The locality Ponte Pier takes its name from the stone two-arched bridge that connected the ancient road that ran along the bank to the right of the river Chiese with the road to Salò. The bridge is still open to traffic thanks to a modern street plan, but is of ancient origins: perhaps of Roman foundation, it is mentioned in the Middle Ages and is rebuilt after a collapse in 1576. Currently the bridge connects the road that leads to the hamlet of Prandaglio.
Along the road that climbs from the stone bridge towards the hamlet of Prandaglio in 1977, an important prehistoric site was identified. It is a town dating from the Copper Age (III millennium BC) and the ancient Bronze Age (XXI-XVI century BC) and is therefore partly contemporary with the nearby site of Monte Covolo. The presence at a short distance of two settlements on both sides probably arose from the need to control the entrance of the Chiese valley, an important means of communication with the Alpine world.
01. Ponte Pier
02. Sitemap Ponte Pier
03. Ceramic fragment found at the Ponte Pier site
In the territory of the Valle Sabbia, fifteen of the approximately twenty-four species of truffle that grow in the Italian territory have been ascertained, including the nine that are allowed to be collected and traded. In particular, the most abundant and appreciated species are: Tuber aestivum, Tuber aestivum forma uncinatum and Tuber mesentericum.
In order to collect truffles, it is necessary to have the card issued by the regional authority and to respect the times and schedules defined by the same. The collection takes place thanks to the help of truffle dogs trained to find underground, thanks to the fine sense of smell, the tubers usually placed between the 5 and the 50 cm of depth.