Pesa Vegia: Bellano's re-enactment on January 5th - story and programme of 2024

In the town of Bellano, on the eastern shore of Lake Como, you can enjoy an historical festival with traditional costumes that takes place every year in January. Its name is Pesa Vegia, a unique mix of history and fiction, scared and profane, which is unmissable both for adults and children.

The event that inspired this tradition was a protest made by the inhabitants of Bellano against an order to change the weights and measures in force, because this new rule could have damaged local trade. Over the years several contradictory versions were told about the origin of the Pesa Vegia.

In this article we will focus on the interpretation of the festival organized on January 5th of each year and which dates the event back to the seventeenth century, during the Spanish domination. An interesting fact occurred in 1604, when governor Fuentes signed a proclamation on the change of the measurement systems and the introduction of new scales to standardize weights and measures throughout the Duchy of Milan. A year later, however, the governor had to backtrack, due to the great disappointment that the "pesa nova" (the new measures) had created among the population. For this reason, he announced through another document the restoration of the old units of measurement.

According to the legend, on a bitterly cold night the governor left Como for Bellano with a delegation, to make everything official. The people of the town were crowded on the pier. While they were waiting, they were lighting bonfires, until the light of a boat was seen in the darkness of the lake.

The inhabitants immediately shouted "Pesa nova o pesa vegia?" ("new measurements or old measurements?"), "Pesa vegia" was the response. The ordinance was then read from the balcony of the town hall. At that point men and women began to celebrate with singing, dancing and drinking while some young people took the now useless scales and towed them throughout the town. In the meantime, someone remembered that it was the night of the Epiphany and so a procession of the Three Wise Men was also improvised.

During the re-enactment, the arrival of the boat is one of the most awaited moments. Before this, children and teenagers drag noisy scrap metal along the streets to recall the scales to be thrown away.

Shortly afterwards, the governor gets in town, surrounded by ladies and knights, and heads towards the town hall where he reads the ordinance in front of a large and joyful crowd. Then the procession composed of Gaspare, Melchiorre and Baldassarre parades through the streets of the town, followed by the crowd singing the folk song "Teresa di Pom" and competing to grab as many sweets as possible. The night of celebration ends with the lighting of the bonfire on the pier.

Over the years, more and more settings have been introduced. Among them, it is important to name the living nativity scene and the oasis of the Three Wise Men which give a religious meaning to the event together with the unmissable castle of King Herod, where you can enjoy dance shows, fakirs and installations, not always themed, but still spectacular. Other settings are the Podestà's court, the house of Teresa di Pom and the medieval village. On such an original day, the Orrido of Bellano is also opened and it is illuminated by Christmas lights.

In order to visit the settings you can purchase a ticket which will allow you to access all the attractions from the afternoon until the evening, while around 10.30pm the re-enactment will begin with the arrival of the boat, the reading of the ordinance and the fireworks.

This is the detailed programme of the event:

• 10 am – Opening of Orrido Magic Christmas Lights

• 2pm – Opening of the ticket office for ticket sales – Via XX Settembre, 4

• 4pm – Opening of the settings (entrance with pass to be purchased at 12 euros per adult and 6 euros for children between 6 and 12 years old)

• 9pm – Towing of the scales through the streets of the town

• 9.45pm – Performance “Waiting for the Boat” by Andrea Vitali

• 10pm – Arrival of the Spanish boat with the governor, ladies and knights and fireworks at the pier

• 10.20pm – Reading of the Ordinance from the Town Hall Balcony

• 10.45pm – Start of the Procession of the Three Wise Men

• Midnight – Lighting of bonfire on the pier

Enjoy the Pesa Vegia in Bellano on January 5th!

Credits: All the photos contained in this article were taken by photographer Carlo Borlenghi.