Teglio

Teglio is a Valtellina hilltown at 856 metres on the south-facing slope of the valley, with terraced vineyards descending toward the Adda river and pine forests climbing to the Orobie ridge behind. The Latin name Tellina Vallis ("valley of Teglio") gave the entire Valtellina its name — Teglio sat at the strategic centre of the valley in medieval times and the comune's records reach to the 9th century. The set piece is Palazzo Besta, a Renaissance noble residence built between 1510 and 1539 by the Besta family with one of the most complete provincial Italian-Renaissance fresco cycles north of Florence — the courtyard frescoes depict scenes from Virgil's Aeneid, and the upper salons hold biblical and mythological cycles. The Antiquarium Tellinum in the palazzo holds Iron Age and Roman material from the Valtellina. Teglio is also the official birthplace of pizzoccheri (the Accademia del Pizzocchero di Teglio regulates the original recipe — buckwheat tagliatelle with savoy cabbage, potato, garlic-and-butter sauce, and casera cheese) and is a Cittaslow member on the strength of that food culture and the terraced viticulture below the village.