Piadena - Piadena

Piadena is a center of the Lombardy.

To know

It is located in the plain of the District Oglio Po Casalasco Viadanese. In 2018 a referendum sanctioned the merger of the municipalities of Piadena and Drizzona, which gave life from January 1, 2019 to a new municipal body that bears the name of Piadena Drizzona.

Geographical notes

In the flat territory of the Lower Lombardy, it is 16 kilometers from Casalmaggiore, 30 from Cremona, 35 from Mantua, 40 from Parma, 50 from Brescia. Piadena constitutes an important communication hub in the Oglio Po, located as it is at the intersection of the former Parma - Brescia and Cremona - Mantua state roads, as well as the twins Parma - Brescia and Cremona - Mantua railway lines.

This location has created its emancipation from a purely agricultural center, favoring the development of artisanal and industrial activities, some even at a national level such as in the pasta sector.

Background

The people who inhabited the Piacenza area are testified by numerous archaeological finds: Paleolithic, Neolithic, Mesolithic, Bronze have animated these campaigns. Later the Gallic population who settled there are witnessed by the discovery of tombs with funeral equipment. The Roman period is also widely documented.

In 990 the Bishop of Cremona assigned Piadena to the Cremonese monastery of San Lorenzo In 1019 the Marquis of Tuscany Bonifacio di Canossa donated the tithes of four parish churches in the area to the Bishop of Cremona, and signed the deed in the castle of Piadena. In the 12th and 13th centuries Piadena was involved in the struggles between Cremona, Mantua and Brescia. It was occupied by Ludovico Gonzaga and sold in 1348 to the Visconti. The latter built guard towers (le Torrazze di Salvaterra appearing on the civic emblem).

Later it was briefly Venetian in the 15th century, then again Milanese. In fief of the Oscasali of Cremona and the Araldi, it was sacked in the seventeenth century during the war between the Duke of Modena and the Spaniards. From the 18th century the destiny of the whole Lombard territory followed.

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  Former convent of the Gerolimini - Entrance on the parish side

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  Town Hall - former convent of the Gerolimini

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  Piadena - Ancient house

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  Vho - Villa Magio Trecchi

How to orient yourself

How to get

By plane

• Airport Giuseppe Verdi of Parma
• Airport Valerio Catullo of Verona
• Airport Gabriele D'Annunzio of Montichiari (BS)
• Airport Caravaggio of Orio al Serio (BG)

By car

It is located at the intersection of the former state roads:10 Lower PadanaCremona - Mantua 343 AsolanaBrescia - Parma

The closest motorway exits are those of

• Cremona on the highway Turin - Brescia
• Mantua on the Brenner motorway
• Parma on the Autostrada del Sole.

On the train

• It has its own station, at the intersection of the Mantua - Cremona and Parma - Brescia lines

By bus

• Coach line Casalmaggiore - Buttonhole

How to get around

What see

• 45.13009810.3682911 Convent of the Gerolimini. This ancient seventeenth-century building is the work of the hermit monks of San Girolamo, who in 1624 were authorized for its erection by the Bishop of Cremona. The square cloister was built by demolishing also part of the adjacent Pieve. The monastery was suppressed in 1772, following the decree of the Emperor of Austria. It was used as a barracks, as the Magistrate's Court, and finally as the seat of the municipal offices, a function it still retains today. The whole building is in excellent condition, precisely because it has never been left abandoned.

Half of it is the seat of the municipal administration and its offices, which can be accessed through a nineteenth-century staircase which is the only intervention subsequent to the foundation, implemented to allow access to the first floor. In the internal cloister, with columns and round arches, in a large underground room at times an educational environment of the "Platina" Museum has been created, which also finds its location on this side of the former convent of the Gerolimini.

The other half belongs to the parish of Piadena, a church that borders one side of Piazza Garibaldi, the center of the social, civil and religious life of the town, a square that was once a frieze of the Cremona - Mantua state road, which crossed the entire town. creating serious traffic problems. Now the great vehicular flow that affects this important artery flows north of the town, on the ring road of not remote construction. 

• 45.1298110.3686012 Parish Church of Santa Maria Assunta. he ancient church of the town dates back to the early years of the year 1000, as evidenced by a plaque which is kept in the local museum. A document dated 1057 refers to the donation of the church to the Bishop of Cremona Ubaldo by the emperor Henry IV. In 1517 it was aggregated to the convent of San Sigismondo in Cremona by decree of Pope Leo X.

The current church is instead the work of the Milanese architect Marco Bianchi, a pupil of Borromini. It was built in the mid-eighteenth century in the Teresian Baroque style; the impressive interior has a single nave. Begun in 1748, construction work ended in 1753. 

To Vho

Vho, probably from vadum, ford of Oglio, was an autonomous municipality until the end of the nineteenth century, aggregated to Piadena, is now urbanistically welded to the capital and now constitutes a district.

• 45.12793610.3791113 Villa Magio - Trecchi. It was built in Vho in the second half of the eighteenth century by the Marquises Maggi, a noble family from Cremona, who probably conceived it as a summer residence. Of imposing size, it is certainly one of the greatest examples of neoclassical architecture in the Oglio Po area, which also includes the Ala Ponzone palace in Gussola, the Palazzo Sommi Picenardi a Torre de 'Picenardi, the Palazzo Mina Tentolini (ex Fadigati) a Casalmaggiore, or on the border of the territory the villa Ala Ponzone a Sigh.

The building has a sumptuous neoclassical facade that extends towards the front garden with a three-arched portico, surmounted by a terrace. A series of niches enclose busts of ancestors; the imposing tympanum is decorated with pyramidal pinnacles.

Once the villa boasted, in addition to the much larger front garden, also extensive land all around, then sacrificed to the building expansion of the inhabited centers that led to the incorporation of the Vho, once a separate village and even the seat of an autonomous municipality, in the near the village of Piadena of which it now constitutes a district.

The interior features many rooms with vaulted ceilings and stucco decorations. The central hall, whose decoration dates back to 1793, is sumptuous. A false balcony on the long walls, which turns into a true balcony on the small sides, divides the room into two floors, completely frescoed with weapons, trophies, coats of arms, shields, banners. remember the vaunted Roman origins of the Magio family, in the upper part; the lower area is decorated with brightly colored pilasters.

The sumptuous environment is surmounted by a vast vault framed by stucco decorations, which houses in a large panel the depiction of the apotheosis of the Magio family, with the coat of arms of the House:

From the Magio the ownership of the Villa passed to the Trecchi family in 1841. With this noble family extinct, the property was acquired by the Congregation of the Daughters of Charity of St. today again. 

• 45.12680310.3798324 Parish Church of Vho. There is news of a church dedicated to St. Peter as early as 1123, in documents that list the possessions and privileges of the Monastery of Santa Giulia in Brescia, which enjoyed countless benefits in these lands between the Oglio and the Po.

The current church was built in 1600 with subsequent extensions. The façade, completed in 1695, features harmonious architecture whose skilful dosing of colors highlights its majestic sobriety.

The overall view is completed by the beautiful terracotta bell tower with elegant mullioned windows in the belfry. Currently the church is dedicated to the Chair of St. Peter in Rome. 

Environment and Archeology

Piadena is interested in the South Oglio Park (headquarters in Calvatone), protected regional area. The river areas of the territories of Oglio Sud constitute the Acquanegra sul Chiese • Canneto sull'Oglio • Casalromano • Marcaria • Ostiano • I want to on the left bank; Cocoon • Calvatone • Commessage • Halyard • Gazzuolo • Dovarese Island • Pessina Cremonese • Piadena • San Martino dall'Argine • Viadana on the right bank.

• Site of the Lagazzi. At the end of the 19th century, interest in archeology led to the discovery of nine prehistoric settlements in the area around the Vho. The interest in these researches did not diminish over time, and even if there were no systematic excavations as in the neighboring one Calvatone for the Roman city of Bedriacum, again in 1976 produced the discovery of a large tip, a tool made from a flint blade and dating back to the Paleolithic period. The territory also gave finds from a later period, such as a pile-dwelling site from the Bronze Age.

The Mesolithic period is also represented in Campo Ceresole, where there have also been finds from the Neolithic period. Numerous artifacts of Piadenese prehistory have found a place not only in several museums in northern Italy, but also in the local Piadena Museum, which also offers the visitor Roman objects from the excavations of Bedriacum - Calvatone, in addition to the reproduction of the famous Winged Victory and the floor depicting the Labyrinth, with the figure of the mythical Minotaur in the center.

The wealth of prehistoric finds in the Piacenza area has led archaeologists to speak of one Vho culture. 

• Platina Archaeological Museum, Piazza Garibaldi, 1, ☎ 39 0375 380131, @[email protected]. Mon-Fri 9: 00-13: 30, Sun 15: 30-18: 30. The Iron Age is represented by the Celtic findings of some burials in Campo Costiere and the Necropolis of the Social Dairy of Piadena. The section dedicated to Bedriacum is also very rich, a small Roman town today located in the territory of nearby Calvatone and originally strategically positioned along the Via Postumia: the precious finds from the Domus del Labirinto are visible in the museum. Finally, there is the section dedicated to the early medieval period with a splendid Gothic fibula, a funerary outfit from the Lombard period and the pirogues found in Oglio.

In 2013, the construction of the new wing of the museum in the recently renovated building owned by the Myriam and Pierluigi Vacchelli Foundation, which joined the historic site of the museum housed in the convent of the Gerolamini, was the occasion for the preparation of a new exhibition itinerary based on an active communication method for contents through tactile and multimedia stations. In this way you can walk in a Neolithic village or among the Bronze Age stilt houses and the maps of the area come to life and tell us about the evolution of the landscape. 

Events and parties

• Platina festival. mid June. 
• Patronal feast of Santa Maria Assunta. August 15. 
• Flea market. every second Saturday of the month (except August). 

What to do

Shopping

How to have fun

Where to eat

Average prices

• 45.12679410.3810451 Trattoria dell'Alba, via del Popolo 31, ☎ 39 0375 98539. 
• 45.13017510.3653222 The Alley of Flavors, via Mentana 3, ☎ 39 0375 980406. 
• 45.13107410.4050823 The court, via Maggiore 2, ☎ 39 0375 389920. 
• 45.12810210.3738624 Half Air, via Matteotti 42, ☎ 39 0375 380482. 
• 45.12943210.3693575 Two Fountains, via della Liberta '57, ☎ 39 0375 98157. 
• 45.12979710.3647696 The terrace, via Orlandi 9, ☎ 39 0375 980810. 
• 45.12996810.3644367 Pizzeria Al Sottopasso, Via Aristodemo Orlandi, 5, ☎ 39 0375 980810. 

Where stay

Average prices

• 45.13072210.4051411 Riviera d'Oglio, Via Maggiore 6 (in San Paolo Ripa D'Oglio), ☎ 39 0375 380282, fax: 39 0375 380282. farmhouse 
• 45.12774510.3683922 La Clochette hotel restaurant, Via Borgo Fornace, 2, ☎ 39 0375 91010. 

Safety

Pharmacy

• 45.13016610.3673621 Priors, Via Libertà, 31, ☎ 39 0375 98146. 

How to keep in touch

Post office

• 45.13020410.364092 Italian post, via Orlandi 7, ☎ 39 0375 98130. 

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

• Calvatone - The archaeological area of ​​the ancient Roman city of Bedriacum and the WWF Oasis Le Bine are the main points of interest of this lowland village on the Oglio.
• Acquanegra sul Chiese - The Abbey of San Tommaso Apostolo preserves, in a majestic interior, important remains of Romanesque frescoes from the early 12th century. It once belonged to the now lost Benedictine convent.
• Torre de 'Picenardi - Villa Sommi Picenardi developed from a pre-existing castle nucleus; starting from the sixteenth century it was transformed in the following centuries up to its present appearance. A body of the villa, in neoclassical style, overlooks the town square. A second factory develops inside and is connected to the ancient body of the primitive castle. A large garden surrounds the villa complex, surrounded by a large moat with water.
• Cicognolo - Exposed terracotta and marble make the impressive and varied appearance of the imposing Manfredi castle, scenographic in the green of the lawn that embellishes the ground in front of the main facade, with a romantic garden and moat behind it.
• San Giovanni in Croce - Villa Medici del Vascello is the castle of the Lady of the Ermine of the famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci. It was Cecilia Gallerani, the Lady of the portrait, who began her transformation from a military structure to a stately home, lightening the warlike aspect of its primitive fifteenth-century foundation. The Villa is surrounded by a large park and a high wall that does not prevent you from seeing its elegant beauty.
• Cocoon - A 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 section remains severely damaged by collapses and neglect.
• 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 Palazzo Ducale, the Gallery, the Incoronata church are some of its monuments that stand out in a context that has been admirably preserved.
• 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.
• Casalmaggiore - Capital of Casalasco, protected by mighty embankments, the city develops parallel to the bed of the Po. The wide breath of the main square, the undeniable majesty of the Town Hall and the Cathedral reveal its character as an important center of the Bassa. The Sanctuary of the Madonna della Fontana, the church of Santa Chiara, the church of the Hospital are among its outstanding monuments.
• 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.
• 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).

Itineraries

• Piadena 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, Castelleone, Soresina, Casalbuttano, Robecco d'Oglio, Pescarolo and United, Dovarese Island, Cremona, Torricella del Pizzo, Rivarolo del Re is Casalmaggiore.
• In the lands of the Gonzaga - An itinerary through the centers, large and small, which were the capitals of the Gonzaga cadet branches: principalities, marquisates, duchies which, within the Mantuan state structure, enjoyed real independence, often minted coins and held refined courts that rivaled that of Mantua, embellished their urban centers by equipping them with elegant architecture - churches, squares, palaces, walls, towers - and characteristic urban views such as the typical Gonzaga arcades.

Other projects

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

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