Brento Sanico
Brento Sanico is located at approximately 628 meters above sea level and dominates the Santerno Valley. It is connected via a paved road and can be reached on foot in about an hour starting from the Pieve di San Pellegrino, with some signs indicating the route.
The village is located just below the Pietra Serena quarry "La tana del wolf". This area is famous for the extraction of "pietra serena", a sandstone used for numerous monuments in Florence, Tuscany and Romagna.
History
According to the municipal archives of Firenzuola, in 1843 the population of Brento Sanico numbered around eighty inhabitants. Located on the only road that connected Romagna to Tuscany, the village was strategically important, and the tolls imposed were used to maintain the road, often damaged by mud, slopes, snow and rain. Despite this importance, the village has always remained rural, supporting itself thanks to sheep farming, livestock farming, chestnut harvesting and the cultivation of wheat, corn and vegetables.
In the 1930s, Brento was known for parties and fun. In the 1940s there was even a small school, created with the creation of a private room, so that the few residents and those from nearby farms could attend it without having to go down to the valley.
The last family unit abandoned the town in 1951, moving to the hamlet of San Pellegrino, since the construction of modern motorways and state roads after the war made the strategic position of Brento superfluous.
Currently, there are only ruins, with the church as the only well-preserved building. The houses, built in local stone, have plastered interiors and roofs made of stone slabs, held in place by stones of various shapes. The vegetation makes passage difficult.
The Church of San Biagio
The church, with its bell tower, represents an example of the typical architecture of the Apennines. It was restored in 1860 and again in 1917, at which time it was probably enlarged. The two-tone between light and dark stones characterizes the internal arches, while the apse is built with local stone. The interior retains bright colors, among which the midnight blue of the dome stands out. Studies from the 1990s revealed well-preserved 15th-16th century frescoes under the straw yellow plaster, including an angelic figure.
Some human remains dating back to the nineteenth century, belonging to the inhabitants of the village, are present inside the church.
Address: Brento Sanico 50033 Firenzuola FI