside is
Thismeans that the secondarythe Parrocchiale di tours, an 18th
fermentation of the wine occursin theCentury
bottle, a process which takes around twoBaroque style church with a marble
years. Nowthis valley produces thealtar. Marone was wellknown for
legally protected Franciacortaproduction of woollen cloth and felt and
wine,assuring it has been hand madethequarrying of dolomite. Nowadays
using the traditionalchampagne methodstourism is the mainindustry.
in one of the thirty wineries inA few kilometres uphill from Marone on
thearea. Visits to the wineries andthe road to Zone liethe Earth Pyramids.
tasting sessions can bearranged. WineThey are an amazing sight: thin spiresof
lovers may wish to visit for the threeearth up to 30 metres high, with large
days ingranite massesperched on top almost like
September for the Wine Festival, withhats. The Pyramids are notstatic as
tasting, special mealsand visits tothey can erode, causing the boulder to
cellars.fall andgradually new pyramids are
Villa Lechi, a Palladian style villacreated.
built in the 16th century,can be visitedOn the way to the Pyramids is the church
by appointment (phone 392 706 30087of San Giorgio andon the outer sidewall
toarrange) Just west of Erbusco is theare frescoes painted in the 15thcentury,
Oglio North Park, onthe eastern banks ofincluding one of San Giorgio slaying the
the river.dragon.
SARNICOFurther up the hill is the village of
Sarnico is the first resort heading westZone. As you ascend youcan see what I
from Iseo. It wasoriginally ainitially thought was a ski lift, above
prehistoric stilt village, as it standsthe road.
where thelakes narrows and once againIt is in fact suspended containers,
becomes the River Oglio.which carry the dolomitedown from the
There are frescoes dating from 1200 ADCalarusso quarry. In some respects
in the church Sanitreminded me of a Swiss alpine village;
Nazario e Rocca di Castione. You canthe air was so freshand crisp. There
still see ruinedmedieval ramparts.are two interesting churches on the
For some Sarnico is best known as thePiazza
home of thepremier speedboat companyAlmici: The octagonal 18th century Beata
Riva. One of the mostfascinating aspectsVeringe di
of the companys story to me isLourdes and the 17th century
thejourney of Pietro Riva from hisParrocchiale S Giovanii
hometown of Lagio on theBallista, containing wooden works of art
Lake Como to Sarnico in 1842. The youngby Andrea Falconi.
Pietro wastravelling to start a new jobThe festival of honey is held in the
repairing boats in Sarnico; histown square at thebeginning of August.
70-mile journey took him two days,From Zone there are several walkingpaths
travelling by boat, trainand coach.and, if you're feeling energetic, one to
His repairs were so successful that hethe summit of
was soon beingcommissioned to buildMonte Guglielmo.
boats. The boat building businessgrewMONTE ISOLA
under Pietros son, Ernesto, who beganThe largest lake island in Europe is 3km
producedboats powered by piston engines.long, rising to anelevation of 600m, and
In 1912 Ernestos son Serafino achieved ais sometimes referred to as thepearl of
speed of 24kilometres an hour in aIseo. Only public service four wheeled
speedboat. Riva became aprestigiousvehicles areallowed on the island. If
brand, sought by the rich and famous asyou want to see more of the islandyou
astatus symbol. However you no longercan rent a bicycle or use the local bus.
see speedboats onThere is also theoption to take the
Lake Iseo because they were banned forgentle level walk along the southern
environmentalreasons in 1976!coastfrom the village of Peschiera
Sarnico is home to the Bellini Gallery,Maraglio to Sensole and returnon the
a picture galleryexhibiting around 150ferry from Sensole. If you are feeling
pieces, mainly from the periodbetweenenergetic youcan visit the 13th century
the 16th and 18th centuries. The GalleryIl Santuario della Madonna della
is in theold part of the city and wasCerinole, which is situated at the
formerly a nunnery. Also ondisplay arehighest point of the island.
some sculptures and furniture.The 14th Century Fortress Martinango is
The Palazzo to Sarnico rail line windsthe ancestralhome of the Olofredi
along Oglio River.family. It is one of the
Volunteers reopened this line recently.best-preservedforts in the region. It
TrenoBlu as it isknown is often steamis unusual in that its highest tower is
hauled. The trains run during theinthe centre.
Summer. There are rail connections fromThe population of the island is around
Bergamo and1700, with those notemployed in tourism
Milan.working as fishermen, in boatyards
Just outside Sarnico, heading east,ormaking nets. In fact, the nets for
stands the Faccononivilla, designed bythe goal posts of the 1982
one of Italys best Art NouveauFootball World Cup were made locally.
architects,Guess what - Italywon the Cup that year!
Sommaruga, for the wealthy FaccanoniThere are still numerous naets,
family. The villa onthe lakeshorethetypical wooden local fishing boats,
exemplifies Sommarugas trademarkto be seen. Some of thecatch is left
Florealestyle.outside to dry in the sun in the
RIVA DI SOLTOtraditionalmanner.
The stretch from Tavernola northYou can visit a traditional boatyard,
constitutes the mostdramatic stretch ofCantiere Nautico in
the west bank. Just try to blot outPeschiere Maraglio, and see the
thequarry at Tavernola! Riva is aconstruction of thehandmade wooden
pretty fishing hamlet, full ofarches andboats.
alleys. The old centre is up the hill atI think that Monte Isola is a charming,
Zorzino.tranquil place to visit,still relatively
The Zorzino Bong, with its verticalpeaceful and relaxing. It is very
slabs of limestoneplunging Mount Clemo,thickly wooded,when you observe it from
creates its own enclosed bay.the shore its hard to imaginebeing able
Further north is the Castro Bogn.to reach the summit.
LOVEREOne of the big events on the island is
The Lovere area was occupied by thethe festival of
Gauls in the Iron Age,and by the secondCorzano, a hamlet that dates back to the
century BC the Roman settlement beganto1600s. This onlytakes place every five
take form.years.
Lovere still has ramparts remaining fromThere are regular ferries from several
its period as amedieval fortified town.towns on thelakeshore to the coastal
The oldest church is the 12thcenturyvillages in Monte Isola.
Capell di San Martino. The town wasSuggested Itineraries
famous in theDay Trip:
15th century as Venetian textile town.Driving: it is possible to drive round
Most of the output ofwoollen cloth wasthe lake with a fewstops in one day from
sold in Germany and Austria. AtMilan, Brescia or Bergamo and seeunique
thebeginning of the 16th century theresights.
was a period of turmoil,with periods ofPublic transport: bus/train to Iseo,
rule by the French, the Holy Romanferry trip from there.
Empireand the Spanish, which greatlyTrains from Brescia operate every hour,
disrupted the production anddistributionand it is a half-hourjourney to Iseo,
of the cloth. There was more strifeand they also go up to Pisogne, stopping
later thatcentury with plagues andat
famines. By the 17th centurySulzano and Sale Marsino.
theauthorities had tackled the securityWeekend/Short stay (2-3 nights) you
problem of bandits andsome Lombardycould either be basedin Iseo, spending a
noblemen began to travel to Lovereday visiting Monte Isola, one day
fortheir holidays. The Basilica ofvisitingthe west bank of the lake and
Santa Maria dates from theone day on the east bank. Analternative
15th century and houses a 16th centurywould be to tour the lake in a day and
organ case andfrescoes. The lakesidespend aday either in Bergamo or Verona.
Palazzo Tadini contains the SchoolofIseo town would be a good base for day
Fine Arts, a gallery with paintings,trips to the cities of
sculptures andceramics. Count LuigiBergamo, Verona, Venice, Brescia,
Tadini began this collection in histownVicenzia and Padova.



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