Castles

Castles, fortresses, walled villages and noble villas dot the rural landscape along the river valley. The Oglio has been the focus of thousands of years of contention between bordering areas. Its lands embrace ancient defensive remains marked by virtues and values that were often gained by the swing of the catapult or blast of the rifle. People of the same race and similar poverty fought for possession of the waters, the proceeds of the catch and the fruits of the harvest at the behest of rival lordships. Noble dwellings, for defensive or recreational purposes, are the traces of a strong feudal presence or of middle class estates which smaller rural settlements were often organised around. Some of these, despite the river’s lengthy lifespan, are still the same. And just like a linear sequence, the local history is passed down, written in the disputes between Orzinuovi and Soncino, Pumenengo and Rudiano, Brescia and Cremona, Serenissima and Sforza, Martinengo and Scala.