SUSSIA: THE VILLAGE
Sussia is a small mountain village, divided between Sussia Bassa and Sussia Alta, located at approximately 1,000 m above sea level.
In Sussia Alta, the birthplace of the Alpine Guide Antonio Baroni is still present and inhabited by his great-grandson Mr. Gianni, located a little higher (1040 m above sea level) than the Church of San Michele (1013 m above sea level) built in 1738.
Furthermore, there is documented news of the existence around the year 1400 of a castle, located upstream from Sussia Alta, called "The Queen's Castle" or "Castle of Cornalba".
The position, on the border with the Brembilla Valley, was of strategic importance.
In 1403 a militia of around two hundred Guelphs, commanded by Bertazzolo Boselli, conquered the manor, razing it to the ground.
Some finds are preserved in the Zogno Valley Museum: fragments of pottery, arrows and a fragment of goat bone, used to make a flute (dating between the 15th and 16th centuries).
In the following years the mountain above took the name "Queen's Castle" and ancient legends tell of treasures hidden within the mountain.
Worthy of note is the Church dedicated to San Michele, cared for and maintained by a group of volunteers (Amici di Sussia).
Mass is celebrated on the occasion of the feast of St. Michael on 29 September and during the Christmas period a Living Nativity Scene is organised.
Next to the small church of Sussia, a small elementary school was built, now in ruins, which functioned until 1920. Recovery projects are being studied to rebuild it and allocate it to a museum dedicated to the mountain guide Antonio Baroni.