Bellagio
Encyclopedia
Bellagio is a comune
(municipality) in the Province of Como
in the Italian
region Lombardy
, located on Lake Como. It has long been famous for its setting at the intersection of the three branches of the Y-shaped lake, which is also known as Lario.
Bellagio is situated at the tip of the peninsula separating the lake's two southern arms, with the Alps
visible across the lake to the north.
in two bifurcations. The tourist centre occupies the extreme part of the promontory, while the numerous districts are disseminated both along the lake shores and upon the slopes of the hills. The great Pleistocene
glaciations with their imposing flows coming from the Valtellina
and Valchiavenna modelled the actual landscape of the Lake Como: for at least four times the glaciers went as far as the Brianza
to the South. From the ancient glacial blanket only the highest tops emerged, one of them was mount St. Primo, which obliged the glaciers to divide themselves into two arms. A luxuriance of trees and flowers is favoured by a mild and sweet climate. The medium temperature during winter is never below 6-7 C°, while during summer it is around 25-30 C°, mitigated during the afternoon by the characteristic breva, the gentle breeze of the Lake Como.
times. Its beautiful and strategically important position has written its history.
Period (about 30,000 years ago) only in the 7th–5th centuries BC on the promontory appears a castellum, a place of worship and of exchange, which served the numerous small villages on the lake.
The Romans
introduced the olive tree and the laurel which even today we find in abundance on the shores of the lake. The Romans were the first to use Bellagio as a holiday resort.
Pliny the Younger
(1st century AD) describes in a letter the long periods he spent in his Bellagio villa, during which he practised not only study and writing but also hunting and fishing.
occupation of northern Italy, Bellagio was further fortified: in 744 King Liutprand
, settled there.
It is thought that by 1100 Bellagio was already a free commune and seat of a tribunal and that its dependence on Como was merely formal.
However the strategic position of Bellagio was very important for the city of Como, which had therefore to suffer more than one incursion from Como and fought numerous naval battles against its neighbour. In 1154, under Frederick Barbarossa, Bellagio was forced to swear loyalty and pay a tribute to Como.
Towards the end of the 13th Century, Bellagio, which had participated in numerous wars on the side of the Ghibellines (pro-empire party), definitely became part of the property of the House of Visconti
and was integrated into the Duchy of Milan
.
In 1535, when Francesco II Sforza
(the last Duke of Milan) died, there started for Lombardy and for the lands of the Lake of Lario two centuries of onerous Spanish
rule (the period about which the novel The Betrothed was written by Alessandro Manzoni
). The steps called “Derta”, that lead from the neighbourhood of Guggiate to that of Suira, were built during the Spanish rule.
In 1533 Francesco Sfondrati bought the feoff of Bellagio and for more than 200 years the Sfondrati family remained the most important reference point for Bellagio and its entire history together with the progress and happenings of the town were associated with this family.
At Bellagio in this period, favoured by the ideal position for transport and trade, there flourished various small industries among which that for the production of candles was particularly notable and that for silk production together with its corollary, the breeding of silk worms and the cultivation of mulberry trees.
During the brief Napoleonic period the port of Bellagio assumed a military and strategic importance and a fact, apparently of secondary importance, was to guide the destiny of Bellagio for the two succeeding two centuries : the decision of Count Francesco Melzi d'Eril, Duke of Lodi and Vice President of the Cisalpine Republic
to establish here his summer home. Count Melzi proceeded to build on the west bank, near Loppia a magnificent villa. That brought to the area the flower of the Milanese nobility and the promontory was transformed into a most elegant and refined court. Roads suitable for carriages were built, first of all to link the villas and the palaces and then towards the town centre and finally the provincial road Erba-Bellagio was completed.
The fame of the lakeside town became known well outside the borders of the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia
: even the Emperor Francis I of Austria wished to visit it in 1816 and returned in 1825 to stay in the Villas Serbelloni, Trotti and Melzi.
In 1838 Bellagio received with all honours the Emperor Ferdinand I, the Archduke Rainer
and the Minister Metternich, who reached here from Varenna
on the Lario, the first steamboat on the lake, having been launched in 1826.
Bellagio was one of the localities most frequented by the Lombardy nobility and saw the construction of villas and gardens.
Luxury shops opened in the village and tourists crowded onto the lakeshore drive. Space was not sufficient and it was decided to cover the old port which came up as far as the arcade in order to construct a large square.
Tourism had now become the principal economic resource of the people of Bellagio and from this period on the history of Bellagio coincides with that of its hotels. The first was the Hotel Bellagio, founded in 1825 from the transformation of the old hostelry of Abbondio Genazzini, which following this was turned into the first real hotel on the Lario, the Hotel Genazzini. Following the example of this precursor were founded in the space of a few years several splendid hotels many of which are still operating and frequently in the hands of the same families who founded them. A few names and date of opening: the Hotel Firenze, built on the old house of the Captain of the Lario in 1870, the Grand Hotel Bellagio (now the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni) inaugurated in 1872. In 1888 the three largest hotels (Genazzini, Grande Bretagne and Grand Hotel Bellagio) first introduced electric light substituting the gas illumination, and only after this were they followed by many patrician homes. Bellagio was one of the first Italian tourist resorts to become international, and since that time it never degenerated into a mass tourism place.
upon a request by Francesco Melzi d'Eril, nominated Duke of Lodi by Napoleon himself and for whom he fulfilled the role of vice-president of the Italian Republic
from 1802. From 1805, with the advent of the short-lived Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy
he fulfilled the role of Chancellor of the Empire.
Even after his political career, since this was a Melzi residence, the construction, which he wanted as elegant as the Royal Villa of Monza
and the other villas situated on the Lake of Como, was decorated and furnished by famous artists of the period: artists Appiani and Bossi, sculptors Canova and Comolli, and the founder Manfredini. He also had a collector’s passion which, on Lake of Como, did not have any rivals except for the figure of Giovan Battista Sommariva, owner of the villa bearing the same name (nowadays Villa Carlotta), who, politically defeated by Melzi himself (who was preferred by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802 as vice-president of the Italian Republic), tried to re-acquire the lost prestige by assembling an extraordinary art collection.
Villa Melzi is introduced by its English style gardens which develops harmoniously along the lake’s banks, the last offshoot in the hill picture of the peninsula of Bellagio, to the south of the inhabited area. The realisation of such a garden implied notable interventions to the structure of the land and the realisation of outstanding supporting walls. In such surroundings, enriched by monuments, artefacts (amongst which a Venetian gondola transported to Bellagio, expressly desired by Napoleon, and two precious Egyptian statues), rare exotic plants, secular trees, hedges of camellias, groves of azaleas and gigantic rhododendrons, the villa, the chapel and the glass house constitute an extraordinary ensemble in which the neoclassical style reaches one of the highest peaks.
For more information on trains, see Trenitalia
or LeNord (in Italian)
runs from Como to Bellagio, making stops at the other towns on Lake Como along the way. A ferry also runs from Varenna to Bellagio. For more information, visit Gestione Governativa Navigazione Laghi.
An alternative could be to follow the four lane road on the eastern shore of the right leg of the lake, travel to Varenna and get on the ferry to Bellagio.
, a unique town twinning
association of 24 towns across the European Union
. This active town twinning began in 1991 and there are regular events, such as a produce market from each of the other countries and festivals. Discussions regarding membership are also in hand with three further towns (Agros
in Cyprus
, Škofja Loka
in Slovenia
, and Tryavna
in Bulgaria
).
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
(municipality) in the Province of Como
Province of Como
The Province of Como is a province in the north of the Lombardy region of Italy and borders the Swiss cantons of Ticino and Grigioni to the North, the Italian provinces of Sondrio and Lecco to the East, the Province of Milan to the south and the Province of Varese to the West...
in the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
region Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
, located on Lake Como. It has long been famous for its setting at the intersection of the three branches of the Y-shaped lake, which is also known as Lario.
Bellagio is situated at the tip of the peninsula separating the lake's two southern arms, with the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
visible across the lake to the north.
Geography
Bellagio is situated upon the extreme cape of the region that divides the Lake ComoLake Como
Lake Como is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of 146 km², making it the third largest lake in Italy, after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore...
in two bifurcations. The tourist centre occupies the extreme part of the promontory, while the numerous districts are disseminated both along the lake shores and upon the slopes of the hills. The great Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
glaciations with their imposing flows coming from the Valtellina
Valtellina
Valtellina or the Valtelline valley ; is a valley in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, bordering Switzerland. Today it is known for its skiing, its hot spring spas, its cheeses and its wines...
and Valchiavenna modelled the actual landscape of the Lake Como: for at least four times the glaciers went as far as the Brianza
Brianza
thumb|250px|The [[Corni di Canzo]].Brianza is a geographical area at the foot of the Alps, in north-western Lombardy, northern Italy.-Geography:...
to the South. From the ancient glacial blanket only the highest tops emerged, one of them was mount St. Primo, which obliged the glaciers to divide themselves into two arms. A luxuriance of trees and flowers is favoured by a mild and sweet climate. The medium temperature during winter is never below 6-7 C°, while during summer it is around 25-30 C°, mitigated during the afternoon by the characteristic breva, the gentle breeze of the Lake Como.
History
Bellagio called also "the pearl of Lake Como" was already famous in RomanAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
times. Its beautiful and strategically important position has written its history.
Prehistory to Roman Empire
Even though certain findings testify to a human presence in the surroundings of Bellagio in the PaleolithicPaleolithic
The Paleolithic Age, Era or Period, is a prehistoric period of human history distinguished by the development of the most primitive stone tools discovered , and covers roughly 99% of human technological prehistory...
Period (about 30,000 years ago) only in the 7th–5th centuries BC on the promontory appears a castellum, a place of worship and of exchange, which served the numerous small villages on the lake.
The Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
introduced the olive tree and the laurel which even today we find in abundance on the shores of the lake. The Romans were the first to use Bellagio as a holiday resort.
Pliny the Younger
Pliny the Younger
Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, born Gaius Caecilius or Gaius Caecilius Cilo , better known as Pliny the Younger, was a lawyer, author, and magistrate of Ancient Rome. Pliny's uncle, Pliny the Elder, helped raise and educate him...
(1st century AD) describes in a letter the long periods he spent in his Bellagio villa, during which he practised not only study and writing but also hunting and fishing.
Middle Ages
After the LombardLombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
occupation of northern Italy, Bellagio was further fortified: in 744 King Liutprand
Liutprand, King of the Lombards
Liutprand was the King of the Lombards from 712 to 744 and is chiefly remembered for his Donation of Sutri, in 728, and his long reign, which brought him into a series of conflicts, mostly successful, with most of Italy. He profited by Byzantine weakness to enlarge his domains in Emilia and the...
, settled there.
It is thought that by 1100 Bellagio was already a free commune and seat of a tribunal and that its dependence on Como was merely formal.
However the strategic position of Bellagio was very important for the city of Como, which had therefore to suffer more than one incursion from Como and fought numerous naval battles against its neighbour. In 1154, under Frederick Barbarossa, Bellagio was forced to swear loyalty and pay a tribute to Como.
Towards the end of the 13th Century, Bellagio, which had participated in numerous wars on the side of the Ghibellines (pro-empire party), definitely became part of the property of the House of Visconti
House of Visconti
Visconti is the family name of two important Italian noble dynasties of the Middle Ages. There are two distinct Visconti families: The first one in the Republic of Pisa in the mid twelfth century who achieved prominence first in Pisa, then in Sardinia where they became rulers of Gallura...
and was integrated into the Duchy of Milan
Duchy of Milan
The Duchy of Milan , was created on the 1st of may 1395, when Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Lord of Milan, purchased a diploma for 100,000 Florins from King Wenceslaus. It was this diploma that installed, Gian Galeazzo as Duke of Milan and Count of Pavia...
.
In 1535, when Francesco II Sforza
Francesco II Sforza
Francesco II Sforza , also known as Francesco Maria Sforza, was the last Duke of Milan from 1521 until his death.He was the son of Ludovico Sforza and Beatrice d'Este...
(the last Duke of Milan) died, there started for Lombardy and for the lands of the Lake of Lario two centuries of onerous Spanish
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
rule (the period about which the novel The Betrothed was written by Alessandro Manzoni
Alessandro Manzoni
Alessandro Francesco Tommaso Manzoni was an Italian poet and novelist.He is famous for the novel The Betrothed , generally ranked among the masterpieces of world literature...
). The steps called “Derta”, that lead from the neighbourhood of Guggiate to that of Suira, were built during the Spanish rule.
In 1533 Francesco Sfondrati bought the feoff of Bellagio and for more than 200 years the Sfondrati family remained the most important reference point for Bellagio and its entire history together with the progress and happenings of the town were associated with this family.
At Bellagio in this period, favoured by the ideal position for transport and trade, there flourished various small industries among which that for the production of candles was particularly notable and that for silk production together with its corollary, the breeding of silk worms and the cultivation of mulberry trees.
18th and 19th century
With the death of Carlo Sfondrati in 1788, the feoff of Bellagio passed in the hands of the illustrious family of Serbelloni.During the brief Napoleonic period the port of Bellagio assumed a military and strategic importance and a fact, apparently of secondary importance, was to guide the destiny of Bellagio for the two succeeding two centuries : the decision of Count Francesco Melzi d'Eril, Duke of Lodi and Vice President of the Cisalpine Republic
Cisalpine Republic
The Cisalpine Republic was a French client republic in Northern Italy that lasted from 1797 to 1802.-Birth:After the Battle of Lodi in May 1796, Napoleon Bonaparte proceeded to organize two states: one to the south of the Po River, the Cispadane Republic, and one to the north, the Transpadane...
to establish here his summer home. Count Melzi proceeded to build on the west bank, near Loppia a magnificent villa. That brought to the area the flower of the Milanese nobility and the promontory was transformed into a most elegant and refined court. Roads suitable for carriages were built, first of all to link the villas and the palaces and then towards the town centre and finally the provincial road Erba-Bellagio was completed.
The fame of the lakeside town became known well outside the borders of the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia
Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia
The Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia was created at the Congress of Vienna, which recognised the House of Habsburg's rights to Lombardy and Venetia after the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed by Napoleon in 1805, had collapsed...
: even the Emperor Francis I of Austria wished to visit it in 1816 and returned in 1825 to stay in the Villas Serbelloni, Trotti and Melzi.
In 1838 Bellagio received with all honours the Emperor Ferdinand I, the Archduke Rainer
Archduke Rainer Ferdinand of Austria
Archduke Rainer Ferdinand of Austria was an Austrian prime minister. He was a son of Archduke Rainer Joseph....
and the Minister Metternich, who reached here from Varenna
Varenna
Varenna is a comune on Lake Como in the Province of Lecco in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 60 km north of Milan and about 20 km northwest of Lecco...
on the Lario, the first steamboat on the lake, having been launched in 1826.
Bellagio was one of the localities most frequented by the Lombardy nobility and saw the construction of villas and gardens.
Luxury shops opened in the village and tourists crowded onto the lakeshore drive. Space was not sufficient and it was decided to cover the old port which came up as far as the arcade in order to construct a large square.
Tourism had now become the principal economic resource of the people of Bellagio and from this period on the history of Bellagio coincides with that of its hotels. The first was the Hotel Bellagio, founded in 1825 from the transformation of the old hostelry of Abbondio Genazzini, which following this was turned into the first real hotel on the Lario, the Hotel Genazzini. Following the example of this precursor were founded in the space of a few years several splendid hotels many of which are still operating and frequently in the hands of the same families who founded them. A few names and date of opening: the Hotel Firenze, built on the old house of the Captain of the Lario in 1870, the Grand Hotel Bellagio (now the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni) inaugurated in 1872. In 1888 the three largest hotels (Genazzini, Grande Bretagne and Grand Hotel Bellagio) first introduced electric light substituting the gas illumination, and only after this were they followed by many patrician homes. Bellagio was one of the first Italian tourist resorts to become international, and since that time it never degenerated into a mass tourism place.
Villa Melzi d'Eril
The significant building, which overlooks the lake, was built between 1808 and 1815 by the architect Giocondo AlbertolliGiocondo Albertolli
Giocondo Albertolli was a Swiss-born architect, painter, and sculptor who was active in Italy during the Neoclassical period....
upon a request by Francesco Melzi d'Eril, nominated Duke of Lodi by Napoleon himself and for whom he fulfilled the role of vice-president of the Italian Republic
Italian Republic (Napoleonic)
The Italian Republic was a short-lived republic located in Northern Italy. It was a vassal state of the First French Republic of Napoleon.-The republic:...
from 1802. From 1805, with the advent of the short-lived Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state founded in Northern Italy by Napoleon, fully influenced by revolutionary France, that ended with his defeat and fall.-Constitutional statutes:...
he fulfilled the role of Chancellor of the Empire.
Even after his political career, since this was a Melzi residence, the construction, which he wanted as elegant as the Royal Villa of Monza
Monza
Monza is a city and comune on the river Lambro, a tributary of the Po, in the Lombardy region of Italy some 15 km north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the Province of Monza and Brianza. It is best known for its Grand Prix motor racing circuit, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.On June...
and the other villas situated on the Lake of Como, was decorated and furnished by famous artists of the period: artists Appiani and Bossi, sculptors Canova and Comolli, and the founder Manfredini. He also had a collector’s passion which, on Lake of Como, did not have any rivals except for the figure of Giovan Battista Sommariva, owner of the villa bearing the same name (nowadays Villa Carlotta), who, politically defeated by Melzi himself (who was preferred by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802 as vice-president of the Italian Republic), tried to re-acquire the lost prestige by assembling an extraordinary art collection.
Villa Melzi is introduced by its English style gardens which develops harmoniously along the lake’s banks, the last offshoot in the hill picture of the peninsula of Bellagio, to the south of the inhabited area. The realisation of such a garden implied notable interventions to the structure of the land and the realisation of outstanding supporting walls. In such surroundings, enriched by monuments, artefacts (amongst which a Venetian gondola transported to Bellagio, expressly desired by Napoleon, and two precious Egyptian statues), rare exotic plants, secular trees, hedges of camellias, groves of azaleas and gigantic rhododendrons, the villa, the chapel and the glass house constitute an extraordinary ensemble in which the neoclassical style reaches one of the highest peaks.
Plane
The airports nearest to Bellagio are:- Malpensa International Airport (MXP) in MilanMilanMilan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
- Linate AirportLinate AirportLinate Airport is one of the three major airports of Milan, Italy, along with Malpensa Airport and Orio al Serio Airport. Due to its closer proximity to Milan—it is east southeast of the city, compared with Malpensa, which is northwest of the city—it is mainly used for domestic and short-haul...
(LIN) in Milan - Orio al Serio International AirportOrio al Serio AirportCaravaggio Airport Bergamo Orio al Serio aka Bergamo-Orio al Serio Airport is an airport located in Orio al Serio, southeast of Bergamo, Italy. It is popular with low-cost airlines offering flights to Milan, 45 km away from the airport...
(BGY) in BergamoBergamoBergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
Train
Multiple options:- take a train from Milan to Como (two lines, operated respectively by Trenitalia and LeNord)
- take a train from Milan to VarennaVarennaVarenna is a comune on Lake Como in the Province of Lecco in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 60 km north of Milan and about 20 km northwest of Lecco...
(operated by Trenitalia) - take a train from Milan to LeccoLeccoLecco is a town of c. 47,760 inhabitants in Lombardy, northern Italy, north of Milan, the capital of the province of Lecco. It lies at the end of the south-eastern branch of Lake Como...
(operated by Trenitalia) - take a train from Milan to AssoAssoAsso is an Italian comune in the province of Como, in Lombardy, Italy. It has 3,524 citizens and an area of 6.46 km², with a density of 546 people/km².-Main sights:Significant historic buildings are:...
(operated by LeNord; nearest train station supplied town)
For more information on trains, see Trenitalia
Trenitalia
Trenitalia is the primary train operator in Italy. Trenitalia is owned by Ferrovie dello Stato, itself owned by the Italian Government. It was created in 2000 following the EU directive on the deregulation of rail transport.-Passenger transport:...
or LeNord (in Italian)
Hydrofoil
A hydrofoilHydrofoil
A hydrofoil is a foil which operates in water. They are similar in appearance and purpose to airfoils.Hydrofoils can be artificial, such as the rudder or keel on a boat, the diving planes on a submarine, a surfboard fin, or occur naturally, as with fish fins, the flippers of aquatic mammals, the...
runs from Como to Bellagio, making stops at the other towns on Lake Como along the way. A ferry also runs from Varenna to Bellagio. For more information, visit Gestione Governativa Navigazione Laghi.
Road
Bellagio is accessible by narrow and windy roads from Como and Lecco. It is much safer to drive from Como up to Cadenabbia and use the reasonably priced car ferry for the quick trip across to Bellagio. The road from Como up the eastern side of the left leg of the lake is very narrow and windy. Public buses run daily from Como to Bellagio.An alternative could be to follow the four lane road on the eastern shore of the right leg of the lake, travel to Varenna and get on the ferry to Bellagio.
Culture
The Rockefeller Foundation has operated its Bellagio Center on Lake Como since 1960. The Bellagio Center operates two main programs: residencies and conferences. The residency program offers influential scholars, artists, writers, scientists, policymakers and other professionals from around the world the opportunity to pursue ideas and to engage others in their work. The conference program aims to bring notable and diverse participants from around the world together to share ideas, to debate and to collaborate.International relations
Bellagio is a founding member of the DouzelageDouzelage
The Douzelage is a town twinning association with one town from each of the member states of the European Union.The name is a combination of the French words "douze" for twelve and "jumelage" for twinning and stands for the twelve founder members, one for each European Union member state in 1991,...
, a unique town twinning
Town twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
association of 24 towns across the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. This active town twinning began in 1991 and there are regular events, such as a produce market from each of the other countries and festivals. Discussions regarding membership are also in hand with three further towns (Agros
Agros, Cyprus
Agros is a village built on the Troödos Mountains, in the region of Pitsilia, in southwest Cyprus, which has built amphitheatrically among high mountains at an altitude of 1100 metres with a population of approximately 1,000. Agros is one of the most interesting villages of Cyprus and the...
in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, Škofja Loka
Škofja Loka
-Art colony:Before the civil war in the former Yugoslavia the Serbian town of Smederevska Palanka and the town of Škofja Loka held art colonies Groharijeva kolonija run by an art teacher from elementary school Olga Milošević in Smederevska Palanka. Now, after the split of SFR Yugoslavia, the two...
in Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
, and Tryavna
Tryavna
Tryavna is a town in central Bulgaria, situated in the north slopes of the Balkan range, on the Tryavna river valley, near Gabrovo. It is famous for its textile industry and typical National Revival architecture, featuring 140 cultural monuments, museums and expositions...
in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
).