TOSCOLANO

Once you passed the homonymous torrent, thanks to a fourteenth cent. Bridge composed by only one span, you can reach Toscolano, which is on the superior portion of the promontory with divides Maderno. They believe that this palce was founded by Etruscan people as it is attested by a lot of place-name of that age.

It is almost certain, instead that Toscolano was known as Benacum during Roman age and that from that time on, its denomination extended itself all along the lake basin. Of the Roman age remain the rests of a Villa, which is considered be contemporary with Desenzano one, mosaic floor traces of value and evidences of ancient buildings and pagan temples. In the socalled Cartiere valley, arose from the XIV cent. some factories for paper production, everywhere appreciated for its great quality. In the XV cent. the printer Gabriele di Pietro from Treviso produced printed work of excellent manufacture; nowadays the paper mill activity exists, even if with some proper changing.

S.S. Pietro and Paolo church presents a tower bell in which there is a tombstone walled up, the inhabitants dedicated it to the roman emperor Marco Aurelio. An epigraph has been dedicated also to August, while other two gravestones celebrate Settimio Severo and Caludio II. In the church, realised in the second half of the XVI cent., we can admire some fine paintings made by Andrea Celesti. The Madonna of Benaco sanctuary arises on an ancient pagan temple of the I cent. b. C., dedicated to Giove Ammone, some columns near to the flight of steps of this sanctuary remained. In the first half of the fifty's, because of some restoring, some traces of fifteenth cent. frescos appeared. Very close the ancient harbour the seventeenth cent. Mafizzoli Palace raises, it reveals the original XVI cent. structure and keeps a large number of Andrea Celesti's paintings.
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