VAL DI PEIO>THE TOWNS> PEIO PAESE

Pejo Paese (1584) Is so called in order to distinguish it from the tourist hamlet. It is small and settled in a valley dominated by S. Rocco hill. During the Austrian period it must have been the highest point of the monarchy and now it is of the Trentino region. Archaeological finds of the Gallic period (Celtic or Rhaetic) on the hill in 1885 confirm, the presence of Man since remote times. The town has narrow and steep roads and many farmsteads, which have often been destroyed by fire.
The monumental complex near the bell tower is very interesting. The actual structure dates back to 400, a widening of the span and of the small knave was carried out between 1620 and 1624. Workers from Como and Camune erected the bell tower between 1480 and 1483.
The southern wall was completely covered by frescoes. In a good state of preservation and restoration remains the gigantic figure of S. Christopher (7m approx.) Valuable work of the brothers Giovanni and Battista Baschenis of Averaria (Bg) realised soon after the construction of the building. The moral explanation for the sundial is odd ('Tempore tempora tempera' : with time it sharpens time). There are two knaves separated by columns inside. The excellent five altars are or great value.
After the church you ascend to the 'doss de San Roc' (1600 m), where a small church dedicated to the patron saint who protects against plagues can be found among the larches. The ancient remains are a testimony of the presence of an ancient castelliere. The original consecration of the building was in 1500, with work to enlarge it taken following a popular vote during the plague in 600. The exterior is original.
The area opposite was a military cemetery during the “Great War” where more than one hundred burials. Only the flight of steps with high pyramid in stone remains from that period, above which rises the royal eagle.
The hill is now called Parco degli Alpinisti. The names of the Valley’s Alpine guides are etched on a stone. As well as the hill, with a short cut on a sharp projection of rock of the Dente del Vioz (2901 m), the forest road rises as far as the Còvel plain, where you can find a small lake with the same name. There is still a rare example of a working cheese factory in Pejo Paese, which is run by an association of families.
 

Text by Rinaldo Delpero pejo@biblio.infotn.it