CULTURAL HERITAGE

At the beginning of last century, the so-called "Guerra Bianca" was fought on the Tonale Pass between the Kingdom of Italy and Austria, a mountain war characterized by the extreme climate and the difficulties of impervious terrain. Today you can retrace the miles of now-abandoned trails and visit the various World War I fortifications, which sometimes house museums and events of great historical interest.

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The Guerra Bianca Museum, located at 40 Via Roma in Temù, offers a collection of many hundreds of objects recovered directly on the ground, presented with texts and historical images that help the visitor understand the most characteristic elements of the War experienced and fought at high altitude. It also organizes events and guided excursions in the areas of the War.

The Rock Engravings National Park in Capo di Ponte (which is 38 km from Ponte di Legno) was the first Italian archaeological park for the protection and enhancement of one of the most important complexes of prehistoric engravings. It covers an area of 143,935 square meters at Naquane Locality and was the first Italian site recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It houses 104 glacier-polished sandstone rocks engraved with some of the best-known depictions in the rock art repertoire, including the Rosa Camuna, symbol of the Lombardy Region.

The Way takes its name from a 15th-century legend: Charlemagne along his route conquered the castles of local lords, forcing them to convert. To celebrate his victories, the ruler had numerous churches built, sometimes over the ruins of previously destroyed castles. The legendary journey starts in Bergamo, passes through Val Cavallina with Casazza and Endine, Val Borlezza with Sovere and arrives in Lovere near Lake Iseo and then travels up Valle Camonica and the Tonale Pass where it continues its journey in Trentino to Carisolo. In Ponte di Legno there is the small church of S.Apollonio, which, with its Romanesque-style frescoes dating back to the 14th century, is considered one of the oldest churches in the Camonica Valley.

In the hamlet of Zoanno is a unique building in the area containing the skulls of dozens of people. According to legend they belonged to a group of men from the village who allegedly brought comfort to Milan during the plague of the 1600s; when their remains returned, the bells miraculously rang on their own. The event prompted the villagers to build a simple charnel house, later embellished in 1800 by Don Balardini, the local parish priest.