Tresivio

Tresivio lies on the slopes of the Valtellina in the Alps. From 1381 a Visconti governor of the valley had his seat here, and from 1395 until 1512 its captain also resided at Tresivio. When the Three Leagues took control of the Valtellina in 1512, the administrative centre was moved to Sondrio.

The community experienced the wars that followed the 1620 uprising against the Grisons, as well as famine and the plague of 1630. In their aftermath the valley communities chose Tresivio for a Marian sanctuary: the foundation stone of the Santa Casa was laid in 1646. The sanctuary gave the village a continuing place in the religious life of the valley.