Sella Giudicarie

Sella Giudicarie is a municipality which was created on 1 January 2016 with the merger of several smaller ones.

Roncone is a village made up of little clusters of neat little old houses overlooking the Adanà stream, protected by walls, and dotted with little squares and their granite fountains, cobbled lanes, and houses with entrances decorated with religious imagery.

Along with Lake Idro, the beautiful Lake Roncone is one of the best known lakes in the area. In 2017, the lake was awarded a blue flag for water quality, sustainable tourism, waste management and the improvement of the natural areas.

In 1958 Roncone was the first village in the region to be connected to the dairies at Malga Avalina and Malga Pozze by a 5km-long “milk duct”, a pipe used to transport the fresh milk down from the high mountain pastures. As well as animal farming, wood working and industry, tourism has grown (accommodation and sporting facilities) thanks to the little lake below the village which was created by the damming of the river and which has recently been cleaned up.

Sella Giudicarie

The upper part of the village is dominated by the parish church of Santo Stefano, a baroque building dating from 1624 (extended in 1654) with a bell tower and a recently restored façade. Inside, the wood carvings on the choir and the organ case are the work of local carver Gian Battista Polana. In the middle of the choir stalls David sits leaning on a harp whilst on the top of the organ case, which forms a wonderful frame for the pipes of the old organ, are two angelic musicians. Also worthy of note is the wooden altar dedicated to the Sacred Heart, a remarkable work by Polana, his third wooden altar, whilst the one dedicated to La Pietà is from 1640.

The altarpiece of the Assumption and St Stephen and St Vigilius, with its elegant marble surround, dates from the 18th century. The decoration is by Matteo Tevini (1936). Another notable feature is the entrance, accessed by a broad staircase built in 1848.