Places

Rural village of Scorzarolo, suburb of Verolavecchia

On crossing the bridge over the River Strone, we enter the territory of Scorzarolo, once belonging to the Dominican Fathers it is now the property of Brescia’s Civil Hospital. Brescia’s Dominicans first settled in Scorzarolo in 1487 when it was left to them by the noble Testa–Cò family. The village has developed around the old Dominican religious settlement. The monks remained here until 1798; in 1812 the estate became the property of Brescia’s Civil Hospital. One of the rural courts is still known as “Lazzaretto”, or Leper Hospital, which was the typical use for the place in less fortunate times. It still has some interesting rural architectural features, such as the labourers’ homes and their outbuildings. The village had two mills, a “pestadora da rìs”, or rice grinder, a press and a sawmill, all operated using the force of the water, but sadly no longer standing. Nowadays, all that remains of the “pestadora” are the foundation stones, with six containers, where rice was placed and then “ground” using wooden pestles; they are now displayed on the parapet of the bridge.

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