Lenta
Lenta is a small agricultural town in Baraggia. It is very interesting from a historical, archaeological and architectural point of view.
THE TOWN OF LENTA
The town plan, a combination of ricetto (fortified area) and castle, defines the town as a kind of “religious fortification”.
The 14th century castle is particularly interesting. It is home to the Benedictine women’s monastery, which was once used as a defence area, and the remains of the ancient ricetto, whose ancient houses and narrow lanes can still be seen.
Near the ricetto is the parish church of Sant’Olimpio with its fascinating crypt of St. Blaise.
Other religious buildings of interest are the Parish Church of St. Stephen – built in the 11th century in the Romanesque style on a previously existing construction that dates back to the 6th century, it features precious frescoes; then you will find the Church of Our Lady of the Fields with its ancient structure that is probably contemporary to the Parish Church, which is also frescoed.
THE BARAGGIA OF LENTA
Near Lenta you will find one of the portions of Baraggia protected by the Baragge Oriented Nature Reserve.
The Reserve aims at the protection and conservation of this particular environment, which at times resembles the African Savannah.
Until the 1990s, the military presence in Lenta was very strong. It is still strange to note that Baraggia di Lenta is the site of a small Italian Army base where almost 3,000 disused armoured vehicles from previous military operations are piled up, making it the largest concentration of armoured vehicles in the world.
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