Franciacorta Voyage Tips and guide

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Franciacorta regions - Color-coded map — switch to static map

The most important towns in Franciacorta are:

• 45.65861110.0536111 Iseo — by Lake Iseo, it has many historical buildings such as the medieval Oldofredi Castle, the Parish Church and the first monument ever built to Giuseppe Garibaldi.
• Rovato —
• Palazzolo sull'Oglio — by the Oglio River, it is the biggest town of the region.

• 45.66222210.0022221 Clusane - by Lake Iseo, it was a fishermen villages and it is famous for the Roasted Tench with polenta (in Italian: Tinca al forno con Polenta).

In this region you can speak Italian, often Lombard and in tourist areas also English and German.

The nearest airport is:

• 45.6661869.7018082 Bergamo-Orio al Serio international airport (Il Caravaggio international Airport BGY ^IATA), Via Aeroporto 13, Orio al Serio (from Orio al Serio you can take a coach (autostradale) to Brescia and then the train or a bus to Franciacorta or take a bus to Bergamo Railway Station and then a train to Rovato or Palazzolo sull'Oglio), ☏ +39 035 326323. The fourth busiest airport in Italy, it serves many destinations in Europe and North Africa. Its main airline is Ryanair; other companies are Wizzair, with flights to the Central-East Europe and Air Dolomiti, which connects the airport with Munich. 

Other airports in the surrounding area are:

• Milan-Malpensa: Milan main airport with intercontinental destinations;
• Milan-Linate: Milan city airport with domestic and European flights;
• Brescia-Montichiari: Very small airport used only for cargo;
• Verona-Villa Franca;

To reach Franciacorta by car you have to take the highway (Milan-Venice) and to exit at Rovato or Palazzolo sull'Oglio.

You can reach Franciacorta with the following railways:

• Milan-Venice - stations: Rovato
• Brescia-Iseo-Edolo - stations: Iseo, Provaglio d'Iseo-Timoline, Borgonato-Adro, Bornato-Calino, Passirano, Paderno, Castegnato
• Lecco-Bergamo-Brescia - stations: Rovato, Coccaglio, Palazzolo sull'Oglio

In the region there are many medieval castles and monasteries.

• 45.66144710.0028961 Carmagnola Castle, Via Ponta 2, Clusane, [email protected]. Now the castle is private but it's possible to visit it by appointment. Situated on a little hill in the historic centre of the village, this castle was built under the government of Oldofredi, a local feudal family, in the 14th century, but its current name is more recent: in 1427 the Republic of Venice obtained this castle and then it was given to an important chieftain, Francesco di Bussone, called Carmagnola. It has a square plan with a central court, and in the past there was a deep defensive ditch with a drawbridge. 

• 45.598910.05732 Passirano Castle. Built around 1100 AD, it had a defensive function. Today it is private and you can't enter inside. In conserves a part of the moat, some round towers like the Specola Tower where in the 18th there was an astronomic observatory. It has got Ghibellines battlements. 
• 45.64743810.029383 Le Torbiere del Sebino (a peat bog) (between Iseo, Provaglio d'Iseo and Corte Franca). You have to buy a ticket from an automatic machine at the entrances of the natural reserve. 

Franciacorta is famous for the homonym sparkling wine with DOCG status. It was the official sparkling wine at Expo 2015 in Milan. Other DOC wine produced in this region are called Terre di Franciacorta and are divided into two categories: a Burgundy-style Bianco based either on Chardonnay or Pinot bianco or a blend of both, and a Bordeaux-style Rosso based on either Cabernet Franc or Cabernet Sauvignon or both, and Merlot, with smaller amounts of Nebbiolo and Barbera.