| Gradella | ||
 | ||
| State | Italy | |
|---|---|---|
| Region | Lombardy | |
| Territory | Cremasco | |
| Altitude | 85 m a.s.l. | |
| Inhabitants | 250 (2013 estimate) | |
| Name inhabitants | Gradellesi | |
| Prefix tel | 39 0373 | |
| POSTAL CODE | 26025 | |
| Time zone | UTC 1 | |
Position
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Gradella is a center of the Lombardy.
To know
The town is part of the most beautiful villages in Italy
Geographical notes
Gradella is part of the Municipality of Pandino and is located in the Po Valley cremasca; is 17 km from Cream, 58 from Cremona, 36 from Milan and 4 from its municipal capital Pandino.
Background
The town in the eighth and ninth centuries had fortifications and a castle, of which traces have been lost after its destruction in the thirteenth century. Granted by Federico Barbarossa to Milan, with other territories, Gradella was assigned by the Milanese to the Diocese of Lodi. In 1442 it was part of the fiefdom of which the Landriani family was invested, with Nosadello is Spino d'Adda. The fiefdom passed in 1637 to the Milanese nobleman Francesco Capra, then in 1692 to Count Girolamo Maggi.
In 1982 the countess Camilla, widow of the last count Aymo Maggi, sold the properties of Gradella, the Villa Maggi, the land and all other appurtenances. In 2005 the village became part of the circuit of the most beautiful villages in Italy which recognizes its particular value as an uncontaminated rural center.
- The legend
It is said that the name Gradella derives from Graziella, a princess lady of the village lands who, kidnapped by a dragon, was then freed by a brave knight.
How to orient yourself
Gradella: full screen map.How to get
By plane
By car
The former state road 472 Bergamine, which connects the Lodigiano with the Bergamasco, coast Pandino and connects it with a short path to the PaulleseCremona - Milan to the south and to the RivoltanaMozzanica - Rivolta d'Adda North.
The provincial road PaulleseCremona - Milan, one of the major communication arteries of Lombardy, is not far south of Pandino.
How to get around
The small town can not only be easily visited on foot, given its extremely small size, but needs to must be visited on foot, because the reason for the uniqueness of the village is due precisely to the great tranquility of its environment and to the particularity of its old rural houses, whose characteristic is that of being painted with a full-bodied yellow color and with brick profiles reds, with communicating courts.
The arcades and decorative motifs obtained with exposed bricks, together with the use of construction wood, make Gradella a town that has remained unchanged over time. The municipal master plan particularly protects the urban heritage of the hamlet, in which it is not allowed to intervene with new buildings, but you can only recover and safeguard the existing one following traditional construction criteria: wood, tiles, plaster as it once was.. The long tree-lined avenue leading to the entrance of the town underlines in a certain sense this rural reality which has remained intact and jealously preserved.
What see
- Villa Maggi. On the site of the villa there was a previous building of the sixteenth century. In the following centuries the Villa underwent transformations and extensions up to its present appearance. In 1944 the villa was requisitioned by the German command of Cremona and occupied by Rodolfo Graziani, Minister of War of the republic of Salò. It is part of a vast park.
- Parish Church of the Holy Trinity and San Bassiano. The construction of the new parish church in the center of the village began in 1895, which took the place of a previous medieval temple. Another place of worship is a small chapel built in front of the cemetery, in the place formerly used as a Lazaret during the plague of 1630.
- Fallow deer. It is not strange, walking through the town, to meet groups of fallow deer that have perfectly settled among the other animals raised in the village, cattle and horses and approach visitors without fear. Introduced into the village by Countess Camilla, widow Maggi, the last owner of the family who had Gradella as a fief, who was passionate about these animals.
Events and parties
- Festival of the country.
Second weekend of October.
Second weekend of October.What to do
Both Gradella and the neighboring villages have an ideal location for cycling. Events and rallies of cycling clubs, motorcycle rallies, Boyscout rallies are held annually.
Shopping
The country produces quality cheeses and butter; among the cheeses it is worth mentioning the panerone, cheese with a bitter taste that comes from Pandino. The area is also known for the production of quality local salami.
How to have fun
Where to eat
Average prices
- 1 Osteria degli Amici, Via Maggiore, 18, ☎ 39 0373 90163. Typical local cuisine. The historic restaurant has a rustic setting and a large covered garden
- 2 The Borgo, via Maggiore 17 (in Gradella), ☎ 39 0373 971919.
Where stay
Safety
- 1 Carabinieri station, Via Salvo D'Acquisto (in the capital Pandino), ☎ 39 0373 90032.
Pharmacies
- 2 Taccani Pharmacy, Via Umberto I 49 (in the capital Pandino), ☎ 39 0373 90017.
- 3 Municipal Pharmacy, via Gradella 2 (in the nearby hamlet of Nosadello), ☎ 39 0373 920984.
How to keep in touch
Post office
- 4 Italian post, via Stefano da Pandino 32 (In the capital Pandino), ☎ 39 0373 920095, fax: 39 0373 91310.
Around
- 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 the Cremasco 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.
- 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.
- Praise - The monumental center in the city and the Basilica of San Bassiano a Lodi Vecchio are the main points of interest.
Useful information
- IAT office, via Stefano da Pandino (in the municipal capital Pandino), ☎ 39 0373 920410.
