Magasa, Lombardy
Magasa
| |
|---|---|
| Comune di Magasa | |
 View of Magasa | |
  Magasa Location within Italy  Magasa Location within Lombardy | |
| Coordinates: 45°46′55″N 10°36′59″E / 45.78194°N 10.61639°E | |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Lombardy |
| Province | Brescia (BS) |
| Frazioni | Cadria, Cima Rest |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Omar Venturini (Lista Civica) |
| Area | |
• Total | 19.11 km2 (7.38 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 978 m (3,209 ft) |
| Population (2026)[2] | |
• Total | 104 |
| • Density | 5.44/km2 (14.1/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Magasini |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 25080 |
| Dialing code | 0365 |
| Patron saint | Sant'Antonio Abate |
| Saint day | 17 Gennaio |
| Website | Official website |
Magasa (Lombard: Magàza) is a village and comune (municipality) in the province of Brescia in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy, located about 110 kilometres (68 mi) northeast of Milan and about 40 kilometres (25 mi) northwest of Brescia. It has 104 inhabitants.[2]
The abundance of pastures has always been significant for the village economy. Dedicated to cattle raising which survives still today in summer mountain barns with production of milk, from which famous cheeses and butter are obtained. The historical core is a crossing of small passages with peasants' high and narrow houses.
Magasa borders the municipalities of Bondone, Ledro, Tignale, Tremosine sul Garda, and Valvestino.
History
[edit]Magasa's origins go back to the Celtics; they called the place mag, the field. The Stoni and the Gallic Cenomani, then the Romans and the Lombards lived here. The Lodrone family established in Magasa from 1200 to 1807. It became part of Italy in 1919. Magasa was separated from Trentino in 1934, and became a hamlet of Turano.
The ancient administrative autonomy of 1589, was achieved again in 1947.
Demographics
[edit]As of 2026, the population is 104, of which 58.7% are male, and 41.3% are female. Minors make up 1.0% of the population (the lowest share out of all Italian municipalities), and seniors make up 48.1%.[2]
Historical population | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source: ISTAT[3][4] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Immigration
[edit]As of 2025, immigrants make up 2.0% of the population. The foreign countries of birth are Germany and Switzerland.[5]
Administration
[edit]
Mayors of Magasa since 1948:
| Mayor | Start of term | End of term | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| Giuseppe Zeni | 1948 | 1960 | Civic list |
| Angelo Gamba | 1960 | 1964 | Civic list |
| Andrea De Rossi | 1964 | 1965 | - |
| Fioravante Gottardi | 1965 | 1972 | Civic list |
| Dino Venturini | 1972 | 1975 | Civic list |
| Antonio Zeni | 1975 | 1980 | Civic list |
| Evaristo Venturini | 1980 | 1991 | Civic list |
| Giorgio Venturini | 1991 | 1999 | Civic list |
| Zaira Romano | 1999 | 2000 | - |
| Ermenegildo Venturini | 2000 | 2010 | Civic list |
| Federico Venturini | 2010 | 2026 | Civic list |
| Omar Venturini | 2026 | Incumbent | Civic list |
Culture
[edit]Magasa's church is dedicated to Sant'Antonio Abate, mid 18th century.[6] Inside, the religious building is characterized by the floor in red and yellow stones from the Denervo mountain. The church, of allegedly of Lombards' origins, was restored in 1547 and is the pilgrimage arrival on occasion of the patron's day, 10 August. An ancient ritual is renewed, instituted by testament in 1588, with the distribution to every participant to the religious celebration of one piece of bread and fifth of wine.
Today, the village of Magasa is the owner of the church and it is morally engaged to comply with the original benefactor's desire to renew the tradition. The bright sky of Cima Rest, free from any pollution, has allowed the association Astrofili di Salò to arrange an Astronomical public observatory.
Traditions
[edit]- Feast of Alpine troops in August;
- Feast of the cheese in Cima Rest in September.
The haylofts of Cima Rest
[edit]The waterproof straw-roofed haylofts of plateau Denai and Cima Rest — the latter of which contains the Ethnographic Museum of the Valvestino — are mentioned for the first time in a document dated 1613. Some historians have established a link between their constructive type and some low Middle Age constructions; others say that Lombards from Hungary built them in 600 AD.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011" (in Italian). ISTAT.
- 1 2 3 "Resident population". ISTAT.
- ↑ "Popolazione residente dei comuni. Censimenti dal 1861 al 1991" [Resident population of the municipalities. Censuses from 1861 to 1991] (PDF) (in Italian). ISTAT. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 November 2025.
- ↑ "Resident population - Time series". ISTAT.
- ↑ "Resident population by sex, municipality and citizenship". ISTAT.
- ↑ Magasa, Province of Brescia, DeAdostini, Novara, 2009.
Bibliography
[edit]- (in Italian) Bruno Festa, Boschi, fienili e malghe - Magasa tra il XVI e il XX secolo, Grafo edizioni, Brescia 1998;
- (in Italian) Nicola Gallinaro ed Elio Della Ferrera, Terra tra due laghi, Consorzio Forestale della Valvestino, Sondrio 2004;
- (in Italian) Gianpaolo Zeni, "En Merica!" - L'emigrazione della gente di Magasa e Val Vestino in America, Comune e Biblioteca di Magasa, Bagnolo Mella 2005;
- (in Italian) Gianpaolo Zeni, La guerra delle Sette Settimane. La campagna garibaldina del 1866 sul fronte di Magasa e Val Vestino, Comune e Biblioteca di Magasa, Bagnolo Mella 2006;
- (in Italian) Vito Zeni, La valle di Vestino - Appunti di storia locale, Fondazione Civiltà Bresciana 1993.
- (in Italian) Gianpaolo Zeni, Al servizio dei Lodron. La storia di sei secoli di intensi rapporti tra le comunità di Magasa e Val Vestino e la nobile famiglia dei Conti di Lodrone, Comune e Biblioteca di Magasa, Bagnolo Mella 2007.
