Breno, Lombardy
Breno (Camunian: ; obsolete ) is an Italian comune of 4,986 inhabitants in Val Camonica, province of Brescia, in Lombardy. Geography. It is bounded by other communes of Niardo, Bagolino, Bienno, Braone, Ceto, Cividate Camuno, Condino (TN), Daone (TN), Losine, Malegno, Niardo, Prestine. The town of Breno stands in a north-south gorge, between the castle hill and the Corno Cerreto, on the left bank of the river Oglio. According to professor Fedele the gorge was once the bed of the Oglio. History. On top of the castle hill a house dating back to the Neolithic was discovered. In the  locality Spinera, at the river Oglio, there is the Sanctuary of Minerva of the first century CE, which was ruined in the fifth century. In the Middle Ages the Castle of Breno had two towers, one belonging to the Guelph family Ronchi, the other to the Ghibelline family Alberzoni. In the 1397 peace of Breno between Guelphs and Ghibellines, the representatives of the community of Breno sided both with the Ghibellines and the Guelphs. During the Republic of Venice rule Breno was the seat of the Community of Val Camonica. Breno today is the seat of the Comunità montana di  Valle Camonica. The emblem of the province of Brescia is the group of five blazons: that of Brescia in the center, the town of Chiari, Breno, Verolanuova and Salò. Monuments and places of interest. Military architectures. The Castle of Breno rises over a hill inhabited already in prehistoric times. It was the main bastion for the control of Valle Camonica until the seventeenth century. Culture. Traditions and folklore. The scütüm are in camunian dialect nicknames, sometimes personal, elsewhere showing the characteristic features of a community. The one which characterize the people of Breno is "Maia càrte" or "Pèla pàsser" CaMus . The "Museo Archeologico della Valle Camonica" is located in Breno, also known as the Museo Camuna, and contains artifacts and artworks documenting the history of the region. Among the painting collection, are works by: