Via Roma, 1, 23010 Buglio In Monte SO
If you tour it along the valley bottom, Valtellina seems to be a very long valley delimited on each side by slopes that differ greatly from one another: to the south they are forested with chestnuts and other trees, while the southern-facing slopes to the north are characterized by vineyards and meadows surrounding villages perched here and there.
And you tend not to note the side valleys.
The Cammino mariano stays off the valley floor, leading you through the shade of these narrow valleys before emerging again into the light and rewarding you with splendid vistas. This is good description of the trail from Valle del Gaggio to Buglio, looking out over the Selvetta plain from its natural terrace.
The village developed around the church of San Fedele, which already existed in the late Middle Ages but was elevated to parish church only in 1437, when Buglio separated from Ardenno. The newfound autonomy must have made the old church feel inadequate, and it was rebuilt by 1521, the year it was consecrated.
The three small splendid Renaissance stained-glass windows date to this period, two in the upper wall of the presbytery and one over the side entrance on the right (Photo 1). Also dating to c. 1521 is the beautiful Polyptych of the Magdalene, with paintings by Vincenzo de Barberis of Brescia in gilded wooden frames.
The church was again rebuilt in the 17th century according to the typical single-nave plan with lateral chapels and a broad presbytery. Highly experienced stonecutters and masons came from Canton Ticino in Switzerland to work on the new church and on many other sites in the valley, including the master Martino Adamo da Carona, whose name is associated with the construction of the bell tower (1663-1667).
With the generous help of the faithful who had emigrated to Rome, new wooden, scagliola, or marble altars and paintings, in the then-current Baroque style, were gradually installed in the chapels. Among the most prized furnishings, please note the wooden seat in the presbytery by Giovan Battista Del Piaz, a wood carver from Trento who had settled in Valtellina.
In 1920, the church was extended by about ten meters with the addition of another span and chapels. Recovered elements were incorporated into the new façade, such as the main door (1687) and the stucco statues of San Fedele and the Madonna and Child.
The building is not dedicated to the Virgin, but there are many Marian images testifying to a faith that never faded. During the Second World War, when tragic events unfolded in the village, the statue of Mary in the second chapel on the left became a particularly important focus of devotion.
