Description of the attraction
Ossana is a first-class summer tourist resort in the Val di Sole, attracting with its rich history and numerous monuments. The village, which lies at the foot of the Presanella peaks at the very beginning of the Val di Peio, has experienced a real boom in recent years. Today it combines the functions of a tourist resort and an important agricultural, commercial and handicraft center.
Since time immemorial, Ossana has been the political, administrative and religious center of the upper Val di Sole due to its location at the confluence of the Vermillo and Peyo valleys. The first written mentions of it are found at the end of the 12th century - then it was known as Castrum Vulsane. Archaeological excavations recently carried out on the hills of San Michele suggest that people lived here even in the Bronze Age. Throughout the Middle Ages and into modern times, Ossana was a thriving village, mainly due to the nearby iron mines in Fucine and trade with Lombardy. Its history is closely connected with the history of the castle, the ownership of which was contested by the bishops of Trento and the Tyrolean counts, and in which many noble feudal families lived - from Federici to Geidorf and Bertelli. In 1525, a bloody peasant uprising broke out here, and in 1918, at the very end of the First World War, Italian troops who came from Tonale started a fire, during which the old house of the parish priest of the 12th century burned down.
Today, one of the most exciting sights of Ossana is the massive structure that attracts the attention of all tourists without exception - the castle of San Michele standing on a hill. The castle is a classic observation post located in a strategically important location. It is probably of Lombard origin, although it was first mentioned only in 1191. Until the end of the 13th century, it was owned by the bishops of Trento, and then it was captured by the Tyrolean Count Mainardo. Today, the castle belongs to the government of the autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige, which initiated restoration work. The castle is surrounded by two rows of walls and a 16-century bastion that dominates the entire valley and is the best-preserved part of the complex.
Among other attractions of Ossana, it is worth exploring an old house in the very center of the village, in which a cycle of frescoes from the 15th and 16th centuries was recently discovered. At the top of the valley is the parish church of San Virgilio. The current building of the church was built in the late 15th - early 16th centuries on the site of an older church, from which only the large Romanesque bell tower has survived. The inscription "1536" can be seen on the Renaissance facade of the temple. Inside, in a single nave, there are three altars. The main one is made of wood in the 17th century, the right one is marble - the creation of the Verona sculptor Marchesini, and the left one, also marble, is the work of artisans from Trentino.
Outside Ossana, on the Tomino hill, there is another interesting church - Sant Antonio, erected in the years 1686-1718. It is surrounded by 13 sites of the Way of the Cross and is considered the most important Baroque building in Val di Sole. Inside, you can admire the stucco moldings by Komaska, frescoes by Dalla Torre and paintings by Domenico Bonor.
