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The history of Valdisotto

Past and present. The history of Valdisotto has always been linked to that of Bormio, but certain events stand out for their uniquely local flavour.

The history of Valdisotto is inextricably linked to the ancient ‘Contado di Bormio’ (the town of Bormio and surrounding countryside), of which Serravalle, a small village tragically buried by the 1987 Monte Coppetto landslide, was the obligatory, fortified ‘entry point’.

A symbol of Cepina, also featured in the municipal coat of arms, was the “Torècia”, part of an ancient tower and defensive stone wall that enclosed the large Contado, known as the ‘Magnificent Land’ during its centuries of juridical, administrative and political autonomy that lasted from the Middle Ages to the Italian Renaissance.

From archeological finds unearthed throughout the 1900s, as well as ancient traditions and rites belonging to popular culture and pagan beliefs that have remained in use for centuries, we can deduce that the history of this valley has extraordinarily deep roots...dating all the way back to the neolithic period around 10,000 years ago, a geological epoch that saw the thawing of the permanent snow that covered the land from the Alps down to the Po Valley.

From the neolithic period to the iron age and up to the dawn of the Middle Ages, we see the first signs of human life at altitude. There are the famous petroglyphs at the Parco delle incisioni rupestri della Rupe Magna (Rupe Magna Rock Engraving Park) in Grosio; the first prehistoric human settlement in the Bormio area - a mysterious encampment of hunter gatherers heading towards Valle Camonica near the Gavia Pass; and the intriguing ‘cup and ring marks’ found on rocks around the mountainside, to this day the subject of detailed studies and interpretative analysis.

‘Hidden treasures’ like the Fumarogo sword that dates back to the Iron Age (found in Santa Lucia during the excavations of a house near the River Adda) and the coins, necklaces and remains of religious objects found during the archeological digs around the Churches of St. Bartholomew and St. Martin, generate a huge amount of interest.

The allure of antiquity is therefore still strong today. It is important to keep these traces of the past alive, to preserve and value them as a priceless legacy.

Religious buildings, rural homes, objects and tools of ancient arts and crafts, even the little daily habits of the ‘elders’ of the town and their irreplaceable ‘historic memories’ must be considered a heritage to be protected with lasting, impactful measures.

Mankind and nature, united in an unbreakable bond, are the cornerstones of our history. They are the foundations on which to create, build and reconstruct solutions to stop the superficiality and constant demands of modern life from letting the healthy, solid roots of a place die out.

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