Iseo
Iseo is the main town on the lake of the same name, an enchanting medieval town straddling the lake and the hills of Franciacorta.
The lakefront was rearranged in 1800, while the center still retains the layout of the ancient fortified village and a truly unique sacred area at the intersection of picturesque alleys: on one side is the Pieve di Sant’Andrea with a very unique bell tower at the center of the facade, which houses a canvas dedicated to the Archangel Michael of Hayez, one of the masters of world neoclassicism. Opposite is the entrance to the Church of San Silvestro, which preserves a precious fresco of the Danza Macabra.Other buildings to admire are the Oldofredi Castle, whose original construction dates back to 1100, which now houses the Municipal Library, and the Palazzo dell’Arsenale, enlarged between 1300 and 1400, where you can visit a renowned contemporary art space.
Iseo is also a modern center of culture: since 1998 it has hosted the Institute of Economic and Employment Studies (ISEO), founded by the Nobel Prize for Economics, Franco Modigliani is now chaired by another famous Nobel Prize, the American Robert Solow. It organizes a Summer School reserved for Ph.D. students known all over the world, and international conferences in which 28 Nobel laureates have taken part.
Furthermore, for seven years now, the Municipal Administration has been organizing the Festival dei Laghi, a glittering showcase for the large tourist basins but above all for the many picturesque lakes still little known, guardians of an environmental, cultural and gastronomic heritage. other than minor. An international level event that attracts thousands of visitors to the Sebino capital. (source: Municipality of Iseo)