The house

The Castagna family is delighted to welcome you

The history of Casa Castagna starting from 1620. During the imposing work of renovation, started by the Castagna family in 2018, a threshold has been found showing the year of the construction 1620. Extracted with extreme accuracy, today is visible inside of the house together with the discovery of an equally fascinating fresco, expertly restored, dated 1623 with an early depiction of the small gulf.

Analyzing the material that was found inside the house, dated 1824 you go back to the history of the first owners of house Castagna.

The house was owened by two ancient families of Mergozzo: De Giuli family and Tamini family. The history develops from Mr Angelo Antonio De Giuli and Mrs Marianna Tamini.

Mrs Marianna Tamini worked as a weaver of linen with her spinning mill situated in the neighbourhood of Mergozzo called “theStone.” Often, she went down to the lake in the neighbourhood “Shore” to deliver her work. This activity is supposed from the discovery by historians of an old settled bill from the social diary of Mergozzo for the furniture of a quantity of linen cloth. The probably choice to carry out her work in the neighbourhood “the Stone” was due to the security offered from this area respect to the neighbourhood “Shore” subject to frequent flooding of the lake. Infact in the neighbourhood “the Stone” had headquarters many craft activities including the spinning mill of the family Tamini.

Was in the neighbourhood “Shore” when Marianna met Angelo Antonio De Giuli.

Angelo Antonio De Giuli was an expert agronomist of Mergozzo and his family refers to ancient Roman ancestry. He was a very reserved boy who loved his work that delighted him between colors and scents that the richness of the nature gave him. Angelo Antonio lived in his father’s house in front of the square and the lake, in the neighbourhood “Shore”, where from the windows of the upper floors he could see the Lombard Alps. During the warmer seasons the front garden became a living room for reading and contemplation of the life in the village.

In May 1824 he wrote the first letter to Marianna, correspondance found inside house Castagna.

In this letter he gave voice to his feelings towards her with a touching sensitivity and a romantic soul. Indeed he used to begin his love letter with the words “Graceful girl”.

Few days later Marianna replied to the letter with grace, delicacy and sensivity, typical of the nineteenth century, and the literary current of Romanticism, debuting with a timid “Valuable lover”.

In 1825 Angelo Antonio De Giuli and Marianna Tamini were married.

At Mergozzo the family Tamini of the neighbourhood “the Stone” is died out. Remains the house with its large balconies on which the linen was laid out after bleaching.

In the neighbourhood “Shore” the house of De Giuli-Tamini remained in the family and passed down from generation to generation up to the granddaughter Federica Zaccaria, who lives in Brescia ever since guardian of the precious memories of the rich family archives, today at the disposal of our guests in Casa Castagna.

Casa Castagna was aquired in 2017 and renovated by the family Castagna, lover of the territory of Mergozzo, of the research and production of cheeses of which since more than 60 years is known for the quality, professionality and ambition.

This project is born in the hand of Giuseppe and Raffaella who wants to give the opportunity to appreciate the historical structure, the paceful of the small lake of Mergozzo and taste in the little kitchen and in the small ripening, unique products.