Magasa () is a village and comune (municipality) in the province of Brescia in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy, located about northeast of Milan and about northwest of Brescia. It has 104 inhabitants.
The abundance of pastures has always been significant for the village economy. Dedicated to cattle raising which survives still today in summer mountain barns with production of milk, from which famous cheeses and butter are obtained. The historical core is a crossing of small passages with peasants' high and narrow houses.
Magasa borders the municipalities of Bondone, Ledro, Tignale, Tremosine sul Garda, and Valvestino.
History Magasa's origins go back to the Celtics; they called the place mag, the field. The Stoni and the Gallic Cenomani, then the Romans and the Lombards lived here. The Lodrone family established in Magasa from 1200 to 1807. It became part of Italy in 1919. Magasa was separated from Trentino in 1934, and became a hamlet of Turano.
The ancient administrative autonomy of 1589, was achieved again in 1947.
Demographics As of 2026, the population is 104, of which 58.7% are male, and 41.3% are female. Minors make up 1.0% of the population (the lowest share out of all Italian municipalities), and seniors make up 48.1%.
Immigration As of 2025, immigrants make up 2.0% of the population. The foreign countries of birth are Germany and Switzerland.
Administration Mayors of Magasa since 1948: MayorStart of termEnd of termPartyGiuseppe Zeni19481960Civic listAngelo Gamba19601964Civic listAndrea De Rossi19641965 -Fioravante Gottardi19651972Civic listDino Venturini19721975Civic listAntonio Zeni19751980Civic listEvaristo Venturini19801991Civic listGiorgio Venturini19911999Civic listZaira Romano19992000 -Ermenegildo Venturini20002010Civic listFederico Venturini20102026Civic listOmar Venturini2026IncumbentCivic list
Culture Magasa's church is dedicated to Sant'Antonio Abate, mid 18th century.Magasa, Province of Brescia, DeAdostini, Novara, 2009. Inside, the religious building is characterized by the floor in red and yellow stones from the Denervo mountain. The church, of allegedly of Lombards' origins, was restored in 1547 and is the pilgrimage arrival on occasion of the patron's day, 10 August. An ancient ritual is renewed, instituted by testament in 1588, with the distribution to every participant to the religious celebration of one piece of bread and fifth of wine.
Today, the village of Magasa is the owner of the church and it is morally engaged to comply with the original benefactor's desire to renew the tradition. The bright sky of Cima Rest, free from any pollution, has allowed the association Astrofili di Salò to arrange an Astronomical public observatory.
Traditions Feast of Alpine troops in August; Feast of the cheese in Cima Rest in September.
The haylofts of Cima Rest The waterproof straw-roofed haylofts of plateau Denai and Cima Rest — the latter of which contains the Ethnographic Museum of the Valvestino — are mentioned for the first time in a document dated 1613. Some historians have established a link between their constructive type and some low Middle Age constructions; others say that Lombards from Hungary built them in 600 AD.
See also Cima Rest Monte Camiolo
References
Bibliography Bruno Festa, Boschi, fienili e malghe - Magasa tra il XVI e il XX secolo, Grafo edizioni, Brescia 1998; Nicola Gallinaro ed Elio Della Ferrera, Terra tra due laghi, Consorzio Forestale della Valvestino, Sondrio 2004; Gianpaolo Zeni, "En Merica!" - L'emigrazione della gente di Magasa e Val Vestino in America, Comune e Biblioteca di Magasa, Bagnolo Mella 2005; Gianpaolo Zeni, La guerra delle Sette Settimane. La campagna garibaldina del 1866 sul fronte di Magasa e Val Vestino, Comune e Biblioteca di Magasa, Bagnolo Mella 2006; Vito Zeni, La valle di Vestino - Appunti di storia locale, Fondazione Civiltà Bresciana 1993. Gianpaolo Zeni, Al servizio dei Lodron. La storia di sei secoli di intensi rapporti tra le comunità di Magasa e Val Vestino e la nobile famiglia dei Conti di Lodrone, Comune e Biblioteca di Magasa, Bagnolo Mella 2007.