This document provides information about the region of Franciacorta in Lombardy, Italy. It describes Franciacorta as a beautiful landscape that has been sculpted by nature over thousands of years and has a rich cultural heritage developed by humans over centuries. It highlights several historical religious sites in the region, including abbeys and monasteries, and explains that Franciacorta has a long history of wine production and is dotted with aristocratic villas. It also describes the natural areas and parks found in Franciacorta and includes two traditional recipes from the region.

1. WELCOME TO FRANCIACORTA
Franciacorta is a splendid region of Lombardy, a stone's throw from Brescia and within
easy reach of the rest of Europe. Nature has over thousands of years sculpted this
ancient land, creating a breathtaking and varied landscape. Yet its history has been
moulded by man, who has toiled for centuries to create an impressive cultural heritage.

2. To discover the subtle spell of Franciacorta,
one must wander through hamlets and hills:
their charm will soon envelop you.
Among ancient monasteries, villages, and
palaces 18th and 19th-century noble villas.
.

3. Franciacorta's landscape is peppered with
tall medieval towers that testify to its
ancient defence system comprising
castles and watchtowers. Only the ruins
survive of some of these buildings that
date from before the Middle Ages, built to
protect their towns.

4. IL MONASTERO DI SAN PIETRO IN LAMOSA
Via Sebina – Provaglio d’Iseo
Open to the public (Town Council of Provaglio d'Iseo, tel. 030 929 1200-Friends Association, tel. 030983477)
From its location near Provaglio d'Iseo, the Monastery of San Pietro in Lamosa boasts splendid views across
the Torbiere del Sebino. This area, designated a Nature Reserve in 1983, is perfect for strolling in or cycling
along.

5. IL CONVENTO DELL’ANNUNCIATA
Via da Cemmo - Monte Orfano – Rovato
Open to the public (Servi di Maria Friars, tel. 030 772 1377)
The convent boasts a magnificent location on the eastern slopes of Mount Orfano in Rovato. In 1449 two friars
belonging to the confraternity of the Servi di Maria were given some land on which to build a convent and a
church which were completed in 1503. It soon became a sacred place for pilgrims, particularly on feast days of
Our Lady until it was dissolved in 1772. It was only until 1963, and at the instigation of the Servi di Maria, that it
once again became home to a religious community. The Annunciation by Romanino (1485-1566) is amongst the
several highly valuable works of art housed in the convent. The convent has a perfectly geometric cloister; the
understated simplicity of its colonnade and arcade frames a finely decorated wrought iron central well.

6. L’ABBAZIA OLIVETANA DI SAN NICOLA
Via Brescia, 83 – Rodengo Saiano
Open to the public (Olivetan Benedictine monks, tel. 030 610182)
One of Italy's most imposing religious buildings, the Abbey of San Nicola, was founded in the X century and was to
prosper again thanks to the Olivetans who in 1446 were nominated priorates of Rodengo. The abbey, previously
owned by the Italian State, was once again taken over by a religious order in 1969 and it then reverted to its
original function. The late 16th century cloister with its compound pillars, the 15th century little rustic cloister, the
refectory, the large gallery and its many rooms displaying masterpieces of great 16th and 17th century Brescian
artists were comprehensively restored to their former glory.
It houses a book restoration laboratory and a Museum of Iron. Advance booking required.

7. Franciacorta had many influential aristocratic and powerful families who had property that
extended beyond the city of Brescia to the entire region of Franciacorta, where they chose
to build their country mansions. During the 17th century Franciacorta became an area
favoured by the patrician families of Brescia and Milan who enjoyed spending their holidays
there. And so still today the landscape is dotted with many of these mansions set in
spectacular gardens. Most are private homes but some are open to the public.

8. Santa Giulia – Museum of the City
Via dei Musei, 81/b | Brescia | tel. +39 030
2977834www.bresciamusei.com
A trip through the history, art, and spirituality of Brescia from
prehistory to the present. It is unique in Europe for its
location, in a monastery founded by the Lombard King
Desiderius and his wife Ansa, built over the remains of pre-
existing Roman houses. The Monastery of San Salvatore,
successively of Santa Giulia, possessed properties in
Franciacorta, documented as far back as 766, in the
Diploma of Adelchi. The museum complex comprises the
basilica of San Salvatore, the oratory of Santa Maria in
Solario, the15th century church of Santa Giulia and its
Renaissance cloisters. It also offers highly-respected art
exhibits.

9. In Franciacorta dense woods frame the rows of vines and
the olive groves, parks protect areas of particular
landscape and natural importance, and streams furrow the
hill slopes with their tortuous courses. For those who love
nature, here is a real Eden..

10. The Peat-Moors of Sebino - The torbiere, or peat-moors,
are located on the borders of Franciacorta, where the hills
drop down to rest by Lago d’Iseo. The Riserva Naturale
della Regione Lombardia, set up in 1983, is a nature oasis
and an official international resource, unique in all of.
Visitors can explore them by means of paths and wooden
walkways that are integrated into the environment.

11. Brescia Hills Park - Set up in 2000, the park
covers some 4,309 hectares just outside
Brescia and includes the communes of
Rodengo Saiano and Cellatica in Franciacorta.
The Santissima Park at Gussago - Built as a
monastery by the Dominican monks in
the14thcentury, on the summit of the
Santissima hill, which is patterned by
vineyards and terraces, the Santissima is one
Franciacorta’s most panoramic spots, and the
symbol of Gussago. The park offers benches
in rest areas, educational panels, a vista point,
and a bike and walking trail that winds around
it.

12. Park of the northern Oglio River - The park
extends along the course of the Oglio, which starts
from Lago d’Iseo and slowly went its way over the
Lombard plain. It comprises interesting routes in
two communes in Franciacorta as well, Paratico
and Capriolo. The park features many activities
during the year oriented towards the environment,
foods, and local traditions.

13. The monastic courts
The history of Franciacorta has been marked by extensive monastic foundations that possessed, even before the
year 1000, vast land holdings, where they converted forest land to fields and improved it for cultivation. Among the
most assiduous was the female convent of San Salvatore, later known as Santa Giulia di Brescia. Founded in 753 by
the Lombard King Desiderius and his wife Ansa, its Franciacorta-area properties are documented in the Santa Giulia
Polyptych, an ancient codex from the mid-9th century. But there were numerous other monastic “corti”, or monastic
settlements.
The first document referring to Franciacorta property belonging to the Brescian monastery of San Salvatore, later
Santa Giulia, dates to 766. Through this grant deed, Adelchi, King Desiderius’ son, donated to the monastery all of
the goods that he had inherited from his grandfather Verissimo and from his uncles, Donnolo and Adelchi, which
included properties in this area.

14. Among Guelfs and Ghibellines, Dante took refuge in Paratico
During the period of the Signorie, or local tyrants, all of Franciacorta belonged to the Guelph party, with the exception
of two important towns located at its approaches, Palazzolo and Iseo, then in the hands of the Ghibellines. Dante
Alighieri, wandering as an exile at that time, found refuge at the court of Lantieri family at Paratico and then at
Capriolo. These were bloody times, filled with plots and armed struggles; they ended only with Pandolfo Malatesta’s
assumption of power, which ushered in a sustained period of stability. This allowed a recovery of the agricultural
economy, and winemaking was able to flourish again. When the Brescia area passed from dominance by the Visconti
to that of Venice, Franciacorta gained in ascendency. It was in Gussago, in fact, in 1426, that the Guelph nobles laid
the plot to transfer control of Brescia to Venice. This period, too, saw the construction of the first of the square,
crenellated watchtowers that still today characterise the Franciacorta countryside. By the late 15th century,
Franciacorta was divided into three quadre, or districts, each with its leading city, Rovato, Gussago, and, though only
in part, Palazzolo.
Historians are in agreement that the first appearance of the name “Franzacurta” was in 1277, in the municipal statues
of Brescia, and it referred to the area south of the Lago d’Iseo, between the Oglio and Mella rivers. Franzacurta or
Franzia Curta was at that time an important wine supplier for nearby Brescia, for the villages as well in the
Valcamonica and the Valtrompia, and for the cities to the south in the Po river valley.
The delimitation of today’s boundaries for Franciacorta dates back to a 1429 decree by Francesco Foscari, Doge of
Venice. The oldest map we have is from 1469, by an unknown cartographer, preserved in Modena’s Biblioteca
Estense.

15. BASKET OF TRADITIONAL PRODUCTS
The traditional local foods of Franciacorta are so intertwined with the area’s culture, traditions, and rural countryside
that these products serve today to effectively promote Franciacorta. Each single traditional specialty encapsulates
some fascinating piece of local history. What we enjoy eating here are not only the fruits of our labour and of our
creativity, but are the very self-expression of places, habits, the tools of our work. We saw to it that appropriate
legislation was passed to preserve and protect the heritage of everyday culture, so that today we can be confident
that we bring to our tables products that are the fruit of tradition-hallowed methods employed by true artisans, and
are produced today with great care for health and hygiene. Local producers therefore selected specific traditional,
locally-grown food products and established guidelines for their production, preservation and ageing.

16. ROVATO BEEF WITH OLIVE OIL
(serves 4)
Ingredients: 1 kg beef shoulder cut; 2.5 l. water; 2 cloves garlic; 2 salted anchovies; ½ small onion; 1 dl Sebino DOP
extravirgin olive oil; 25 gr corn flour or fine breadcrumbs; a pinch of salt; 25 gr butter.
In a large saucepan make a fried with the butter, anchovies, garlic, and the finely-chopped onion; add the water and
salt, then bring to boil. Add the meat, removing the excess pieces that come to the top during the first 5 minutes; cook
on medium heat for about 2 hours. Add the oil, then the breadcrumbs bit by bit (or the corn flour mixed in a little
water); cook again for 20 minutes, frequently moving the meat to prevent it from sticking. Remove meat from juices,
and thicken juices if necessary. Slice the beef 4-5 cm thick and serve with cooking juice, along with polenta or a thick
slice of country bread, accompanied by Franciacorta Rosé.

17. CLUSANE BAKED TENCH
(for 4 – recipe from the 1800s)
Ingredients: 4 tench, 300 gr. each; 300 gr. butter; 300 gr. Grana Padano cheese; 100 gr. breadcrumbs; mixed spices
(cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, black pepper); salt; Sebino DOP extravirgin olive oil; parsley; laurel leaves.
Slice open the tench lengthwise from the bottom, clean and wash. Make the filling with the cheese, breadcrumbs,
spices, salt, and parsley; dry the mixture, then stuff tench. Prepare a terracotta dish with the olive oil and laurel
leaves, add the fish, cover with some of the dried filling and small pieces of butter, bake at 160oC for about 2 hours.
Serve with firm-textured polenta cooked in a copper pan, partnered with Franciacorta Extra Brut.

18. TORTA DI ROSE (Roses Cake)
(serves 4)
Ingredients:1 tbsp sugar; 1 lemon peel;150gr. milk; 1 cube beer yeast; 3 tbsp olive oil; 3 egg yolks; 350gr. flour; 1 pinch salt. For the
filling: 150gr. butter; 150 gr. sugar.
In a pan put the sugar, lemon peel, milk, olive oil, yeast, and egg yolks, whisk together, while adding slowly the flour and salt. Make a
smooth, soft-textured ball, then roll the dough out into a rectangular sheet.
Prepare the filling, working the sugar into the butter until the mixture is creamy, then coat the dough with it and roll the sheet into a
cylinder.
Cut off 4 cm-long sections, seal the bottoms and place them in a buttered baking dish, leaving space around each one. Let rise for 1
hour.
Bake in pre-heated oven for 30 minutes at 180°C.