The Villages
.
POGGIO LAVARINO
Poggio Lavarino has the classic disposition of a middle age “villa” for this reason there aren’t defensive structures. Only a guard tower is collocated on the top of the hill and it characterizes Poggio Lavarino’s shape. Near the tower has been built Saint Bernardino Church that is the most representative structures of the village.
Poggio Lavarino urban development had two different stages, the older one was around the guard tower, and the last one (around the 18th century) when all the villages of ValSerra had a prosperous age, the village disposition changed and the newest inhabited part of Poggio Lavarino developed along the actual street.
.
.
PORZANO
The small village is situated at the Nord of ValSerra. This village conserves the structure of the “medieval roman castrum” with habitations build in two rows along the main street.
The walls are limitedly conserved in the side north, west and part of the side south, where the roman southern door and some other fragments of roman age are very well conserved as the bell tower of the church of Saint Fortunato.
.
.
APPECANO
Another village with Romans origins is Appecano. This inhabitant does not have traces of defensive structures or town-walls, but its disposition is like a Roman “villa”. Probably the inhabitant has been developed around the public square of the village.
In the centre of Appecano is situated Saint Martino’s Church, built around the 1000 AD. This church has been through a series of modifications, caused also from the strong earthquake that has hit Appecano in the 1917.
.
.
ACQUAPALOMBO
The name of this nice village of Valserra has origins in a legend where a dove discovered a water source. Just in this place was built Acquapalombo. A nice characteristic of the village is the typical guard tower on the top of the village and it was integrating part of the system of fortification towers in Valserra. Thanks at these towers the people could cross safe the valley. Perhaps earlier there was another Middle Age defence structures. Acquapalombo has been an important place when the Sala family transferred their residence and their activities in this village. Just many years ago unfortunately the palace was destroyed. The only sign of the dominion of the family on the territory is the marble arch near the church.
.
.
GIUNCANO Scalo (290 s.l.m. lowest place)
In this village is the newest is spread on the lowest land of the valley. In Giuncano Scalo there is the train station, the pharmacy, the doctor and some public offices.
.
.
COLLEGIACONE - PRACCHIA - POLENACO - TITURANO
There are villages of the old feud of the Arnolfe lands. All these small villages constituted a series of fortifications to defence the Valserra. The time unfortunately has destroyed all the defensive structures like walls and towers.
.
.
PEROCCHIO CASTLE
The castle of Perocchio is one of the first villages with defence structures. That was an important strategic base till XIII century and around the XIV and XV centuries has fell, now is completely abandoned. Currently in locality “Le mura” near “Birochio”, there are part of walls of the defence structures.
.
.