on 25 April, the day dedicated to St Mark and the Liberation, it was traditional to go in procession to the church of San Martino. 

The church of San Martino has early medieval origins.

It is oriented towards the equinoctial sunrise and dedicated to the holy bishop of Tours, held in high esteem in Carolingian times.

For years, the church has been closed to the public, it has even been deconsecrated and the bell, cast by Gregorio Quadrio of Ponte in Valtellina in 1591 and donated by Gianluigi Pergola, has been removed.

Despite this, the people of Bianzone maintain a strong bond with this sacred place on the border with Villa di Tirano, in the area where the village originally stood. Memories are still alive in the older people of the celebrations for St. Gotthard:

At the beginning of May, a mass dedicated to St Gotthard was celebrated in St Martin's Church. In the churchyard there were stalls and it was an important feast especially for children, who could enjoy, at least for a day, the sight of many toys and in some cases there was even the possibility of taking at least one of them home. 

The typical sweet of this feast was the red pipe.

Every year, to enhance this sacred property, a nativity scene is set up in the ossuary of the 18th-century structure, now totally bare, once completely painted. Among the various depictions was a goat symbolising the devil, which parents resorted to in order to strike fear into their children if they came home late at night.

The interior of the church, with a single nave covered with several vaults, is bare. Traces of 18th-century painting remain on the left wall where the St. Gotthard altar was placed, in the presbytery and especially in the sacristy. Here, the image of St. Martin on horseback cutting the cloak to cover the poor is still clearly visible.

In the second half of the 1970s it was the subject of major restoration work strongly desired by the then parish priest Don Virginio Zubiani who wanted to reopen it for worship. The roof of the church and ossuary, replaced the stained glass windows, placed the ducting, painted the facade main, repaired the gate, The deteriorated concrete fountain was removed and replaced by the current one. fontanelle embedded in the churchyard wall. Inside, the cornice e the electrical system and the stone slabs had been prepared to remake the floor which were then placed by parish priest Don Bruno Rocca.

Despite all these works, the Church of St. Martin was never reopened.

Its brightness, acoustics and location accessible by car, on foot and by bicycle make it a potentially suitable place for visitors.

quoted from:

• book ‘When Fireflies Flew - Volume 2’ by Vanda Cerveri
• Bianzone tra vigne, chiese, palazzi e antiche contrade‘ guide by Gianluigi Garbellini

Photo of 11 April 2026

L'articolo LA CHIESA DI SAN MARTINO: UN LUOGO CHIUSO CHE HA DIRITTO DI RIOTTENERE IL RICONOSCIMENTO CHE MERITA proviene da Ecomuseo Bianzone.

This national competition saw 7 artists of different ages participate for the Giant Bench 255 of Bianzone:

• Adriano Mattia Ferrari (age 5) with a marker drawing that depicted the happiness of someone sitting and admiring the view after the panoramic walk of the Curta
• Giulia Caligari (age 8) with a marker drawing that enhances the beauty of the landscape heritage present in Bianzone
• Mathias Tokic (age 8) with a coloured pencil drawing that recalls the terraced landscape and Tiziano Terzani's message related to the location of the bench ‘Stop every so often. Stop and let yourself be taken by the feeling of wonder before the world’.’
• Andrea Tokic (age 9) with a coloured pencil drawing related to the tools of the trade used to make the bench and a reference to our Ecomuseo logo
• Pietro Caligari (age 12) with a geometric design of the bench and the Church of San Siro
• Enzo Pini who, using the pyrograph, created a work related to some typical views and points of interest in the village such as La Gatta, the bench, which is a colourful pause between past and present, and the Curta Alta locality
• Antonio Gonzini who created a photographic collage combining sacred places, represented by San Siro, with houses with an ancient flavour such as the Palazzetto Besta

Among the various nominees, Andrea received a special mention and had the honour of meeting the inventor of the Giant Benches and making our country and some of its beauties known in Piedmont.

Thank you for your participation!

Photo by Cristina Del Marco of 11 April 2026

L'articolo ARTE IN PANCHINA proviene da Ecomuseo Bianzone.

In book ‘When Fireflies Flew - Volume 2’.’ it was said that:

In the past during Passion Week, from Maundy Thursday to Saturday, the crucifixes in the church were covered and the bells did not ring. On the afternoon of Good Friday, as a reminder before the procession with the Holy Sepulchre through the streets of the village, a special mournful sound was made from the bell tower by a device called a gròo placed on the bell tower. It was the task of the young people to turn the crank of the gròo and in the evening to carry the Holy Sepulchre in procession, while the children played the rattles, called crèculi or tric trac. Then, on Easter Sunday, people attended the Solemn Mass, especially the men wearing the festive dress, who before entering, but especially afterwards, would linger in the churchyard to exchange opinions and advice on country activities, but also to receive information on what was happening outside the village.

Easter symbolises rebirth, new life and light defeating darkness. This year in Bianzone there is a special occasion linked precisely to these symbols: work has started on the Palazzetto Besta!

The building, a typical example of a 16th century alpine noble residence, has been closed, abandoned and unsafe for years. For years, the municipal administrations have tried to obtain the necessary funds to save it from its nefarious fate. The critic Vittorio Sgarbi was also involved, who visited the building several years ago and sent a message of help to save it.

Now the big day is here!

È started the first batch of interventions concerning the static consolidation works, the securing of surfaces and the restoration of rooms in the north wing.  The expenditure is borne by the ABAP Superintendency, which has appointed as Single Responsible Person for the
Project (RUP) architect Stefania Bossi, an architect official in the DRM Lombardia. The work and operational management is conducted by architect Matteo Sintini and Dr. Sonia Segimiro, officials of the ABAP Superintendency for the province of Sondrio for the architectural and restoration work, also assisted for the structural part by the Foppoli & Moretta studio.

The Regional Museums Directorate entrusted the execution of the works to the company Lares Lavori di Restauro s.r.l. from Venice.

It is a first step towards the reopening of the Palazzetto Besta which will soon be followed by work on the land to the north of the main building and on the Dovecote. 

May it also be for all of you an Easter of rebirth and recovery of peace and serenity.

L'articolo REGALO PASQUALE A PALAZZO: COMINCIANO I LAVORI! proviene da Ecomuseo Bianzone.

L'articolo SFILATA DI CARNEVALE OLIMPICA proviene da Ecomuseo Bianzone.

L'articolo Giro dei presepi proviene da Ecomuseo Bianzone.