Monte Calisio

Monte Calisio
Monte Calisio with Martignano suburb.
Highest point
Elevation	3,582 ft (1,092 m)
Coordinates	46°05′52″N 11°08′37″E / 46.097757°N 11.143727°ECoordinates: 46°05′52″N 11°08′37″E / 46.097757°N 11.143727°E
Geology
Mountain type	Sedimentary rock

Monte Calisio (also called Argentario from Argento, meaning silver in Italian language), at 3,582 feet (1,092 m), is a mountain located in the North of Italy and sourrended by the following suburbs of Trento and Civezzano: Martignano, Cognola, Villamontagna, Gardolo and Melta di Gardolo.

History

Prehistory

The first evidence of human presence in the whole region of Tirol were found here at the western slopes of Monte Calisio where, in 1971, the so called "Venere del Gàban",i.e. a statuette made from deer horn and portraying a woman, was found.^[1][2][3]

Roman Period

In 15 BC Roman general Nero Claudius Drusus build the so called via Claudia Augusta, a road which connected to Augsburg. This road passed along the places where now we can find the suburbs of Meano, Martignano and Cognola and sometime it coincided with still existing trails.

Argentario mime

In the past on the Monte Calisio's slopes there were many important silver mines (hence the "Argentario" name which nowadays is commonly used to mean the district of Martignano and Cognola ). These mines provided silver to Tirol in particular by mean of the mint of Merano. This is the reason for which the most ancient mining code in Europe was written during 1207 at Trento by Prince-Bishop Federico Vanga (or Wanga). These mines lost their importance during the fifteenth century when a new very important mine, Schwaz 's mine, was discovered near Insbruck. Anyway many of these old mines, locally called canope, are still visible in the wood of Monte Calisio and some of them can still accessible (see for example the Busa del Pomar).

Contemporary History

During the past centuries the slopes of Monte Calisio were relatively sparsely populated. On the other hand in the last century more and more person decided to live there causing the above mentioned suburbs to grow at high rate.

Below the mountain top, at 2,719 feet (829 m), the ruins of Forte Casara can be found. This was a fort, build just before WWI by Austro-Hungarian Empire and abandoned during 1915.

References

1. Euregio, Tirolo Alto Adige Trentino - Uno sguardo storico. Trento 2013, ISBN 9788890786020
2. Gli «oggetti d'arte» di Riparo Gaban
3. La Venere del Gabàn