Castel S. Pietro

 

As briefly mentioned on the Presentation and Historical Notes page, our municipality owes its name to the castle (Castellum Sancti Petri) that was built around 1100 AD and destroyed in the early 1500s during the war between the Confederates and Milan. This castle stood overlooking the Breggia River. In 1343, a church was built in the immediate vicinity of the castle walls, the current Church of San Pietro (better known as the "Red Church"). This church, with its wall paintings, is a protected national treasure.

However, the Chiesa Rossa is not the only religious building in our area. The Parish Church (Church of Sant'Eusebio), for example, with its immense artistic heritage, is one of the most beautiful churches in our entire region and a living testimony to the emigration of local artists (the Bernasconi, Carabelli, Fontana, Magni, Pozzi, and others) who emigrated abroad around 1600 AD in search of fortune, mainly to Italy and Germany. When they returned to their homeland, often during the winter season, they devoted themselves with passion and verve to decorating the interior of the church. An artistic heritage of undoubted value.

But our entire municipal area, from the town center to the individual hamlets and even the individual villages on the right bank of the Muggio Valley, is rich in churches, oratories, and chapels. These places of worship give a good idea of how important and deeply rooted faith was among the population. The works we see and admire in these places today are a living testimony for our generation and for future generations.

 

But Castel San Pietro and its splendid and varied territory, which stretches from the Breggia Gorge Park to the summit of Monte Generoso, also offers visitors countless itineraries and cultural/scenic walks outside places of worship. Every corner, from the closest to the town center to the most remote, hides a story of culture or simply stories of people from the past who, through great effort, shaped and left us this splendid territory. Sometimes it is really difficult to separate history, culture, and tradition. As evidence of this, suffice it to say that several books have been written about our municipality, its territory, its people, and its traditions.

The time when'time passed slowly'was a harbinger and helped us to pause and appreciate the cultural and scenic beauty that surrounds us. Nowadays, time'passes faster... too fast,' and unfortunately, this does not help us to pause as much as we should (or would like to).

 

We therefore invite you to "take your time" to immerse yourself in our territory and admire and appreciate all its unique features.