An Italian Jem
Stategic position to visit the best place in Italy
Franciacorta is an Italian hidden gem, a small bucolic wine region whose sloping hills overlook the shores of Lake Iseo.
Sitting an hour east of Milan, and just 10 minutes from Brescia and Bergamo, and 1 hour from Verona, Franciacorta was the first sparkling wine in Italy to receive the highest designation of quality (DOCG).
The same process used to make champagne, often referred to as the traditional method or “méthode champenoise; the way they differ is the area they come from in world. Champagne is known for its chalky freshness and angular sharpness. Franciacorta wines tend to be creamier and moussey. They have a roundness.
But Franciacorta is not just wine!!…
Is nature, sports, art, culture, events, shopping, fine cuisine…
To help you discover this small jewel we propose the top ten places to visit to help you get to know and appreciate our land.
Tour of Lake Iseo
Lake Iseo. 67 kilometres of emotions and breathtaking views on bicycle, by car, motorcycle or ferryboat to discover the villages looking onto Lake Iseo with exquisite panoramas in the midst of nature and art.
This itinerary requires a little less than two hours by car, and three or four hours on bicycle, whereas in the summer, you can enjoy the lake on ferryboat but you will need half a day.
Monte Isola, the largest lake-island in Europe
Monte Isola, the mountain on an island, is one of “The most beautiful villages in Italy” and is the largest inhabited lake island in Europe.
There are 11 communities located on the slopes along the lakeshore, all picturesque and with a historic atmosphere where the arts and handcrafts of years gone by are still alive. Those who climb to the top of the island, to the height of the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Ceriola, can enjoy a 360° view of the lake.
Torbiere del Sebino Natural reserve
The Natural Reserve “Torbiere del Sebino”is considered a priority area for biodiversity in the Po Valley in Lombardy. Situated south of Lake Iseo, the reserve includes:
the Lame (a vast stretch of water hemmed in by banks, a result of cutting of a peat bogs);the Lamette (a kind of marshy lagoon to the north, on the lake);some basins of water to the south and west (resulting from the excavation of clay pits).
The Reserve has a total area of about 360 hectares.
Monastery of San Pietro in Lamosa
Established on a rocky rise overlooking the bogs, and also linked to the name (Lamosa) to the marshy nature of places, St. Peter’s is the oldest and the only one still recognizable of Cluny Sebino foundations.
Pisogne
The town of Iseo, built along the shore of the lake, still maintains its old medieval hamlet conformation from which rises Oldofredi Castle, the baptismal church of Sant’Andrea and the centrally located Piazza Garibaldi.
Pisogne is located only a few kilometres away. This community, featuring an historic centre that develops around Piazza Corna Pellegrini, is home to the church of Santa Maria in Silvis and the church of Santa Maria della Neve with frescoes by Romanino, which it’s worth to visit.
Abbey of San Nicola di Rodengo Saiano
The monastic complex protagonist of the revival of religious life, but also the land reclamation of the area, was founded by Benedictine monks Cluny monks who established as “Francha curtis” meaning “corte franca” free of all authority, the priory of Rodengo.
In 1446 Pope Eugene IV conferred the possession of it to the Olivetan Congregation, which built the current complex from scratch.
In 1534 the Monastery became Abbey, restored according to the Renaissance style and embellished by the works of famous painters such as Gambara, Romanino…
The return of the Olivetans to their Abbey on 8 February 1969 was desired and expressly desired by Pope Paul VI who knew the degradation of the Abbey.
