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The community of Pisogne comprises of a large area extending from the slopes of Mount Guglielmo down to Val Camonica and ending with the shores of Lake Iseo.Within the municipality are many different villages and hamlets : some mountainside, such as Fraine, Grinaghe, Siniga, Sonvico, Pontasio, others, such as Gratacasolo, are in the floodplain of the river Oglio, others still, such as Govine, beside the torrent Trobiolo, or on the shores of the lake, such as Toline. Pisogne has always been the doorway to the Val Camonica. In the past when the water of the lake penetrated further into the hinterland, three roads connected Pisogne to Brescia: the lakeside PisogneIseo, most important for trade, and two, difficult mountain roads: one that descended to Marone, crossing the Croce di Zone pass, and the other which arrived in Val Trompia passing the Colma di San Zeno.
The etymological origins of the name Pisogne could come from a noble Roman family, perhaps the Gens Pisonia. However, according to another interpretation the name could derive from an ancient Celtic root combining with a medieval Latin terminology (Pis= waterfall ogne = Alder, type of tree). As attested by the carbonised remains of some ancient pirogues (canoe-type vessels) found in peat and by rock inscriptions located at the Biusca, the area was already inhabitated in prehistoric times. With every probability the primitive nucleous of Pisogne formed along the Roman road, where the ancient parish church of St. Maria in Silvis is. The successive medieval quarter developed near the lake. Remains of the walls can still be seen, such as Porta Capovilla and Porta di Via dei Monti. In medieval times Pisogne was a flourishing centre of commerce for the whole of the Val Camonica. In Pisogne one could find goods of every type: typical spelt (wheat ) from Pisogne, chestnuts, fodder, cheese, wool, timber and some forged products.
During the medieval feud of the Bishop of Brescia, Pisogne was in the charge of a "gastaldo" (chamberlain) who maintained public order and collected the duties. During the war fought in 1119 between Brescia and Bergamo for the possession of Volpino, the town was almost completely destroyed and later reconstructed. Subsequently, even though under the Bishop of Brescia's domination, it was caught up in the battles between Milan and Venice for the control of the Val Camonica area.
In the 13th century Pisogne together with some neighbouring villages joined a league called the "Vicinia". In 1462 the Bishop Bartolomeo Malipiero renounced his control of Pisogne in exchange for Bagnolo Mella and Pisogne became a free municipality. But the tower in Piazza Mercato, remained under his domination until its acquisition by the municipality in the 1800s. In spite of this autonomy, the religious authorities' influence in Pisogne remained strong. In 1518 eight women, accused of witchcraft, were viciously burnt alive in Piazza del Mercato, after being subjected to terrible interrogations by the deputy of the Inquisition, a priest called Bernardino de' Grossis. Towards the mid 1500s the community of Pisogne finally became a part of the Venetian Republic. Then began a period of peace and economic development.
In 1580 the Archbishop of Milan, Carlo Borromeo, during a pastoral visit to Val Camonica established in Pisogne two religious communities. The first being the Augustinians who built the sanctuary of S. Maria delle Neve, which was wonderfully frescoed by Girolamo Romanino so that it also came to be known as "la Cappella Sistina dei poveri" (the Sistine Chapel of the Poor). The second being the Cappuccini (Capuchin monks), who had their convent , which also was a home for the poor, in Via Capovilla. The terrible plague of 1630 decimated the population of Pisogne; only the quarter of Govine remained unharmed and the inhabitants, in recognition to the Virgin, erected the small church called La Madonnina (the little Madonna ).
At the beginning of the 1700s the area was the scene of crimes by the infamous bandit Giorgio Vicario, who together with his gang, tormented and bullied all of the lower valley.
With the end of the "Serenissima" (the Venetian republic), Pisogne fell under the Napoleonic administration, that in 1805 once and for all banned all the "Vicinie". In spite of the harsh battles between the Austrians and the French and some natural disasters, due to flooding, the community benefitted from the wise policies of the Napoleonic government. In 1817, after the reclamation of a large marshland area, the wide piazza Giardino (Garden Square) was made, later to be called piazza S. Costanzo and today piazza Umberto 1. The 20th century opened with the inaugauration in 1907, of the Iseo-Edolo railway, which gave new strength to the development of the iron industry and particularly to the rolling-mills.
2 - The Church and the Torrazzo 3 - Pisogne's Doors 4 - The Park, a Nature's Oasis 5 - The Park, a Rich Garden of Treasures 6 - Santa Maria in Silvis: the ancient Church 7 - Santa Maria della Neve or della Longa 8 - Antica Valeriana Avenue and San Marco Avenue 9 - The district of Püda or Pozza
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