Ermoaldo's legend...

In the past the Pieve of Valtenesi, today called “Pieve Vecchia'', was the most important church of the area. It was here that people celebrated baptisms once a year, and for this reason the faithful of the whole valley made their way along established paths, bringing with them breakfast because everyone took part in the afternoon mass. They travelled by carts, on horseback, on foot or in the arms of their parents, to take part in this celebration that also became the greatest fair of the year and that remained for a long time in the tradition of “eating eggs at Pieve on Easter Monday ''. The benediction of the priest and the language of love, the meeting with friends and relatives represented a rest for the body, the spirit and a reconciliation with the poverty, the privation of the simple life and the misery.

We are at the beginning of 700 A.D Ermoaldo, the parish priest of Valtenesi, a young parson, reproached the wicked dissolute, who couldn’t stand his preaching, so they decided to frame him; they went to the Bishop and invented accusations of falsehood and debauchery against Ermoaldo . So, the bishop went to the Pieve and questioned the young man, who stated to be innocent. Considering he couldn't get evidence, the bishop asked Ermoaldo to swear on the Bible. Ermoaldo refused and said he wasn’t guilty. The bishop invited him to go walking the next day and they arrived at the beach.

After this miracle, the accusers fled and the people celebrated , but it seemed Elmoardo wanted to leave the Pieve to withdraw to the monastery of Monte Cassino (727 A.D.). Over there, rector Petronace sent him as the first abbot of the famous Badia of Leno, well-founded by Desiderio, the last king of Longobards. It seems that abbot Ermoaldo lived there until 789 A.D. .