Every corner of the busting town of Ponte in Valtellina, on the northern
slopes of the valley a few kilometres east of Sondrio, is bursting with history
and culture. The first building you encounter when you enter the township is
the Church of the Madonna di
Campagna. Continue along Via Roma and down Via Enrico Guicciardi to the
18th-century Chiesetta del Buon Consiglio, before entering the town centre and
Piazza Bernardino Luini. There you’ll find an
octagonal stone fountain, a covered wash house, and a monument to Giuseppe
Piazzi, the internationally-renowned astronomer from Ponte who discovered the
Cerere asteroid.
The "Giuseppe Piazzi” Astronomical
Observatory in the San Bernardo quarter and the Associazione Astrofili, which
regularly organizes events, were both founded in his honour.
Painted by Bernardino
Luini, the frescoed lunette on the facade of the Parish Church
of Saint Maurizio, the patron saint of Ponte, is a must-see. On the northern
side of the square, the parish house and communal theatre house the parish
museum. Take Via Ginnasio to the Church of Sant’Ignazio, which is part of the
Jesuit College complex and also houses the library and ethnographic museum. The
steep road paved with risc – round river stones – which winds up between
the stone edifices and massive
wooden portals is also named after Saint Ignazio.
The culturally rich neighbourhood blossoms each spring with “Ponte in Fiore” a
programme of events launched in 1978 to celebrate the budding of the apple
blossoms and which has since become a key date on the province’s cultural
calendar.