As we drive along the state road between Malegno and Breno, a place catches our attention: the Minerva Bridge, which majestically crosses the River Oglio in the picturesque locality of Spinera. It is not easy to resist the temptation to stop, but it is certainly worth it.

We venture on a short walk in search of the ideal spot to admire the river flowing under the bridge, immersed in the history of the place and captured by the beauty of the surrounding nature. The cool blue of the River Oglio and the green of the meadows surround us, creating an enchanting atmosphere. It is easy to imagine that in this charming corner an important agreement was made to sanction peace.

Under this same bridge, on the banks of the river, back in 1397, the historic Peace of Breno took place between the Guelphs and Ghibellines. Gian Galeazzo Visconti, powerful lord of Milan, managed to convene a peace conference at the Ponte di Minerva, in Breno. Important figures representing the Duke of Milan and the Podestà di Valle, Giacomo Malaspina, attended the event.

The two factions took up positions on both banks of the Oglio, flaunting all their power in sumptuous dress, as the importance of the event demanded such solemnity. What was striking was the absence of weapons on both sides. On the right bank deployed the Ghibellines, with the Federici families of Erbanno, Gorzone, Angolo and the Beccagutti family, together with their loyal villages of Dalegno, Demo, Vione, Saviore, Vezza, Nadro, Mu, Bienno, Monno, Prestine, Cortenedolo, Astrio, Edolo, Cividate Camuno, Sonico, Berzo, Malonno, Malegno, Corteno Golgi, Ossimo, Incudine, Esine, Cemmo, Breno, Sellero, Artogne, Gorzone, Cerveno Do, Erbanno, Paisco, Prestine and Cevo. On the other bank, the Guelphs, with the presence of the Baroncino Nobili of Lozio and the Ronchi, Griffi and Antonioli families, and the support of the villages of Cevo, Niardo, Saviore, Losine, Grevo, Ceto, Cimbergo, Braone, Monno, Lozio, Prestine and Borno. Some village representatives were present on both sides, such as Saviore, Cevo and Prestine.

After the solemn prayers and ceremonial blessings, a heated debate took place, but was resolved with a solemn agreement and an oath of peace by all present. The Peace of Breno was thus signed, bringing with it the hope of a period of stability and peaceful coexistence between Guelphs and Ghibellines.

However, as often happens in the tangled webs of history, the peace lasted only a few years. In 1410, a tragic event shook the precarious balance that had been established. It was in Lozio, as recounted in the previous stage, that a massacre took place that bloodied the valley and rekindled the flame of feuds.

As we contemplate the Ponte di Minerva, its arches reflected in the waters of the River Oglio, a feeling of melancholy pervades us. The fragments of history that reach us are like a call from a past at once glorious and tragic.

We reflect on the broken lives, alliances and divisions that characterised that tumultuous period. The stones of the bridge, silent witnesses to ancient agreements and conflicts, seem to tell stories of men and women who fought for ideals and ambitions.

As we walk away from the Ponte di Minerva, leaving behind us the River Oglio and its centuries-old stories, we feel the awareness that history is not just a collection of past events, but something alive that still accompanies us and influences our choices.

Ptolemy

Ptolemy

Exploring Roman footprints in the enchanting Camonica Valley

Exploring Roman footprints in the enchanting Camonica Valley