Culture and History

Whoever comes in Val di Non not be able to help but notice a large number of castles, more or less preserved, perched on top of the top placed in strategic locations in the valley, a testimony of a feudal past rich in history and the presence of potentate of great importance, starting with the family of Flavon.

The Valley is not in fact the most populated valley of Trentino and being along the road that connected the South Tyrol with the Milano City over the centuries has played a vital strategic role. The vestiges of the past are now represented by mansions and castles, some reduced now in ruins, others restored or converted into museums, which preserve intact all their charm. Of great interest is Thun Castle, currently the only open, belonged to one of the most powerful families of and represents a successful attempt to strike a balance between a defensive and architecture in place to preserve the natural features of the property Geometric.

Castel then must be reported Bragher, Castel Valer, Castle Castelfondo, those of Cles, Nanno and Belasi. Instead remained only ruins of the Castle of Altaguardia (the highest Trentino with its 1280 metres above sea level). Valuable Finally, the fortified residence of Castel Malgolo and Castle Casez newly restored.

Regarding the sacred art churches scattered along the valley keep valuable works starting from San Bartolomeo, Romanian, San Vigilio di Tassullo, the Basilica of Sanzeno erected in memory of the martyrdom suffered by the three saints of Cappadocia Sisinio, Martyrdom and Alessandro happened in 397 AD, Vervò church, the church of SS. Fabian and Sebastian Cavareno of the church of St. Lucia Fund to which the precious frescoes by Giotto school, to conclude with the hermitage of San Biagio di Romallo and Santa Giustina of which remain only a few ruins.

A special be done for the Sanctuarie of St. Romedio a particular architectural structure that encloses and summarizes an artistic career of great interest and value. San Romedio was called the sanctuary more characteristic of Europe by virtue of its location, on a rock above impervious to a rugged ravine and its particular architecture. The shrine has become in a sense a symbol of Trentino, for proximity to the place of martyrdom of saints Cappadocian who brought Christianity in the region and the presence of the oldest artistic expression of Christian art of Trentino. The sanctuary consists of a complex of several buildings that have architectural features very different from the medieval chapel, Renaissance style portal, the cloister of the twelfth century. Un'alternanza of styles that gives a unique aspect to the shrine and that gives it a unique charm.

The fresco painting located in Valle di Non particularly fertile ground especially in the Middle Ages and is a production filled with frescoes inside palaces and churches, but also on external facades of the houses, votive shrines in the corners of the streets. Of particular interest are the works by Baschenis, a family of itinerant painters from Averaria Bergamo, which from 1465 to 1504 carried out a large number of frescoes throughout the valley. Many of their works have been lost but unfortunately it has managed to preserve a heritage of great historic and artistic interest. One of the elements that characterize the Valley is not that this is a land border, which has always suspended between the world and the Italian Tyrol, which is a meeting between different cultures and civilizations. For the northern edge of the valley are the settlements medieval Laurein, Proves, San Felice, Senale inhabited by people of German, while the rest of the valley there are a myriad of sub-dialects, so much so that the glottologo Enrico Lent came to say that a so many variations language in such a short space has no members in any part of Italy.

The history of the valley reflects this sort of division between Italian and German world as the peasant uprisings, which at different times have attended the peasants of German and Italian language, just think the Tyrolean led by Andreas Hofer, that managed to mobilize the peasants Trentino against Bavarian power. Finally, the assertion of a kind of European as the Prince Bishop Bernardo Clesio fully reflects the peculiarities of the valley. Clesio is the sum of different cultural impulses, having completed his studies at the University of Bologna, but where was the head of the German nation ", or student of German. Once a prince-bishop and later cardinal, is the imperial party at the papal court in Rome, thus acting as a liaison between the two worlds; His is also the intuition to keep the Council Trento, having included as the city of Trent could play a role as an interface between Empire and the papacy, between Germany and Italy. Regarding the cultural aspect of great beauty are manifestations of local folklore with cribs living, the carnival celebrations, the re-enactment of historical events and environments farmers of the past, the races between lumberjacks and representations related to the myths and legends of the valley, demonstrating the deep bond that connects the valley to the ancient traditions, customs and morals, and serbati jealously safeguarded.

Historical

The special climatic conditions and morphological Valley have not favored since prehistoric times its anthropization. The geo-morphological characteristics pushing the first inhabitants of the valley to build settlements on broad terraces rather than in the valley. In general, though lacking evidence of human presence in the Palaeolithic and the certificates are scarce for the Mesolithic period, it can be said without fear of refutation that the Valley is not the area of thirty richest archaeological finds and discoveries. The oldest exhibits date back to Neolithic, with the discovery of several items smooth stone while rich is the documentation to the Bronze Age, thanks to the discovery of several archeological sites.

Of great interest are the historical finds of Sanzeno and Mechel that made it possible to throw light on the mysterious networks of people who lived many areas of Trentino starting in the sixth century BC The artefacts found to establish networks that came into contact with the Etruscan civilization. This nation of farmers-hunters is rapidly assimilated by the Roman world, as demonstrated by the "Tabula clesiana", a bronze plate that says the edict with which the emperor Claudius granting Roman citizenship to the inhabitants of the valley. In Roman times, the valley is densely populated, developing agriculture and pastoralism and many villages are built. With the conquest of Romany begins to spread Christianity even though the process does not happen in a peaceful manner, as demonstrated by the martyrdom of 397 of the Saints Sisinio, Martyrdom and Alessandro sent to evangelize the Anaunia (This is the ancient name of Val di Non) by the Bishop of Milan Ambrose, an event that had a large echo throughout the Christian world.
The valley, like the rest of the region, was later occupied by around 570 Lombards who founded the Duchy of Trento playing an important role of the covenant with the Lombards Duchy of Bavaria for defence against the Franks. The ordering Lombard and good relations with Bavaria continue with Charlemagne, which begins the feudalism. In 1027 the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire settlements Prince Bishop of Trento, investendolo of temporal power throughout Trentino thus removing the dangers of heredity of the great feuds of the border and to prevent the rise of gentlemen local. The prince bishop has the right to collect taxes on behalf of the empire and to impose fines, has a duty to administer justice even if for particular business, especially military must use a secular representative, said "lawyer". The lawyers of the family of Flavon and accounts of Tyrol be gradually acquiring power so that expropriate the bishop liens increasing creating a unique political dualism.

Since 1298 the valley has its own Statute which governs specific aspects of the law, and complying with the tax exemptions. The statute is then expanded to the entire population thus the creation of a society characterized by anaune different social classes: free men, the servants of the flesh, and three classes of noble, who enjoyed different rights and privileges. Every country had its own "Card Rule" spelling out the administration of annuities and asset management; residents elected representatives regularly called "regolani", which had to protect the rights of their constituents. In the years Corsican communities are organized in ever more democratic and more rebel times the established power, protesting against the harassment and harassment inflicted by the bishops continue.

In 1525 the third uprising occurs, a "war of peasants" who meet the farmers of Italian and German-speaking ones who vote a unique card intent with demands nothing short of exceptional, as upgrading of municipal autonomy, elections of directors and pastors, defense of small properties. The revolt is stifled in the blood by Prince Bishop Bernardo Clesio, the most representative of the valley. Since then, the life of the valley flows without major shocks to the Napoleonic wars that led to the abolition of the principality bishop and the passage under the Austrian Empire.
It is these years the revolt led by Andreas Hofer, the "Garibaldi" of Tyrol which mobilizes the Trentino and Tyrolean peasants to rise against the policy of anti Bavarian against excessive taxation and compulsory conscription. The revolt will end with the death of Andreas Hofer. The Austrian rule brings many innovations from an administrative point of view, political and economic new roads are built and you try to give impetus to agriculture that remains of mere subsistence. After the annexation Italy to Lombardy and Veneto, Trentino valleys enter into a deep crisis in the Valley do not know the phenomenon of emigration.

The First World War is without major damage to towns but causing a high number of casualties among military conscripts. It is after the Second World War that the Valley does not know a real green revolution with the development of agriculture and the emergence of a new kind of economy, based on the cultivation of fruit trees and natural tourism.