Village of Cornello dei Tasso

Cornello has linked its name to the ancient Tasso family, world-renowned for the poetic talents of Torquato Tasso and the entrepreneurial skills of some of its exponents who, beginning in the 16th century, managed the imperial post of the Habsburgs.
The medieval village of Cornello dei Tasso is one of the most fascinating places in the Brembana Valley. Once an important trading hub and passage along the Via Mercatorum, it connected Bergamo to Valtellina and housed the valley's only market.The name Cornello appears as early as 1309 in a parchment linked to Ruggero Tasso, a descendant of the founder of the family, Omodeo. It probably derives from corna, “rock” in Bergamo dialect, a reference to the rocky spur overlooking the Brembo River.
The village experienced a golden period in the Middle Ages, but in 1592, with the construction of the Priula Road, it was excluded from the new route. An isolation that marked its decline... but that allowed its original structure to be preserved intact, today one of the reasons that led Cornello to be included among “The Most Beautiful Villages in Italy.”.
The village is developed on three concentric levels:
- the arcaded street, the commercial heart and part of the ancient Via Mercatorum;
- The residential level, with the historic houses;
- the church of Saints Cornelius and Cyprian, which dominates the village with its small square from above.
A walk here is a journey through time: among stone porticoes, old stores, medieval views and the memory of the Tasso family, masters of mail throughout Europe. Cornello remains one of the most charming villages for those who love history, paths and the atmosphere of yesteryear.
Inside the medieval village of Cornello dei Tasso is the Badger and Postal History Museum.
The museum and the village are intertwined: not only because Cornello is the place of origin of the Tasso family, of which it holds many testimonies, but also because the museum is rooted in the territory in which it is located. The museum is housed in several buildings in the village.
Its rooms tell the story of the post office and of the Tasso family, famous for the poet Torquato and for the skill of some of its exponents who, starting in the 16th century, managed the Habsburg post office. Here, in fact, are preserved numerous objects and documents related to their activities in the management of postal services, the history of mail and the transmission of information, such as the world's first postage stamp, the famous “Penny Black.”.