The Tenno Capital: A Historical Node in the Ancient Roads

The Tenno capital is an element of great importance because it symbolizes the central role that point had in the past. In the past, in fact, it was customary to erect such structures at points of intersection between several roads. Many paths of the past, which are difficult to identify today, passed through here. Turning toward the capitol, on the right you reach Volta di No, and going down you reach Arco; going straight on you climb up the Strada Vecchia to Lake Tenno; on the left you can access the village of Frapporta and from there go down to Deva, while going downhill along the walls-where the fountain is now located-there is a path that leads to Pranzo; behind your back the Gola path starts, leading to the Varone waterfall and then toward Riva.

The Capitello as a Place of Meeting and Politics

Throughout Tenno's history, the Capitello was the meeting place of the dean of the quadra with his councillors to sign the charter of the Regola, thus a place of great importance from a local political point of view as well. Another relevant historical fact that happened in Tenno was the oath to Bishop Federico Vanga that took place in the Pieve, the present Church of the Immaculate Conception, on October 30, 1211. The document of allegiance is of utmost interest since it mentions the villas of Tenno and their respective general council. Before the bishop, in the priests' garden of the parish church, nineteen people swore an oath, representing the four quadres of the community: the Ville del Monte, del Piano, Collina and Pranzo. Here, those present swore an oath on the Gospels to be faithful to the castle, to provide help and advice to the bishop or his representatives, and to provide the necessary guard and defense services both in times of peace and war. The pledge covered men from fourteen to sixty years of age, who individually swore an oath before their representatives. The Vanga pledged to respect the right of castellania, guaranteeing the community shelter in the castle in both times of peace and war.

The Social Organization of Tenno: An Interweaving of Powers and Community.

The term used to define the community of Tenno suggests a complex rural organization, with a general commune that represented the interests of the various quadres. This social system, influenced by the church and local autonomy, helped shape Tenno's unique identity over the centuries. The connection with the plebate and the representation of all the villas leads to glimpses of a broader rural organization, sandwiched between the powers of the bishop and the autonomy of the individual hamlets, based on an as-yet unclear but significant intermingling of the rural commune, the quadra, and the vicinia, which, as Pranzo's documents show, often overlapped or flanked each other.