Lovere

Lovere rises on the northern tip of Lake Iseo, in a strategic position between the upper Sebino and the entrance of the Cavallina valley, preserving its ancient structure and tranquility, enclosed between the embrace of the mountains and the waters of the Lake.
Being part of The Most Beautiful Villages of Italy since 2003, the town looks like a large amphitheater with splendid buildings built with good taste and perfect architectural sense. Among these it is possible to observe Palazzo Gregorini, Palazzo Marinoni, Villa Milesi and Palazzo Tadini, today Accademia Tadini, the most important building in the village where hundreds of works of art are exhibited.
In the historic center of the village, through its colorful streets, it is possible to admire some testimonies of the medieval fortified city: the Torre degli Alghisi, the Torre Soca and the Torricella surmounted by a cross and the Civic Tower, in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, witness of the ancient castle built by the Celeri family in the 12th century

In the bakeries of the small village it is easy to find a sweet focaccia typical of the Camonica valley, the Spongada, but gourmets can also discover Lovere through some delicious preparations celebrated on the occasion of the festival "Sapori d’ottobre".

The history of Lovere is rich in events, the first settlements date back to a period between the V and III century B.C., as witnessed by the presence of a nucleus of celtic origin placed in a strategic position, still called Fort. The subsequent centuries saw the arrival of the roman domination, who built an important communication route, called then street of San Maurizio and the construction of a large town on the shores of the lake. Following the end of the Roman Empire the territory was subject to the barbarian hordes, ended with the settlement of the Lombards. These subentrarono the francs that, by introducing the Holy Roman Empire, gave way to the feudalism and to the medieval age. They were the years in which infuriavano the district struggles between Guelphs and Ghibellines, and also Lovere is found at the center of numerous encounters: in this respect the country is equipped with several fortifications, including towers and defensive walls, in a dominant position with respect to the lake. Still remain in that epoch, the houses and towers, as Torre Soca, the Torre degli Alghisi and the Torricella rotunda of the ancient town walls.
The clashes lasted until the first half of the fifteenth century, when the territory passed to the Republic of Venice, whose domination lasted until 1797. The Serenissima launched numerous laws aimed to raise the social and economic situation and revives the inhabited center and by improving the conditions of life of the inhabitants. In 1815 it passed to the Lombardo-Veneto Kingdom. Already in that period began to develop numerous industrial activities in the context of the iron and steel industry, which brought prosperity and development of the whole area up to the twentieth century, when the village began to focus strongly on the tourist industry in order to enhance its richness in natural and cultural beauty.