Castelleone - Castelleone

Disambiguation - For toponyms of identical name, see Castelleone (disambiguation).

Castelleone is a city of Lombardy.

To know

Geographical notes

Castelleone is located in the Lombardy Po Valley, in the territory cremasco on the border with Cremonese. It is 30 km away. from Cremona, 13.7 km. from Cream, 53 km. from Brescia, 58 km. from Milan.

Background

The Insubri Gauls, the Celts, the Lombards inhabited these areas and have left traces of their presence, collected in the Civic Museum; subsequently the Romans colonized this fertile territory in which the Gerundo Lake was located, a large expanse of water that gradually, thanks to the reclamation carried out by the Cistercian monks in the Middle Ages, was reduced until it disappeared; his memory, however, has been preserved and handed down to the present day.

Tradition links the name of Castelleone to Pope Leo, who would have fortified the town as a defense against the invasion of Attila's Huns. Around the year 1000 in the area there were several scattered fortifications, destroyed in 1186 by the militias of Frederick I Barbarossa together with Castel Manfredi, ancient fortress of Castelleone commissioned by Manfredo, mayor of Cremona.

Subsequently the bishop of Cremona Sicardo in 1188 erected a new castle, where the Court of Bressanoro once existed; it is the birth of Castelleone, whose quadrangular urban plan divided into four districts, is still visible today. Between 1190 and 1199 a tower and the Parish Church were built.

Castelleone was then a Frankish village Separate Land, that is, not subject to the dominion of a city, but was heavily affected by its location among Cremona Ghibelline and Cream Guelph (ally of Milan). For a decade it was also part of the Republic of Venice, from 1499 to 1509: a few years which, however, left deep traces also in the language. The years of invasions and passage of troops and looting ended with the annexation to the Austrian dominions in the eighteenth century. It is in this period that Castelleone loses its appearance of a fortified village when the walls are dismantled, with the consequent expansion of the urban area built starting from the nineteenth century. However, the expansion of the inhabited area has not ruined the historic center, which maintains most of its characteristics well preserved.

How to orient yourself

Castelleone has the setting of the Roman city, with the Piazza del Comune in the center (overlooked by the Town Hall and the Parish Church), and via Roma as cardo, via Garibaldi and via Fondulo as decumano. All the streets of the historic center are networked.

Neighborhoods

Normally the town of Castelleone is divided into 4 areas:

• Via Solferino;
• Old Town;
• Borgo Serio;
• Sanctuary.

The municipal territory also includes the hamlets of Corte Madama, Le Valli, Pellegra, San Latino (which it shares with Gombito), Guzzafame, Pradazzo and Valseresino.

How to get

By plane

• 45.6661869.7018081 Bergamo-Orio al Serio Airport (the Caravaggio), Via Aeroporto 13, Orio al Serio, ☎ 39 035 326323. 
• 45.638.7230562 Milan-Malpensa Airport (MXP), Ferno. The airport has two terminals (T1 and T2), the second is used for low cost flights. The bus service Motorway connects the airport with Milan central station in about 50 minutes, while the Malpensa Express it connects Terminal 1 with Cadorna station (red and green line underground) in 40 minutes. The buses of the Sadem is Motorway reach the city of Turin (2 hours), while the company Foxes make a few trips for Genoa (3 hours). 
• 45.452179.27633 Milan-Linate airport (Enrico Forlanini). 
• 45.42555610.3269444 Brescia Airport (D'Annunzio), Via Aeroporto 34, Montichiari (Connections with Brescia airport are guaranteed by public transport via the bus. The stop a Brescia city ​​is located at the bus station (number 23), while the airport is at the front of the terminal. There are also connections to the city of Verona via bus / shuttle line 1), ☎ 39 045 8095666, @[email protected]. Charter only 

By car

It is bordered by the provincial road 415 PaulleseCremona - Milan

On the train

It has its own station on the line Cremona - Treviglio

How to get around

What see

• 45.3111549.7661061 Church of Santa Maria in Bressanoro, via Santa Maria (in the locality of Le Valli), ☎ 39 0374 58704. It stands isolated above a slight rise in the land in the locality The Valleys, two kilometers outside the town, imposing and majestic. It is built in bricks and has terracotta decorations that underline the architectural elements of the church also inside, as well as outside to frame the portal. The large mass of red tones stands out against the bright green of the countryside, and constitutes one of the most important examples of architecture of the early Sforza period.

It was the Spanish Franciscan Amedeo Menez de Silva who convinced Bianca Maria Visconti, Duchess of Milan and wife of Francesco Sforza, to promote the construction in this place of a large church and an adjoining convent in which the friars of his religious congregation could find hospitality. which were precisely the Amadeiti. In the mid-fifteenth century the idea of ​​the construction therefore started, which saw the beginning of the works in 1465; the considerable financial commitment meant that the works continued until 1470 and beyond.

The name of the architect to whom this valuable construction is owed is unknown. The church, in the form of a Greek cross, has a central square body to which four smaller rooms, also square, are connected to form the Greek cross. This construction method was then resumed in other shrines dedicated to the Virgin, such as the Incoronata di Praise and Santa Maria della Croce a Cream. The large octagonal dome, which develops on high walls, is surrounded by the four lower and smaller side domes. Outside it becomes a mighty lantern.

The interior is full of frescoes that make it spectacular. The walls of the lantern have 29 frescoes that narrate episodes from the life of Christ and have for each episode the title reported in Latin, with evident didactic intent.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

The large fresco of the Crucifixion depicts Bianca Maria Visconti and Ippolita as well as other characters of the ducal family and of the Court, including the young Ludovico il Moro. The entire cycle is dated to the 1590s, and is supposed to be the work of several authors under the direction of the same school of painting, still linked to late Gothic models.

Nothing remains of the buildings of the ancient convent today, after their destruction following the suppression of religious congregations in 1810. 

• 45.3066099.7520562 Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of Mercy, via Villa Misericordia 1. The Sanctuary of the Beata Vergine della Misericordia also dates back to the second half of the fifteenth century, and like the church of Santa Maria in Bressanoro it has its own patron. In fact, in 1485 the Milanese nobleman Giovanni Birago donated a vast land fund to the Lateran Canons to be used for the construction of a monastery and a church. which should have worthily hosted the Madonna of the Passion, a fresco object of particular devotion. Work began immediately the following year, under the direction of the ducal engineer Giovanni Battagio. The construction scheme follows a system of absolute movement: a central space from which the arms of a Greek cross with four exedras branch off.

The construction of the Sanctuary brings to completion the project to erect an important church in memory of the apparition of the Madonna to Domenica Zanenga, a poor local woman; the new temple replaces an earlier small church which was built with the same purpose.

In 1530 Cristoforo Lombardo built the dome which measures 50 meters in height, in addition to the monumental octagonal lantern with two superimposed orders. However, it was with Martino Bassi that in 1573 three naves were added to the side chapels, thus giving the church a longitudinal structure more in keeping with the canons of the Counter-Reformation. The Baroque façade was finally built between 1692 and 1729 based on a design by Giuseppe Rusnati.

The interior houses sixteenth-century frescoes by Dordoni and works by Pesenti, Maltempo, Bacchetta. A painting by an unknown artist depicts the Madonna appearing to Domenica Zanenga; there you can see an overview of the ancient castle.

The monastery was largely rebuilt between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries; few rooms remain, including the Chapter room frescoed by Bergognone. In 1807 the former convent became the seat of the Music Conservatory. The square cloister, with a portico on Tuscan columns attributed to Cristoforo Solari and rebuilt in 1949-59, the Small Room for chamber music, the Big room for symphonic and choral music and the Library (since 1816 music archive of Lombardy) are the remains of the convent which have arrived to our days. 

• 45.2939389.7644533 Parish Church of Saints Philip and James, via Roma. The parish church stands where there was a previous temple of 1199. This was radically transformed on a project by the architect Agostino Fondulo between 1517 and 1551 until it reached the elegant Renaissance forms that we see, underlined by terracotta decorations. The original basilica layout with three naves has been modified by subsequent extensions and connections with the old and new sacristy.

The façade looks onto via Roma, the city's ancient arcaded street and main street, and is somewhat sacrificed. The right-hand side instead delimits a part of the square, with a double row of round windows with two superimposed orders, which lighten the volume of the building.

On this same side there is a side entrance. Three rose windows are also on the façade, one above each entrance, the main portal being larger, those of the side aisles smaller. Pilasters and string courses add further decorative movement.

It preserves an important picture gallery with works by Urbino, Campi, a pseudo Bramantino, Genovesino, Gatti, Ferrario, Massarotti, Ghislina. 

• 45.2948069.7653254 Torre Isso (Torrazzo), Piazza della Vittoria. The Torre Isso, also called Torrazzo, is 47 meters high, is quadrangular in shape, with lateral access, slits and dovetail battlements. It is a remnant of the ancient Castelleone, when it was called Castel Manfredi. It was probably connected to the walls of Borgo Isso, of which some traces remain incorporated in the houses.

Having survived the destruction of the Barbarossa, the Torrazzo has become the symbol of the city rebuilt by the bishop Sicardo in 1188. According to some, its construction dates back to 29 BC; others date it to 950; however, it is the oldest monument that is protected as a reminder of the past and is currently (2013) undergoing major restoration work, after it was used as an aqueduct for years. 

• 45.2939939.7639785 Arco del Voghera. On one side of the central square, interrupting the medieval arcades of via Roma, the Arco del Voghera (the Voltone) frames the avenue that starts from here to lead to the Sanctuary of Mercy. The avenue was opened in 1821, while the Voltone it was built in 1828 to a design by the Cremonese architect Luigi Voghera; the arch is supported by two pairs of Ionic columns with two capitals with large volutes. 
• 45.2932369.7604576 Oratory of San Rocco. In Borgo Serio, a district just outside the walls, since 1478 the presence of an oratory dedicated to San Rocco is testified. The church was rebuilt in 1603; in 1612 the side chapels of San Carlo and Madonna del Carmine were built; in 1631 the bell tower was erected on the right side of the church, then rebuilt in 1802 on the left side after its collapse following an earthquake.The wooden statue of the Saint, placed on the high altar, is flanked by those of San Biagio and Sant 'Antonio. 
• 45.2949139.7662187 Church of the Blessed Virgin at the crib. The construction of the church is placed between 1711 and 1721. The style of the facade (1742) is a combination of Renaissance and Baroque: the architectural lines, the ribs, the pilasters belong to a sober Renaissance; the terracotta frames, with volutes and corkscrew terminals, are baroque peculiarities.

Inside, the frontal of the altar (1713), a good execution in scagliola by Pietro Solari, is worthy of attention. The fresco that acts as an altarpiece, representing a nativity, a miraculous image that pre-existed the church, is unfortunately hidden by a 1935 canvas. 

Events and parties

• Feast of St. Joseph. March 19. A bonfire is made in the Torrazzo square. 
• Feast of the Sanctuary. 11, 12, 13 and 14 May. In memory of the appation of the Virgin. 
• Feast of San Rocco. August 16. It takes place in the Borgo Serio district and in the church of San Rocco. 
• Festival. Second Sunday in October. 
• Antiques Fair. Every second Sunday of the month, except August. 

What to do

Shopping

How to have fun

Where to eat

Average prices

• 45.3157519.7704891 Tre Rose wine shop, via Maltraversa 1 (in the locality of Le Valli), ☎ 39 0374 57021. 
• 45.2702089.7945122 Kamelot, via Montecollero 1 (in the Corte Madama hamlet), ☎ 39 0374 359795. 
• 45.2653799.7532083 Trattoria Gigi and Anna, via Bucalò 2 (in the hamlet of San Latino), ☎ 39 0374 350513. 
• 45.3198659.7683254 Tatamata - pizza restaurant, Villa Molino Soncino 1 (in Molino Soncino), ☎ 39 0374 58165. 
• 45.3016399.7675335 Don Felipe restaurant, via Station 4, ☎ 39 0374 56528, @[email protected]. 
• 45.3291069.7400546 Parco Oriolo Restaurant, Villa Oriolo 3 (in the locality of Oriolo), ☎ 39 0374 359967. 
• 45.2931499.773827 Gli Oleandri Restaurant, via Venturelli 17, ☎ 39 0374 351363. 
• 45.2949139.7662188 Steam Restaurant Pizzeria, via Bressanoro 26, ☎ 39 0374 58163. 
• 45.2956459.7625749 Risto Caffè Gemelli Several, viale Santuario 10, ☎ 39 0374 57032. 
• 45.2637229.75180210 Locanda San Latino (with accommodation), via Pallavicina 8 (in the district San Latino), ☎ 39 0374 58998. 
• 45.3032199.78480711 Country Hall, via Vaprio 2 (in Pradazzo), ☎ 39 0374 359979. 

Where stay

Moderate prices

• 45.3097519.7673511 Agriturismo S.Maria Bressanoro, via San Lorenzo 1 (near the church of Santa Maria in Bressanoro), ☎ 39 3339032205. 
• 45.3033049.7848522 Pradazzo farmhouse, via Vaprio 2 (in Pradazzo), ☎ 39 0374 58519, 39 349 1260439. 
• 45.2892179.7977773 Farmhouse Cascina Cantone, via Villa Cantone 3 (in the hamlet of Pellegra), ☎ 39 0374 359884, 39 339 6583838, fax: 39 0374 358809, @[email protected]. 

High prices

• 45.2938059.7742234 Old Casello Hotel, via Solferino 164, ☎ 39 0374 351277, fax: 39 0374 353354, @[email protected]. Four stars 
• 45.285739.7636815 Park Motel by Andreini, state road 415 Paullese km. 47.30, ☎ 39 0374 351121. Four stars 

Safety

Pharmacies

• 45.2936449.7636185 Nail Pharmacy, Via Roma, 43, ☎ 39 0374 58186. 
• 45.2948119.7666256 Pesadori Pharmacy, Via Solferino, 5, ☎ 39 0374 58182. 

How to keep in touch

Post office

• 45.2945879.7650897 Italian post, via Roma 3, ☎ 39 0374 58289. 

Around

• Cream - Its Cathedral and the church of Santa Maria della Croce are the main reasons of interest; the city was for four hundred years in possession of the Serenissima, a period of which it retains many architectural influences and part of the Venetian walls.
• Pandino - The wonderfully preserved castle, rich in frescoes for which it is an almost unique example in Lombardy, makes Pandino an important tourist destination in theCremasco and of the whole region.
• Pignano Palace - To see the early Romanesque church of San Martino built over the remains of an early Christian basilica of the fifth century AD. C.
• Pizzighettone - The walls are one of the few remaining intact in Lombardy and make the town a wonderful example of a fortified city; the Torre del Guado (prison of Francesco I), the old quarter of Gera contribute with the walls to the ancient charm of the place.
• Praise - The monumental center in the city and the Basilica of San Bassiano a Lodi Vecchio are the main points of interest.
• Cremona - It has a monumental historic center - the Cathedral, the Baptistery, the Town Hall - one of the most distinguished in Lombardy. It was a Roman city. It was powerful at the time of the Communes and rivaled Milan, which finally subdued it. His violins (Stradivari and Amati), his Torrazzo and even more his torrone, are known everywhere.

Itineraries

• Castelleone is part of the Strada del Gusto Cremonese in the land of Stradivari, a route of food and wine tourism promotion, about 560 kilometers long and recognized by the Lombardy Region, which winds through the province of Cremona on a territory of 115 municipalities, including: Rivolta d'Adda, Spino d'Adda, Soncino, Cream, Cremona, Soresina, Casalbuttano, Robecco d'Oglio, Pescarolo and United, Dovarese Island, Piadena, Torricella del Pizzo, Rivarolo del Re is Casalmaggiore.

Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Castelleone
• Commons contains images or other files on Castelleone

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