Bormio ( Lombard : Bormi , Romansh : Buorm , German : Worms im Veltlintal ) is a town and comune with a population of about 4,100 located in the Province of Sondrio , Lombardy region of the Alps in northern Italy .
66-558: The centre of the upper Valtellina valley, it is a popular winter sports resort. It was the site of the Alpine World Ski Championships in 1985 and 2005, and annually hosts the Alpine Ski World Cup . In addition to modern skiing facilities, the town is noted for the presence of several hot springs that have been tapped to provide water to three thermal baths . Bormio lies in the northeast of
132-470: A Polizia Comunale ( lit. ' Communal Police ' ), which is responsible for public order duties. The comune also deal with the definition and compliance with the piano regolatore generale ( lit. ' general regulator plan ' ), a document that regulates the building activity within the communal area. All communal structures or schools, sports and cultural structures such as communal libraries, theaters, etc. are managed by
198-551: A symbol that represents the group's motto or identity. The Pasquali are allegorical floats with a religious theme, prepared during the winter by the various districts of Bormio (Buglio, Combo, Dossiglio, Dossorovina and Maggiore) for Easter (Pasqua meaning Easter in Italian). On Easter day, the Pasquali are carried on the shoulders of the boys and are accompanied by a band, folk groups, women, seniors, and children who embellish
264-527: A bearded and joyful man dressed as a mountaineer, and Lean Lent, a thin woman dressed in a humble way, with a dark handkerchief on her head and an empty basket on her arm, represent the transition from the glories of Carnival to Lenten fasts. They are accompanied by the Paralytic, the Bear Handler, a funny shepherd who dances and rolls on the ground named Toni, an old man with a butt covered with Nutella,
330-414: A club to celebrate and travel through the streets of the town in a car from which the flag decorated with the symbol of the group waves. On New Year's Eve, amid fireworks and the noise of whistles, cowbells , motorcycles, and tractors , they entrust the flag to conscripts one year younger, after having it blessed in church. Each group chooses different coloured sweatshirts and decorates the tricolour with
396-827: A comune as rione ( Italian: [riˈoːne] ; pl. : rioni ) or contrade . The term originated from the administrative divisions of Rome, and is derived from the Latin word regio ( pl. : regiones ), meaning "region". All currently extant rioni are located in Municipio I of Rome. The term has been adopted as a synonym of quartiere in the Italian comuni . Terzieri , quartieri , sestieri , rioni , and their analogues are usually no longer administrative divisions of these towns, but historical and traditional communities, seen especially in towns' annual Palio . A terziere ( pl. : terzieri )
462-456: A court named 'clerical overseers' that between 1618 and 1620 handed down a number of convictions (often in absentia ) against Catholics in the Leagues and Valtellina. This included the arresting under false pretences and torturing to death of the (catholic) arch-priest Nicolò Rusca of Sondrio . This and similar harsh judgments of the anti-Habsburg Thusis court led to a conspiracy to drive
528-505: A hunchbacked mountaineer whose hump is filled with chestnut urchins, and Bernarda, a man disguised as a baby put in a pannier supported by a fake old woman, and accompanied by another man dressed as a farmer). During the Carnival period, manzòli or manzòla , white flour and buckwheat pancakes mixed with slices of cheese and cut into the shape of a calf were eaten to propitiate the abundance of livestock parts. In Bormio , during
594-457: A kind of rite of passage to adulthood. Today is simply the celebration of the coming of age . The duration of the celebration varied from town to town: in Grosio the conscription could last up to ten days, during which the boys and girls met in bars, taverns, or in places specially set up for the purpose. The conscripts had the task of embroidering on the tricolour flag the symbol and possibly
660-500: A maximum of 8 tonnes/ha. While the ageing requirements are the same as the DOC, the minimum alcohol level for the DOCG wine is 12%. The best-known villages for red wines are: Grumello , Sassella , Inferno , Valgella , and Maroggia . The village names are normally indicated on the label. Additionally, there is an Amarone style DOCG wine called Sforzato (Sfursat). In the lower part of
726-538: A separate ruler, through the arbitration of Venice, which were known as sestieri . The island of Crete , a Venetian colony (the Kingdom of Candia ) from the Fourth Crusade , was also divided into six parts, named after the sestieri of Venice herself, while the capital Candia retained the status of a comune of Venice. The island of Burano north of Venice is also subdivided into sestieri . A variation of
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#1732772682358792-620: A synonymous of neighbourhood, and an Italian town can be now subdivided into a larger number of quartieri . The Swiss town of Lugano (in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino) is also subdivided into quarters. The English word quarter to mean an urban neighbourhood (e.g. the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana) is derived from the cognate old French word quartier . A sestiere ( pl. : sestieri )
858-586: Is Predoi , the southernmost one Lampedusa e Linosa , the westernmost Bardonecchia and the easternmost Otranto . The comune with the longest name is San Valentino in Abruzzo Citeriore , while the comuni with the shortest name are Lu , Ro , Ne , Re and Vo' . The population density of the comuni varies widely by province and region . The province of Barletta-Andria-Trani , for example, has 381,091 inhabitants in 10 comuni , or over 39,000 inhabitants per comune ; whereas
924-522: Is a list of the largest comuni in Italy, in descending order of surface area, according to ISTAT data referring to 9 October 2011. The provincial capitals are highlighted in bold. The following is a list of the smallest comuni in Italy, in ascending order of surface area, according to ISTAT data referring to 9 October 2011. The following is a list of the first comuni by altitude, in descending order. The indicated altitude coincides with
990-454: Is a subdivision of certain Italian towns and cities. The word is from sesto ( lit. ' sixth ' ), so it is thus used only for towns divided into six districts. The best-known example is the sestieri of Venice , but Ascoli Piceno , Genoa , Milan and Rapallo , for example, were also divided into sestieri . The medieval Lordship of Negroponte , on the island of Euboea , was also at times divided into six districts, each with
1056-609: Is a subdivision of several towns in Italy . The word derives from terzo ( lit. ' third ' ) and is thus used only for towns divided into three neighborhoods. Terzieri are most commonly found in Umbria , for example in Trevi , Spello , Narni and Città della Pieve ; towns divided into terzieri in other regions include Lucca in Tuscany , and Ancona and Macerata in
1122-579: Is a valley in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, bordering Switzerland. Today it is known for its ski centre , hot spring spas, bresaola , cheeses (in particular Bitto , named after the river Bitto) and wines. In past centuries it was a key Alpine pass between northern Italy and Germany. The control of the Valtellina was much sought after, particularly during the Thirty Years' War as it
1188-409: Is an administrative division of Italy , roughly equivalent to a township or municipality . It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ( regioni ) and provinces ( province ). The comune can also have the title of città ( lit. ' city ' ). Formed praeter legem according to the principles consolidated in medieval municipalities ,
1254-424: Is called Carneval vegg ("Old Carnival"). In the past, it was customary for people to gather all together to dance, sing, eat and drink. Being an agricultural ritual that represents the death of winter and the beginning of summer, Carnival officially began on January 17 with the parade of the blessed cattle adorned with coloured ribbons. It included numerous bonfires , with which the paths were cleared to facilitate
1320-413: Is chaired by the mayor, who appoints others members, called assessori , one of whom serves as deputy mayor ( vicesindaco ). The offices of the comune are housed in a building usually called the municipio , or palazzo comunale ( lit. ' town hall ' ). As of January 2021, there were 7,904 comuni in Italy; they vary considerably in size and population. For example,
1386-724: Is granted to comuni that have been awarded it by decree of the King of Italy (until 1946) or of the provisional head of state (from 1946 to 1948) or, subsequently, of the President of the Republic (after 1948), on the proposal of the Ministry of the Interior , to which the comune concerned sends an application for a concession, by virtue of their historical, artistic, civic or demographic importance. The comuni endowed with
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#17327726823581452-705: Is one of the most challenging downhill courses in the world; it is second-longest on the World Cup circuit, behind only the Lauberhorn in Wengen , Switzerland . For the World Cup race in December 2017 , the Stelvio started at an elevation of 2,255 m (7,398 ft), with a vertical drop of 1,010 m (3,314 ft) and course length of 3.27 km (2.03 mi). The winning time of Italian Dominik Paris
1518-467: Is out from its den"). Both celebrated the end of winter and the imminent arrival of spring. The two customs involved walking around the town and inviting people to leave their houses under any pretext, like throwing a large piece of wood or a pot down the stairs. When people ran outside to check what had happened, they were greeted with the shout l'è foeu el sginer! or l'è foeu l'ors de la tana! Intraverser l'èn or intraverser l'ann (literally "to put
1584-659: The comune is provided for by article 114 of the Constitution of Italy . It can be divided into frazioni , which in turn may have limited power due to special elective assemblies. In the autonomous region of the Aosta Valley , a comune is officially called a commune in French. The comune provides essential public services: registry of births and deaths, registry of deeds , and maintenance of local roads and public works. Many comuni have
1650-582: The comune of Rome , in Lazio , has an area of 1,287.36 km (497.05 sq mi) and a population of 2,758,454 inhabitants, and is both the largest and the most populated. Atrani in the province of Salerno ( Campania ) was the smallest comune by area, with only 0.1206 km (0.0466 sq mi), and Morterone ( Lombardy ) is the smallest by population. Many present-day comuni trace their roots along timescales spanning centuries and at times millennia. The northernmost comune
1716-434: The comuni . Comuni must have their own communal statute and have a climatic and seismic classification of their territory for the purposes of hazard mitigation and civil protection . Comuni also deal with the waste management . It is headed by a mayor ( sindaco or sindaca ) assisted by a legislative body, the consiglio comunale ( lit. ' communal council ' ), and an executive body,
1782-411: The frazioni , but the comune still retains the name of the capoluogo . In some cases, a comune might not have the same name of capoluogo . In these cases, it is a comune sparso ( lit. ' dispersed comune ' ) and the frazione which hosts the town hall ( municipio ) is a sede municipale (compare county seat ). Some towns refer to neighborhoods within
1848-403: The giunta comunale ( lit. ' communal committee ' ). The mayor and members of the consiglio comunale are elected together by resident citizens: the coalition of the elected mayor (who needs a relative majority or an absolute majority in the first or second round of voting, depending on the population) gains three fifths of the consiglio 's seats. The giunta comunale
1914-469: The Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) and 10% for the Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG). Grapes are limited to a harvest yield of 12 tonnes per hectare. The finished wine must be aged for at least two years prior to release (three years if a Riserva bottling) with a minimum alcohol level of at least 11%. Yields for the DOCG wines are further restricted to
1980-574: The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships twice, in 1985 and 2005 , both cohosted with Santa Caterina di Valfurva . There are fifty kilometres (30 miles) of marked ski runs, the longest run of which is 6 km (4 mi), served by fifteen lifts and several ski schools. Bormio is a regular stop on the World Cup circuit, usually with a men's downhill in late December. The Pista Stelvio, named after Stelvio Pass ,
2046-514: The Lombardy region at the top of the Valtellina, a broad glacial valley formed by the Adda River that flows down into Lake Como . It is linked to other valleys via four passes: Due to its thermal baths at Bagni Vecchi , Bagni Nuovi and Terme di Bormio , Bormio has long been a tourist attraction. Members of the Roman aristocracy already travelled to Bormio in order to enjoy warm baths in
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2112-485: The Marches . The medieval Lordship of Negroponte , on the island of Euboea , was also divided into three distinct rulerships, which were known as terzieri . A quartiere ( Italian: [kwarˈtjɛːre] ; pl. : quartieri ) is a territorial subdivision, properly used, for towns divided into four neighborhoods ( quarto ; lit. ' fourth ' ) by the two main roads. It has been later used as
2178-527: The Palio delle Contrade sees the inhabitants of the five districts of Bormio compete against each other, divided according to age, in downhill, cross-country, combined, and relay races. The cross-country race takes place through the streets of the town, covered with snow for the purpose. In Valtellina, wines are produced mainly from Chiavennasca (the local name of Nebbiolo grape variety ) with other minor varieties such as Rossola nera permitted up to 20% for
2244-661: The Val Poschiavo , the valley in the Graubünden canton of Switzerland that descends into the Valtellina at Tirano , similar wines are produced – but under different regulations such as appellation and the allowance of sugar addition, or chaptalization . One of the most notable tourist attractions of the area is the Bernina Line ("Trenino Rosso", little red train) of the Rhaetian Railway , which links
2310-460: The gabinat most likely comes from Bavaria , Germany, where Christmas, New Year's Eve and Epiphany were indicated with the name Geb-nacht ( Gaben means "gifts" and Nacht means "night", therefore "night of gifts"): on the eve of these holidays, the poor young people sang in front of the doors of the wealthiest in the hope to receive a gift. On the first of March, throughout Valtellina and Valchiavenna , people used to go to ciamà l'erba ("call
2376-644: The province of Isernia has 81,415 inhabitants in 52 comuni , or 1,640 inhabitants per comune – roughly 24 times more communal units per inhabitant. The coats of arms of the comuni are assigned by decree of the Prime Minister of Italy by the Office of State Ceremonial and Honors, Honors and Heraldry Service (division of the Presidency of the Council born from the transformation of
2442-611: The 4th and 1st millennia BCE, can be found at the Rock Engraving Park in Grosio . Born in Valtellina: Further reading: F Pieth: Bündnergeschichte, 1982, ISBN 3-85894-002-X 46°10′N 9°52′E / 46.167°N 9.867°E / 46.167; 9.867 Comune A comune ( Italian: [koˈmuːne] ; pl. : comuni , Italian: [koˈmuːni] )
2508-623: The Harlequins of the Company of Mat, with children escorting the Podestà. The conscription was originally a celebration on the occasion of the call to the draft: the tradition seems to have originated in the second half of the nineteenth century with the unification of Italy when young men were forced to serve a period in the Army. The feast of the conscripts of eighteen-year-olds was therefore
2574-663: The Protestants out of the valley. The leader of the conspiracy, Giacomo Robustelli of the Planta family, had ties to Madrid, Rome and Paris. On the evening of 18/19 July 1620, a force of Valtellina rebels supported by Austrian and Italian troops marched into Tirano and began killing Protestants. When they finished in Tirano, they marched to Teglio , Sondrio and further down the valley killing every Protestant that they found. Between 500 and 600 people were killed on that night and in
2640-500: The Royal Consulta Araldica , eliminated pursuant to the provisions final of the Constitution of Italy ). Administrative subdivisions within comuni vary according to their population size. Comuni with at least 250,000 residents are divided into circoscrizioni (roughly equivalent to French arrondissements or London boroughs ) to which the comune delegates administrative functions like
2706-470: The Valtellina became part of the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia , which was a constituent land of the Austrian Empire. In 1859 it came, together with Lombardy, to the Kingdom of Sardinia , and finally in 1861 it became part of the Kingdom of Italy . At the end of the 19th century, there was substantial migration out of the Valtellina for reasons of the prevailing economically depressed conditions of
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2772-585: The Valtellina was a theatre of intense military and diplomatic struggle among France, the Habsburg powers and the local authorities which culminated in the Valtellina war of 1620–1626. Control over the routes through the Valtellina to the passes between Lombardy and the Danube watershed was at stake as it formed part of the so-called Spanish Road . The anti-Habsburg forces in the Three Leagues put together
2838-526: The capital of the province of Reggio Emilia , in the Emilia-Romagna region, and Reggio di Calabria , the capital of the homonymous metropolitan city , in the Calabria region. Many other towns or villages are likewise partial homonyms (e.g. Anzola dell'Emilia and Anzola d'Ossola , or Bagnara Calabra and Bagnara di Romagna ). The title of città ( lit. ' city ' ) in Italy
2904-720: The day of the Carnival of the Fools, the Mayor hands over his power to the Podestà di Mat ( Podestà of the Fools) to Harlequin , and to the Compagnia di Mat ("the Company of the Fools") who give a public reading of the gossip and complaints that citizens have deposited in a box placed in the square of the Kuerc. The festival also includes a parade along the streets of the historic centre led by
2970-552: The following four days. The attack drove nearly all the Protestants out of the valley, prevented further Protestant incursions and took the Valtellina out of the Three Leagues . The killings in Valtellina were part of the conflicts in Graubünden known as the Bündner Wirren or Confusion of the Leagues. In February 1623 France, Savoy, and Venice signed the Treaty of Paris in which all three signatories agreed to re-establish
3036-591: The grass"). The children walked in the meadows making noise with cowbells to call the grass and awaken it from its winter slumber. This custom also served to propitiate a bountiful harvest. In the village of Grosio , the Carnival is celebrated, unlike the rest of Valtellina, on the first Sunday of Lent , according to the Ambrosian calendar in force before the Gregorian Reform . For this reason, it
3102-475: The motto that the group had chosen. On the walls of the villages, it was customary to write W LA CLASSE... ("cheers to the year...") followed by the year of birth: nowadays, conscripts hang a tricolour banner with the same wording and the names (or nicknames) of the members of the group. The feast of the conscripts is particularly felt in Alta Valtellina: in Grosio, for a week, the conscripts meet in
3168-419: The mountainous scenery. Most of these thermal baths are still in use today. The town is centred on the historic Piazza Cavour and Via Roma, a historic main trading point on the route from Venice to Switzerland . Bormio retains its unique medieval town centre, attracting many tourists, mainly Italian, from Milan and other cities. It will host alpine skiing in the 2026 Winter Olympics . The village hosted
3234-407: The other in exclaiming gabinat when they met. Whoever lost had to pay a pledge; often, the prize at stake was established in advance and the gabinat thus became the object of bets. To win, various strategies were adopted: stalking, disguises, fake illnesses ... Nowadays, it is only the children who do the gabinat , and they usually show up to relatives, friends, and local shopkeepers. The custom of
3300-500: The parade with flowers and other small crafts. Everyone wears the traditional red, black and white costume. After having followed the entire Via Roma and upon arrival at the Piazza del Kuerc (the main square of the town) the ancient bell called Bajona starts tolling and a jury draws up a ranking of the best Pasquali. At the end of the parade, the floats are exhibited in Piazza del Kuerc where they stay until Easter Monday. Started in 1963,
3366-526: The partisans at Dongo , barely short of the Valtellina, ended any possibility of a fascist last stand. The official language is Italian, but the Valtellinese variety of the Lombard Language is also spoken. On 31 January there was the tradition of l'è foeu el sginer ("January's out"), a custom very similar to that celebrated on 2 February known as l'è foeu l'ors de la tana ("the bear
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#17327726823583432-462: The passage of farmers, their agricultural vehicles and their livestock. A straw puppet with horns on his head representing the Carnival was also burnt. Nowadays, the districts of the towns challenge each other to the sound of allegorical floats, and the parade is attended by traditional masks, eight characters representing traditions, past events, and moments of everyday life: the Old Carnival,
3498-465: The region and for young men to avoid conscription . Australia, especially Western Australia , was a popular destination for such migrants. Industrially, the area is famous as the home of the world's first mainline electrified railway . The electrification of the Ferrovia della Valtellina took place in 1902, using three-phase power at 3,600 V, with a maximum speed of 70 km/h. The system
3564-443: The running of schools, social services and waste collection; the delegated functions vary from comune to comune . These bodies are headed by an elected president and a local council. Smaller comuni usually comprise: Sometimes a frazione might be more populated than the capoluogo ; and rarely, owing to unusual circumstances (like depopulation), the town hall and its administrative functions can be moved to one of
3630-788: The territory of Valtellina by attempting to remove Spanish forces stationed there. In 1797 the growing power of the First French Republic created the Cisalpine Republic in Northern Italy. On 10 October 1797, the French supported a revolt in the Valtellina against the Graubünden ( Grisons in French and English), and it joined the Cisalpine Republic. After the Congress of Vienna in 1815,
3696-429: The title of città usually carry the golden crown above their coat of arms, except with different provisions in the decree approving the coat of arms or in the presence). "The crown of the city ([...]) is formed by a golden circle opened by eight city gates (five visible) with two cordoned walls on the margins, supporting eight towers (five visible) joined by curtain walls, all in gold and black walled." The following
3762-639: The town of Tirano in the Valtellina with St. Moritz in Graubünden, Switzerland via the Bernina Pass . The mountains of the Valtellina offer numerous possibilities for sports activities: skiing and winter sports in Bormio , Aprica or Livigno , hiking and biking in the same locations and especially in the secondary valleys, and rock climbing in the Val Masino . The Rupe Magna, a unique large rock with more than 5,000 engraved figures dating from between
3828-405: The way to the new year. On 6 January, the custom of the gabinat is still celebrated today, especially in Tirano , in the Upper Valley, and in the nearby Poschiavo Valley (Switzerland). Traditionally, children would suddenly enter other people's homes shouting gabinat! and in exchange, they would receive a handful of cooked chestnuts, some sweets or dried fruit. The adults competed to precede
3894-427: The word is occasionally found: the comune of Leonessa , for example, is divided into sesti or sixths. There are not many perfect homonymous comuni . There are only six cases in 12 comuni : This is mostly due to the fact the name of the province or region was appended to the name of the comune in order to avoid the confusion. Two provincial capitals share the name Reggio : Reggio nell'Emilia ,
3960-408: The year across") also celebrated New Year's Eve: during the night young people used to build barricades of gates, doors , benches, agricultural tools, logs, stairs, sledges, and carts in the main square or in front of the church, to prevent the old year from leaving. The next morning, the owners of the stolen objects had to go and recover them, dismantling the barricade and metaphorically opening up
4026-430: Was Christianized with around ten pieve (rural churches with a baptistery ) under the Diocese of Como . The Lombards gained control over the area after 720, but about fifty years later Charlemagne gave the valley to Saint Denis Monastery near Paris. Later the valley returned to the Bishop of Como. During the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, the Valtellina belonged to the Three Leagues (the "Grey Leagues"), which
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#17327726823584092-413: Was an important part of the Spanish Road . The most important comune of the valley is Sondrio ; the others major centres are Aprica , Morbegno , Tirano , Bormio and Livigno . Although Livigno is on the northern side of the alpine watershed , it is considered part of Valtellina as it falls within the province of Sondrio . The region was conquered in 16 BC by the Romans . By the 5th century, it
4158-435: Was designed by the brilliant Hungarian engineer Kálmán Kandó who was employed by the main contractors the Budapest -based Ganz company. During the last months of World War II , the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and other diehard fascist leaders of the Italian Social Republic (RSI) proposed making a "last stand" against the advancing Allied armies in the Valtellina. The Fascist Party secretary Alessandro Pavolini
4224-517: Was just under two minutes, yielding an average speed of 100.66 km/h (62.5 mph) and a vertical descent rate of over 8.6 metres (28 ft) per second. Bormio is twinned with: [REDACTED] Media related to Bormio at Wikimedia Commons Valtellina Valtellina or the Valtelline (occasionally spelled as two words in English: Val Telline ; Romansh : Vuclina ( listen ) ; Lombard : Valtelina or Valtulina ; German: Veltlin ; Italian : Valtellina )
4290-409: Was the main proponent of the idea, which he first raised with Mussolini in September 1944. However, the fascist leadership was divided over the plan and only minimal preparatory work was carried out to establish the area as a stronghold. By the time the Allies made their final advance in April 1945, the Valtellina was not ready to be used as a redoubt . In any event, Mussolini's capture on 27 April by
4356-417: Was then a mutual-defence region independent of Switzerland but is now the easternmost Swiss Canton of Graubünden . Graubünden is an area in which German, Romansh , Lombard and Italian are all spoken, and hence during 16th-century rule by Graubünden, the region became known variously as Veltlin , Westtirol (West Tyrol ), and the Welsche Vogteien ("Romanic Bailiwicks"). During the Thirty Years' War ,
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