VAL DI PEIO>THE TOWNS> COMASINE

Take the provincial road for Comasine (1196 m), descending first to the bridge over the river Noce, next to a mill dating to "600 which are now, next to the millstones that have been motionless for some time. Here you can enjoy the best of the solandra cuisine. Comasine gets its name from the pre Latin word cama (altura smussata), it could also go along side the place name como and to the ethnic Camuni.
A particular, which is not present in any other religious buildings of the valley, is the church in the shape of a Greek cross, that has been enlarged and restored. It has a solid bell tower, and was rebuilt in 1856 following a fire in 1853. The valuable late-Renaissance portal in stone was erected in (1619). There is a second entrance facing the mountain that traditionally was reserved for the miners, as was the area immediately inside. The present building dates back to 1462 and is dedicated to S. Matteo. The 3 wooden altars from the church of S. Lucia are of great value because of their state of preservation and custody. The largest is of the saint, and is richly engraved in gold with an altar piece that hides an ancient wooden statue of the saint inside. The alter is attributed to the Ramus, whilst the others to Lenner. There is a steep road which rises after the church and passes in front of the ancestral home of Giacomo Matteotti, the socialist deputy slaughtered by the fascists in Rome (1924). A plaque has been erected in his memory.
Once out of the town you can reach the church of S. Lucia from a narrow road next to the capitello of S.Antonio or the forest road, which circles the hill. This was built by the miner’s wishes, and in the 500 was encircled by a portico. Roman coins arms and utensils and other remains were found nearby following the fire of 1853.
There was probably a prehistoric castelliere known as “Castel” at the top of the hill. An old road leads from the town to the bottom of the valley to Forno of Novale site of blasting furnaces used for the initial working of the ferrous mineral. Mining stopped in 1857.

Text by Rinaldo Delpero pejo@biblio.infotn.it