Via Roma, 3, 23036 Teglio SO
The vast Teglio promontory has been inhabited by humans since at least the 3rd millennium BC, as proven by the great number of petroglyphs and prehistoric relics that have been found there.
The engraved Copper-Age steles in the Antiquarium Tellinum of Palazzo Besta are exceptional exemplars.
Perched on a natural terrace with sun-bathed arable land, well separated from the valley floor and easily defended, Teglio has long enjoyed ideal conditions for human settlement. Traces of Roman presence have also been found under the Hotel Combolo, behind the church of Santa Eufemia.
Atop the tree-covered hill dominating the town stands the Torre de li beli miri [Tower of Beautiful Views], the only surviving element of a long-lost castle. It has become the symbol of Teglio, which, thanks to its central position and historical importance, has given its name to the entire valley (the adjective for Teglio is tellino, thus Vallis Tellina).
Established when the valley was first evangelized (5th-6th century), Santa Eufemia stands on the ruins of three former buildings. The current plan with a nave and two aisles derives from the Romanesque church consecrated in 1117 by the bishop Guido Grimoldi. As Teglio’s parish church, it has evolved over the centuries and now features elements of every period and style.
The façade has no peers in the province. Its very unique appearance is due above all to elements added in the early 16th century: the marble rose window, the porch supported on slender columns, and the splendid main door with the sculptural group of Christ emerging from the Tomb with Mary and John in the lunette. The Renaissance-style geometrical patterns above the porch were added in the 1930s.
The church is not dedicated to the Virgin, but the center of the rose window bears a very tender Madonna and Child while various manifestations of Marian faith are found inside. The chapel at the head of the right aisle was already dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary in 1117. It now features a neoclassical marble altar (1782). The right wall also bears devotional frescoes from the Renaissance period, including two Enthroned Mothers and Child.
The most recent space dedicated to Mary is the first chapel on the left, created in 1731 by the Confraternity of the Disciplini whose patron saint was Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. Known as “Bianchi” for the white color of their habits, the Disciplini had an oratory opposite the church, still known as the Oratorio dei Bianchi. The wooden altar in the chapel comes from the oratory and bears a beautiful statue of the Immacolata.
