Commession - Commessaggio

Commessage is a center of the Lombardy.

To know

On the left bank of the Oglio river, of which it constitutes an ancient crossing point, in the lush Lombard countryside, it is one of the many villages that preserve important traces of the Gonzaga building of the sixteenth century.

Geographical notes

It is located in the Lower Lombardy region, in the Casalasco Viadanese -Oglio Po- interprovincial district, from whose capitals it is km. 12 (Casalmaggiore) and km. 18 (Viadana).

Background

The territory of Commessaggio has given important findings dating back to the Bronze Age, particularly numerous in the area of ​​Ca 'de' Cessi (the Oltreponte area). These are evidence of the existence of a prehistoric terramare, a pile-dwelling settlement that represented a widespread method of building prehistoric dwellings in swampy areas such as the Po Valley.

In historical times the first reference to Commessaggio is given by an act of 759 with which the Lombard king Desiderio donated the church of Santa Maria in ripa d'Adda (since in Commessaggio there was a secondary branch of the Adda river) to the Benedictine monastery of Leno. Subsequently it saw the domination of the Canossa, of the Estensi, of the Malaspina, of the Pallavicino, of the count Ugo Bosone who bequeathed it to the episcopal chair of Cremona. In 1390 it passed to the Free Municipality of Cremona.

In the first decades of the fifteenth century it became part of the Gonzaga domains, to whose family it bound its destiny for about three hundred years. Commessaggio was disputed between the cadet branches of the Gonzaga di Sabbioneta (Vespasiano) and San Martino dall'Argine. It is with Vespasiano Gonzaga that Commessaggio was enriched with important building works, including the Torrione which still stands out today in the panorama of the town. After the death of Vespasiano it passed to the principality of Bozzolo.

In the eighteenth century, when the Gonzagas fell, it entered the Duchy of Guastalla with the principalities of Bozzolo and Sabbioneta, to be finally incorporated into the Lombardo Veneto in 1746, whose history it will follow until the unification of Italy.

How to orient yourself

How to get

By plane

• 45.6661869.7018081 Bergamo-Orio al Serio Airport (Caravaggio), Via Aeroporto 13, Orio al Serio, ☎ 39 035 326323. 
• 45.42555610.3269442 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 that of 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 
• 45.39666710.8877783 Verona Airport (Catullus), Boxes of Sommacampagna, ☎ 39 045 8095666, @[email protected]. 
• 44.821810.296034 Parma airport (G. Verdi), Via Emilia - Golese locality, ☎ 39 0521 951511. 
• 45.452179.27635 Milan-Linate airport (Enrico Forlanini). 

By car

• The closest motorway exits are: South Mantua is North Mantua on , Brenner motorway.
• Commessaggio is touched by the ex SabbionetanaCasalmaggiore-Mantua.

On the train

• Station of Cocoon on the line Cremona - Mantua
• Station of Casalmaggiore on the line Parma - Brescia

How to get around

What see

• 45.0333810.545451 Gonzaga's Torrazzo. With its 28 meters high, and 10 meters by 13 at the base, the Torrazzo stands out imposingly in the linear and flat landscape of the plain and countryside of the town, of which it has always been the undisputed symbol. Wanted by Vespasiano Gonzaga, Duke of Sabbioneta, when Commessaggio was part of his possessions, this tower was born not so much as an instrument of defense, but as a symbol of power by the Duke. Until the eighteenth century it was isolated; later the houses were built against it.
  Inside, the three rooms that are each on a floor are connected by a spiral staircase of 123 steps of white marble, whose pins interlocked together form the supporting column of 21 meters, at six complete turns.
  The top floor is a large hall which is believed to have been intended for the stay of Duke Vespasiano during his visits to Commessaggio, as it has a precious marble fireplace and architectural details that suggest they were used by an important person, and not of the military guards who lived in the structure. The upper part of the tower is externally decorated with Ghibelline merlons. 

• 45.032510.54572 The bridge. The construction of the current barge bridge dates back to 1976, which replaced the Vespasian bridge of 1583. Commessaggio intended to restore the existing one; Sabbioneta chose the new one. Thus it was that the ancient Gonzaga work was lost, of which the original pillars remain, and the images of the opening scenes of the film Salò and the 120 days of Sodom, turn on the ancient bridge the year before the demolition. 
• 45.0346210.545313 Municipal building. It is the ancient palace built by Vespasiano Gonzaga starting from 1583. On the ground floor a Gonzaga portico, with seven openings, lightens the linear and sober facade. On the central face protrudes a balcony, above which the Civic Tower rises, which moderately streamlines the building.

It is contemporary with the ancient bridge, the Torrazzo and the primitive church; three important urban interventions that had the purpose of sanctioning the dominion of Duke Vespasiano Gonzaga over the town, who obtained it at the expense of the cousins ​​of San Martino dall'Argine, appealing to successor rights. 

• 45.0346210.545314 Civic Tower. The Civic Tower, which rises in the center of the Town Hall, in addition to having a certain architectural grace is important as it houses an ancient clock in perfect working order, which dates back to the early days of the invention of these ancient devices which, welcomed with amazement for the their revolutionary technological innovation, they were called time machines. Another similar device exists at Novellara: it was donated by Alfonso II in 1670, but it is not functional. Another ancient time Machine it is located in the Rocca di Fontanellato, in the province of Parma, functioning like that of Commessaggio thanks to the restoration work carried out on both by the master watchmaker Alberto Gorla. The restoration of the Commessaggio clock dates back to 1985; that of the clock of Fontanellato to 1997.

There are no certain documents to date Commessaggio's clock; however, an indirect clue is found in manuscripts of municipal budgets from 1772 to 1774, which include the sums necessary for compensation, the functioning and the necessary oil for the clock, which in 1772 is defined novo. So if compensation it must be interpreted as restoration, the clock is older than 1772, but documentary evidence is lacking to establish how much.

Also in the tower there is an ancient bell that was cast by Vespasiano Gonzaga in 1583, as recalled by the inscription in relief found on it together with three images: the ducal coat of arms of Vespasiano; the figure of a blessing Christ; a Madonna with Child. Below, in a band with capital letters, an inscription recalls the name of the smelter: Francesco Faletti, from Cremona.

The year of the merger is the same year in which the construction of the Tower and the Bridge over the river was completed, as remembered by a plaque placed on one side of the Tower. This coincidence suggests that the bell was commissioned to be placed on top of that building, and transported only after the Vespasian era to its current location. 

• 45.03501210.5440145 Parish Church of Sant'Albino. Consecrated in 1804, it was majestically erected in neoclassical style to replace the previous church, which was contemporary with the now Municipal building. Four powerful arches hold three oval caps inside. Built over about a hundred years, it is decorated by the painter Bacchi di Sabbioneta (friezes and backgrounds) and by Aroldi di Casalmaggiore (figures and saints).

It preserves works of art from the ancient church, including two canvases by Ponzano Loverini, a San Francesco di Cignaroli, a San Francesco di Sales by Spagnoletto. The altars are designed by Voghera, the facade by Vergani from Mantua in 1820/1825; finally, the 1912 bell tower is the work of the Casale architect Carlo Visioli.

The choir and the organ case are also by Vergani; the 1840 organ is by Giovan Battista Lingiardi and sons. 

• Oratory of Santa Maria Prima. It is an oratory built in 1824 by the noble Pagliari family, in a plot of land owned by him on the left bank of the river Commessage located near the oldest church in the town, Santa Maria in ripa d'Adda, which had been torn down a few years earlier. In neoclassical style, its designer Giuseppe Cantoni of Mantua designed it with a circular interior, flanked by the rectangular sacristy, with an altar in the central niche, four side doors, crescent windows and a dome. A painting of the ancona during restoration work revealed, under the surface crust, another painting from a more remote period which is believed to have been probably torn from the demolished ancient church and placed.

The new sacred building was named after the Blessed Virgin of Grace, but the people gave it the name of Santa Maria Prima which still indicates it. From the Pagliari family the church passed to the Grandi family, whose last heir bequeathed it to the Parish of Commessaggio. 

• 45.03198110.5437586 Oratory of the Beata Vergine di Loreto. On the right bank of the Navarolo, which divides Commessaggio from Commessaggio Inferiore, also called Oltreponte, this oratory was built in 1721 to serve the Community of Oltreponte and with the support of the Duke of Sabbioneta and Guastalla Antonio Ferdinando Gonzaga. Until the early nineteenth century in the adjoining house housed a hermit, a cleric who had received minor orders, to whom his custody was entrusted. Thanks to the legates of worship and some benefits, a college of three regents took care of the liturgical celebrations, maintenance, works of charity including the supply of dowry for a destitute girl in the neighborhood.

The facade. enlivened by cornices, pilasters and panels. it develops on the Tuscan order below and Ionic above; above the beautifully shaped portal there is an arched window. A triangular tympanum with three acroteri concludes the facade. The building has a characteristic bell tower sailing, equipped with a single bell that was donated by Duke Antonio Ferdinando Gonzaga, as recalled by an inscription on it.

The single nave, with paired pillars and stucco capitals, has an altar with the ancona of the Black Madonna, made with various types of marble by the Cremonese sculptor Carlo Giudici in 1722, and is a good example of local Baroque. From the same year is one of the four large canvases that are arranged in the side chapels: San Girolamo, Sant'Antonio da Padova and Santa Caterina d'Alessandria by Marco Antonio Ghislina of Casalmaggiore. The other three works: The Virgin with Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint Andrea d'Avellino and Saint Luigi Gonzaga; The Holy Family with San Carlo Borromeo; The Beata Vergine del Carmine with Saints Sebastian and Rocco they do not bear the author's signature. 

Events and parties

• Patronal feast of Sant'Albino. March 1st. 
• Fair with palio and regatta. Third Sunday of July. Traditional fair during which the Palio delle contrade is held and a boat regatta is held. 
• October festival. Third Sunday of October. On this occasion, exhibitions are set up in the Torrazzo and tastings of local products are held. 
• Chestnut. December 8. 

What to do

Shopping

How to have fun

Where to eat

Average prices

• 45.03202510.5460161 Antica Corte restaurant, via Lower Commessage 32 (a Lower commissage), ☎ 39 0375 254108. 
• 45.03602710.5404642 The Bouganvillea, via Ca 'de' Cessi 2 (at Ca 'de' Cessi), ☎ 39 0375 254031. 
• 45.03727810.5975323 Trattoria Ancora, via Boccachiavica 6 (to Boccachiavica), ☎ 39 0376 98156. 

Where stay

Average prices

• 45.03435910.5453771 ^{[link not working]}B&B Al Torrazzo, Via Garibaldi 1, ☎ 39 339 4738813, @[email protected]. 

Safety

How to keep in touch

Post office

• 45.0345410.545356 Italian post, piazza Italia 1, fax: 39 0376 98236. 

Keep informed

• Oglio Po news. Computer newspaper of Oglio Po. 
• ^{[link not working]}The Envoy. Online newspaper of the province - Casalmaggiore Chronicle. 
• The province, Via Pozzi 15, ☎ 39 0375 200493, fax: 39 0375 201466. Daily newspaper - Casalmaggiore editorial staff. 

Around

• Sabbioneta - City of foundation, UNESCO World Heritage Site, maintains the walls within which the magic of ideal urban planning by Vespasiano Gonzaga has remained intact; the Teatro all'Antica, the Ducal Palace, the Gallery, the Incoronata church are some of its monuments that stand out in a context that has been admirably preserved.
• Rivarolo Mantovano - The porticoed Gonzaga square is the fulcrum of Rivarolo Mantovano which owes its physiognomy to Vespasiano Gonzaga, who here experimented with the construction of the Ideal City then completed with the nearby Sabbioneta. Its urban layout, checkerboard, its city gates, the round of the walls for the remaining part, the buildings, the views make it a timeless center.
• Cocoon - Gonzaga city, it was the capital of a duchy of a collateral branch of the Gonzaga. Vespasiano worked there urban planning before putting his hand to his masterpiece: Sabbioneta; with Giulio Cesare and Scipione he defines his own elegant urban appearance that responds to sixteenth-century ideals. Of the ancient walls, however, only a short stretch, severely damaged by collapses and neglect, remains.
• Colorno - Its Royal Palace belonged to the Sanseverino family, then to the Farnese family, to Maria Luigia of Austria, to the Bourbons; it is by far the most important monument of this little Versailles Parma, which also offers a small but beautiful historic center, close to the Lorno stream that gives it its name and Parma, not far from the Po.
• Mantua - Capital of the Gonzagas, it still exudes its subtle charm of a great city of art for which it appoints it a UNESCO World Heritage Site it was not so much a recognition as a necessary acknowledgment. Its ancient atmospheres are incomparable, the profiles of the palaces and domes that stand out in the Po Valley mist enveloped by the mirror of its lakes, its endless Gonzaga palace that incorporates numerous buildings in the city center.
• Parma - One of the major cities of art inEmilia, it maintains with great evidence the aspect, elegance and ways of life of a capital, as it was for centuries. The Farnese della Pilotta palace, the Romanesque Cathedral, the Steccata church are some of the monumental emergencies that characterize the city; of great fame his theater, his musical tradition (Giuseppe Verdi), his school of painting (Correggio, Parmigianino), his love for good food (Parma ham, salami, Parmigiano Reggiano, Lambrusco).
• The river area of ​​Commessaggio is part of the South Oglio Park (headquarters in Calvatone), a protected regional area that extends from the Oglio Nord Park to the confluence with the Po. The river areas of the territories of Acquanegra sul Chiese • Canneto sull'Oglio • Casalromano • Marcaria • Ostiano • I want to on the left bank; Cocoon • Calvatone • Commissage • Halyard • Gazzuolo • Dovarese Island • Pessina Cremonese • Piadena • San Martino dall'Argine • Viadana on the right bank The area is affected by a cycle path of about 60 kilometers that winds between the interesting habitat of the countryside and the Oglio floodplains.
• The Bogina canal - The Navarolo - Bogina canal, in the stretch between the town of Commessaggio and that of Bocca Chiavica, is an area of ​​naturalistic interest, rich in ponds and flourishing shore vegetation, with frequent reeds and as many land occupied by groves formed by plants of willow and poplar. Enchanting, in the summer season, the luxuriant presence of aquatic plants that cover the surface of the ponds; very widespreadgrass fish (salvinia natans), the nymph (nymphoides peltata), in addition to both yellow and white water lilies. Such a habitat is ideal for the proliferation of several species of birds, such as mallards, coots, moorhen, kingfisher. The area is also a stopping point for migratory birds; sightings of gray herons are often reported.

Other projects

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