Premana Rivives the Past

The village that goes back in time

Premana Rivive l'Antico is the grand historical re-enactment of Premana, a village entirely in the mountains in the province of Lecco at the end of the upper Valvarrone. Every two years, for an entire weekend, the alleys and streets of the historic centre come alive with period settings, ancient crafts, traditional costumes, and scenes of daily life that take visitors back to the Premana of the past. It is one of the most heartfelt and popular events in the Lecco area, organised by the Pro Loco of Premana together with numerous local associations.

Over five hundred participants

The heart of the re-enactment are the over five hundred participants who, in period dress, bring an authentic slice of the past to life: work in the forges, cooking with old recipes, embroidery, singing traditional songs. The organisational machine involves the entire community, which in the preceding months prepares the event with courses dedicated to the population – from the Premana cooking course to the new one for 2026, on embroidery with "punto pittura", the technique used to create the pézze, the typical embroidered bib rich in Premana's traditional symbols and meanings.

The identity of a mountain village

Premana is famous throughout Italy for the production of knives, scissors, and blades: an art of iron that has its roots in centuries past and which the re-enactment proudly showcases. But Rivive l'Antico is above all an act of collective memory, a way to enhance and pass down the material and immaterial culture of a mountain community that has managed to preserve its dialect, its crafts, and its traditions. Walking through the streets during the event means entering a living museum, where every corner tells a story.

A festival prepared all year round

The biennial frequency makes each edition an eagerly awaited event, prepared months in advance by the Pro Loco and local associations. With hand-sewn costumes, meticulously detailed settings, and the choral participation of entire Premana families, the event has become a model of authentic re-enactment, far from sensationalism and faithful to the historical reality of the village.