Bienno

Benedictine monks dug the Vaso Re around the 11th century: a canal that drew water from the Grigna stream through Bienno to turn the wheels of mills and forges. By the 16th century more than a hundred water hammers were beating out tools, blades and armour here. A forge and a mill still work in the old centre of this Val Camonica village.

Highlights

• The iron museum, with an old forge and a huge wooden hammer
• A water mill that still grinds, in Via Glere
• Santa Maria Annunziata, with frescoes by Romanino and a danse macabre
• The August Mostra Mercato, when every building opens until midnight for a week
• The Colle di Cristo Re, with chapels and a golden statue of Christ

Summary based on Wikipedia and Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA), written with AI assistance.