Castel Goffredo (
Upper Mantovano: ) is a ''
comune
The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...
'' in the
province of Mantua
The Province of Mantua ( it, provincia di Mantova; Mantovano, Lower Mantovano: ; Upper Mantovano: ) is a province in the Lombardy region of Northern Italy. Its capital is the city of Mantua. It is bordered to the north-east by the Province o ...
, in
Lombardy
Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...
, northern
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, from Mantua and a few more from
Brescia
Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label= Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and ''comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Iseo. ...
. It lies in a region of springs at the foot of the slopes that drain into
Lake Garda
Lake Garda ( it, Lago di Garda or ; lmo, label=Eastern Lombard, Lach de Garda; vec, Ƚago de Garda; la, Benacus; grc, Βήνακος) is the largest lake in Italy.
It is a popular holiday location in northern Italy, about halfway between ...
, towards the plain of the Po.
Castel Goffredo borders the following municipalities:
Castiglione delle Stiviere
Castiglione delle Stiviere ( Upper Mantovano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Mantua, in Lombardy, Italy, northwest of Mantua by road.
History
The town's castle was home to a cadet branch of the House of Gonzaga, headed by the M ...
,
Medole
Medole ( Upper Mantovano: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Mantua in the Italian region Lombardy, located about east of Milan and about northwest of Mantua.
Medole borders the following municipalities: Castel Goffredo, Castigl ...
,
Ceresara,
Casaloldo,
Asola Asola may refer to the following :
Places and jurisdictions
* Asola, Lombardy, in the province of Mantua, northwestern Italy
** its collegiate cathedral Sant'Andrea was the 'see' of a single-parish Abbey nullius of Asola (1509-1818)
* Asola (D ...
,
Acquafredda,
Carpenedolo
Carpenedolo (Brescian: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy, northern Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in ...
.
History
Founded in a region inhabited from the
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
, Castel Goffredo belonged to the
count-bishops of Brescia from the ninth century to 1115, when the
commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
was established. When Brescia proved unable to come to the commune's defense, in 1337 it placed itself under the protection of
Mantua
Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard language, Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, province of the same name.
In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture ...
and the
Gonzaga. From 1348 to 1404 it was governed from
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
by the
Visconti
Visconti is a surname which may refer to:
Italian noble families
* Visconti of Milan, ruled Milan from 1277 to 1447
** Visconti di Modrone, collateral branch of the Visconti of Milan
* Visconti of Pisa and Sardinia, ruled Gallura in Sardinia from ...
and returned to the Gonzaga in 1441.
![Castel Goffredo Palazzo Gonzaga-Acerbi](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Castel_Goffredo_Palazzo_Gonzaga-Acerbi.jpg)
Castel Goffredo became the seat of an autonomous ''feudo'' of marquis Aloysio Gonzaga in 1511. At his death, his fiefs of Castel Goffredo,
Castiglione delle Stiviere
Castiglione delle Stiviere ( Upper Mantovano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Mantua, in Lombardy, Italy, northwest of Mantua by road.
History
The town's castle was home to a cadet branch of the House of Gonzaga, headed by the M ...
and
Solferino
Solferino ( Upper Mantovano: ) is a small town and municipality in the province of Mantua, Lombardy, northern Italy, approximately south of Lake Garda.
It is best known as being close to the site of the Battle of Solferino on 24 June 1859, part ...
were divided among his three sons. The eldest, Alfonso, who gained Castel Goffredo, was assassinated in 1592 by members of the household of his nephew Rodolfo Gonzaga of Castiglione, brother of the saintly
Aloysius Gonzaga
Aloysius de Gonzaga ( it, Luigi Gonzaga; 9 March 156821 June 1591) was an Italian aristocrat who became a member of the Society of Jesus. While still a student at the Roman College, he died as a result of caring for the victims of a serious epid ...
; Alfonso, publicly tried for murder but acquitted, was murdered in turn, 31 January 1593, occasioning a popular uprising that re-established the ''Magnifica Comunità''. The territory was annexed in 1603 by the
duchy of Milan
The Duchy of Milan ( it, Ducato di Milano; lmo, Ducaa de Milan) was a state in northern Italy, created in 1395 by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, then the lord of Milan, and a member of the important Visconti family, which had been ruling the city sin ...
following a bitter suit heard before the Emperor, and remained Milanese territory until 1707.
In 1707, the
Austrians
, pop = 8–8.5 million
, regions = 7,427,759
, region1 =
, pop1 = 684,184
, ref1 =
, region2 =
, pop2 = 345,620
, ref2 =
, region3 =
, pop3 = 197,990
, ref3 ...
took over the region and the
Habsburgs
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
then ruled the area until 1859, save only for a decade or so of
French rule during the time of
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
.
After the Battle of
Solferino
Solferino ( Upper Mantovano: ) is a small town and municipality in the province of Mantua, Lombardy, northern Italy, approximately south of Lake Garda.
It is best known as being close to the site of the Battle of Solferino on 24 June 1859, part ...
, the town was briefly part of the Kingdom of
Piedmont-Sardinia
The Kingdom of Sardinia,The name of the state was originally Latin: , or when the kingdom was still considered to include Corsica. In Italian it is , in French , in Sardinian , and in Piedmontese . also referred to as the Kingdom of Savoy-S ...
, until that kingdom itself developed, in 1861, into the united
Kingdom of Italy
The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to ...
.
Cityscape
Architecture
Villas
*
Civic Tower, considered the symbol of Castel Goffredo.
*
Palazzo Gonzaga-Acerbi. Historic palace. It was used by
Aloisio Gonzaga to host his court from 1511 to 1549 and to host a visit
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (Crown of Castile, Castil ...
in 1543.
*
Castel Goffredo Town Hall
Culture
Cuisine
*
Tortello amaro di Castel Goffredo
The Tortello amaro di Castel Goffredo ("Castel Goffredo's bitter tortello") is a type of stuffed pasta like ravioli and recognized traditional food product of the Lombardy region, typical of the Castel Goffredo in the province of Mantua.
It is ...
Economy
The town of Castel Goffredo has been involved in
textile
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...
production since medieval times. The original source material was
wool
Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool.
As ...
, but in the 1700s, the leading family of the town, the
Acerbi, introduced
silk-worm farming and
silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...
-production became an important sector.
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...
weaving was also introduced around this time. The production of cotton and silk was revolutionised by the industrial processes of the twentieth century, which also saw the introduction of the new
synthetics into the business.
During the 20th century, the area underwent a period of sustained and steady economic development and growth. In 2002, Castel Goffredo was recognised as a titular 'città', though it remains a ''comune'' and not a city in the general sense.
The first modern textile-factory was built in 1925 and others soon followed. They took great advantage of the post-war boom and began to specialise, in particular, in the manufacture of hosiery. The area is now a centre of expertise in the production of socks and of lingerie:
["Together, the businesses of Castel Goffredo and its neighboring towns produce 70 percent of all women's hosiery sold in Italy and 40 percent of all hosiery sold throughout Europe", Stuart A. Rosenfeld, ''Competitive manufacturing: new strategies for regional development'', 1992:]
Twin cities
*
Piran
Piran (; it, Pirano ) is a town in southwestern Slovenia on the Gulf of Piran on the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the three major towns of Slovenian Istria. The town is known for its medieval architecture, with narrow streets and compact houses. P ...
, Slovenia, 1993
Famous citizens
* the Castel Goffredo branch of the famous
Gonzaga dynasty.
*
Aloisio Gonzaga (1494-1549)
* the
Acerbi family, the town's leading family, following the Gonzagas: '
Palazzo Gonzaga-Acerbi'. In particular:
*
Giacomo Acerbi (1731-1811), the patriarch and the founder of the region's silk-industry.
*
Giuseppe Acerbi
Giuseppe Acerbi (May 3, 1773August 25, 1846) was an Italian naturalist, explorer and composer.
Biography
Giuseppe Acerbi was born on May 3, 1773, in Castel Goffredo, in Lombardy. He was an Italian naturalist, explorer and composer. In 1798, Ac ...
(1773–1846), naturalist, explorer and composer.
*
Giovanni Acerbi (1825-1869), supply officer for
Garibaldi
Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, patr ...
's '1, 000'
Camicie Rosse; then an MP (deputy).
See also
*
Castelvecchio (Castel Goffredo)
Castelvecchio (''Castellum vetus'') is the ancient fortified village of Castel Goffredo, in the province of Mantua Lombardy region in Italy, surrounded by walls and a moat. The boundaries currently correspond to the garden of the Palazzo Gonzaga-A ...
Notes
External links
Castel Goffredo - Guide for the tourist
Gallery
File:Castel Goffredo Piazza Mazzini.JPG, Mazzini square
File:Castel Goffredo S. Erasmo.JPG, St. Erasm church
File:Castel Goffredo panorama.JPG, Entry
File:Castel Goffredo villa Beffa.jpg, Villa building
File:Castel Goffredo - Chiesa dei Disciplini - Facciata.jpg, Disciplini church
File:Castel Goffredo - Chiesa Santa Maria del Consorzio - Campanile.jpg, St. Mary church
File:Castel Goffredo - Corte Gambaredolo-Chiesa S. Pietro.jpg, Gambaredolo court
File:Castel Goffredo - Palazzo della Ragione.jpg, Town hall
File:Castel Goffredo-Il torrazzo.jpg, Torrazzo tower
File:Palazzo Riva-1990.jpg, Riva building in 1990
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