4° Tappa: ELEMENTS OF PARTICULAR INTEREST
Brusino
The Church of Saints Rocco, is undoubtedly one of the main beauty of the town. It is located in the lower part of the town and it is know that it was already mentioned in documents from the first half of the 16th century. The interior is composed of a central nave and two small side naves while the bell tower is in Romanesque style and dates back to the first half of the 17th century. In the north part one can find the chapel dedicated to Saints Carlo and Romedio. After the new church was consecrated in 1954, it became an agricultural warehouse and was reopened for worship only at the end of the 20th century after some restorations.
Brusino is part of the route of the so-called “rogations”, i.e. the processions, no longer in use today, which were made by completing a ring in the surrounding area to propitiate the results of the harvest and protect the community from lightning, storm, disease, hunger and war.
Drena
The municipality of Drena, surrounded by greenery and an extremely peaceful landscape, was born from a settlement that dates back to prehistoric times but acquired its current features during the Roman and medieval ages. Its history is strongly linked to that of its castle, typically medieval, and inserted in a very interesting itinerary from a historical and naturalistic point of view, between the Marocche area (a spectacular geological landslide), the Valle dei Laghi and Monte Bondone. Worth visiting are the parish church of San Martino and the one of San Carlo Borromeo. In the woods of this charming town, one can find the thousand-year-old chestnut groves which produce the famous “Marroni di Drena”.
Dro
The town is located in the ‘Sarca valley’, a very fertile plain where agriculture is very flourishing thanks to its river: Sarche. The town is surrounded by olive trees, vineyards dedicated to the production of Nosiola wine and Vino Santo and cultivations of the famous Susina di Dro.
The area is well known by Italian and world climbing enthusiasts for the spectacular walls of the Lastoni di Dro and Monte Brento, which attract climbers from all around the world in every season.
The parish church of the Immaculate Conception, from the 19th century, overlooks the main square of the town. Also worth mentioning is the so-called “Toresela”, the remains of a tower that once defended the town.
Centrale idroelettrica di Fies
The power station was built on the banks of the river Sarca and began producing energy in 1909. Today it is undoubtedly a splendid example of industrial architecture kept alive thanks to the fact that since 2002 it has hosted a center for the creation and production of contemporary arts (performing art, exhibit, site specific, festival, exhibition, etc.).
Marocche di Dro
The ‘Marocche di Dro’ constitute a protected area, safeguarded and enhanced by the Sarca River Park, included in the European Natura 2000 network. It presents truly unique geological and naturalistic characteristics, created by the largest post-glacial landslide in the Alpine arc. The landscape is made up of an imposing mass of boulders and rocks, some with gigantic dimensions (up to a few hundred metres), giving the environment a suggestive almost lunar and desert-like appearance. Here live plants and animals that have been able to adapt to the extreme aridity of the environment. There are natural bonsai, which grow among the rocks, with short branches and poorly developed trunks due to the difficulties of the environmental conditions. Not to be missed are the dinosaur footprints on a large boulder along the route.
Sarca
This river originates from the Adamello glaciers and after about 80 kilometers ends its journey in the waters of Lake Garda. In between it crosses heterogeneous and very beautiful landscapes, starting in wild and impervious valleys and reaching hilly areas, between intact natural environments and peculiar signs of the history and culture of this territory. The Valle dei Laghi is located in the lower course of the Sarca, with a mild, almost Mediterranean climate, which touches vineyards and olive groves, and a landscape that offers some postcard views. This river has shaped the territory over the centuries, smoothing the rocks and leveling the fields and its strength has been used in the hydroelectric industry thanks to a system of tunnels and basins that are highly efficient and very useful for the area.
Pietramurata
This village is located on the left of the Sarca; its primitive nucleus develops around an enormous limestone rock that once rose from the swamp in the area, on top of which are the remains of the Guaita Tower. There is trace of this tower in the sources written in a document from the end of 1200, from which it seems clear that this fortification was a guard post located along the Sarca Valley and perhaps was involved in the feudal struggles of that time.
