Fontanellato (
Parmigiano
Parmesan ( it, Parmigiano Reggiano; ) is an Italian hard, granular cheese produced from cows’ milk and aged at least 12 months.
It is named after two of the areas which produce it, the provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia (''Parmigiano'' i ...
: ) is a small town in the
province of Parma, in 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 ...
. It lies on the plains of the
River Po
The Po ( , ; la, Padus or ; Ancient Ligurian: or ) is the longest river in Italy. It flows eastward across northern Italy starting from the Cottian Alps. The river's length is either or , if the Maira, a right bank tributary, is included. Th ...
near the
A1 autostrada, about west of
Parma
Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second mos ...
towards
Piacenza
Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...
.
The town was built up in the 15th century around the moated and fortified house of the Sanvitale family, the ''
Rocca Sanvitale'', on the borders of the domain of the
Dukes of Parma
The Duke of Parma and Piacenza () was the ruler of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza, a historical state of Northern Italy, which existed between 1545 and 1802, and again from 1814 to 1859.
The Duke of Parma was also Duke of Piacenza, excep ...
. The house was occupied by the family until 1951, when it was sold to the commune. One notable feature of the Rocca Sanvitale is a room which serves as a large
Camera Obscura
A camera obscura (; ) is a darkened room with a small hole or lens at one side through which an image is projected onto a wall or table opposite the hole.
''Camera obscura'' can also refer to analogous constructions such as a box or tent in w ...
in which a small hole acts as a lens causing an image of an outside scene to be projected inside the room.
The shrine to the
Madonna del Rosario commemorates a succession of miracles beginning in 1628.
One of the main attractions of the town is the
Labirinto della Masone, once the largest
maze in the world, built by native son
Franco Maria Ricci
Franco Maria Ricci (2 December 1937 – 10 September 2020) was an Italian art publisher and magazine editor. Amongst his publications is '' FMR'', a Milan-based bi-monthly art magazine published in Italian, English, German, French, and Spanish for ...
totally from
Bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...
.
History
The territory corresponding to today's Fontanellato was already inhabited during 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 prin ...
, as demonstrated by the studies carried out by
Luigi Pigorini at the end of the 19th century. It was later colonized by the
Romans
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
. The toponym Fontanellato probably derives from the
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
"Fontana Lata" (''large spring''), with reference to the natural springs of the plain that can still be observed today in the Lower Parma area; the same water ditch, still present around the Sanvitale fortress, is to be associated with these spring phenomena.
A massive reclamation took place shortly after the year 1000 by the Cistercian monks of the nearby abbey of
Fontevivo. Starting from
1100
Year 1100 ( MC) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 1100th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 100th year of the 2nd millennium, the 100th and ...
Fontanellato found itself at the center of the struggles between the nascent municipalities along the
Via Emilia
The ( it, Via Emilia; en, Aemilian Way) was a trunk Roman road in the north Italian plain, running from ''Ariminum'' (Rimini), on the Adriatic coast, to ''Placentia'' (Piacenza) on the river ''Padus'' ( Po). It was completed in 187 BC. The ' ...
; the first nucleus of the castle dates back to that time: in
1124
Year 1124 ( MCXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 1124th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 124th year of the 2nd millennium, the 24th year o ...
the first defensive tower of the village was erected by the
Pallavicinos. In
1145
Year 1145 ( MCXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Levant
* Spring – Seljuk forces led by Imad al-Din Zengi capture Saruj, the second great Cru ...
Fontanellato was sold by Oberto Pallavicino to the town of
Piacenza
Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...
; subsequently it changed hands several times, until
1386
Year 1386 ( MCCCLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–December
* February 24 – Elizabeth of Bosnia, the mother of the overthrown Queen Mary ...
, the year in which Antonio Sanvitale became feudal lord. In the early years of the 15th century, the management of the territory, the fortress, the infrastructures and the legislative, judicial and executive system of the Fontanellatese territory was entrusted on an operational level to the mayor of Azarino Platoni.
The Sanvitale family maintained a close link with the village for more than five centuries: only in
1948 Giovanni Sanvitale sold the castle to the municipal administration, which subjected it to complete restoration, transforming it into an important tourist attraction, home to fairs, exhibitions and events.
Tourism and culture
The ancient village preserves various monuments of interest; the
Sanvitale fortress is of particular value, while the sanctuary of the Beata Vergine del Santo Rosario attracts many
pilgrim
A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journey (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the adherent of ...
s.
Rocca Sanvitale
![Rocca Sanvitale - Fontanellato](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/Rocca_Sanvitale_-_Fontanellato.jpg)
Originally built in
1124
Year 1124 ( MCXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 1124th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 124th year of the 2nd millennium, the 24th year o ...
as a defensive tower at the behest of the
Pallavicino marquises, the fortification, granted to the Sanvitale family in
1378
Year 1378 ( MCCCLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–December
* January – Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, visits his nephew Charles V of Fran ...
, was completely rebuilt between
1386
Year 1386 ( MCCCLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–December
* February 24 – Elizabeth of Bosnia, the mother of the overthrown Queen Mary ...
and around
1400
Year 1400 (Roman numerals, MCD) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The year 1400 was not a leap year in the Proleptic Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–December
* Henry ...
and extended until the
16th century. In the early
seventeenth century
The 17th century lasted from January 1, 1601 ( MDCI), to December 31, 1700 ( MDCC). It falls into the early modern period of Europe and in that continent (whose impact on the world was increasing) was characterized by the Baroque cultural moveme ...
the fortress suffered an attack by the
Spanish army, which caused damage to the fortifications; consequently the court engineer
Smeraldo Smeraldi was charged with the arrangement of the moat, on which a new masonry bridge was built to replace the old
drawbridge. Internally transformed into an elegant noble residence, the fortress was partially modified in the
19th century with the construction of the
hanging garden, the arrangement of the internal courtyard with the elegant loggia on three levels and the creation of the
dark chamber in the circular tower to the south. In
1948 the last count
Giovanni Sanvitale sold the fortress to the municipal administration, which used it as a municipal seat and opened some rooms to the public. Inside, the castle preserves numerous rooms that can be visited on the noble floor and on the ground floor, rich in
frescoes in part from the sixteenth century and adorned with fine furnishings and paintings dating back to the
seventeenth and
eighteenth centuries; among all the most important is the room of Diana and Atteone, painted by
Parmigianino
Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola (11 January 150324 August 1540), also known as Francesco Mazzola or, more commonly, as Parmigianino (, , ; "the little one from Parma"), was an Italian Mannerist painter and printmaker active in Florence, Rome, B ...
between
1523
Year 1523 ( MDXXIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 20 – Christian II is forced to abdicate as King of Denmark and Norway.
...
and
1524
__NOTOC__
Year 1524 ( MDXXIV) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 17 – Florentine explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano, on board ''La ...
.
Sanctuary of the Beata Vergine del Santo Rosario
Built by the
Dominican friars in
1514 on the site of a small
oratory dating back to
1397, in
1543
__NOTOC__
Year 1543 ( MDXLIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. It is one of the years sometimes referred to as an "Annus mirabilis" because of its significant publications in sc ...
the Sanvitale counts were forced to demolish the entire structure, to quickly obtain the bricks necessary for the construction of the walls of the village, threatened by the
Milanese troops; in 1550 the friars moved to the
Benedictine monastery
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, found ...
of Priorato, before returning in
1552
__NOTOC__
Year 1552 ( MDLII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 15 – Henry II of France and Maurice, Elector of Saxony, sign the Tr ...
to the destroyed monastery of San Giuseppe, which they completely rebuilt. The sanctuary was again completely rebuilt in
Baroque style
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
between
1641
Events
January–March
* January 4 – The stratovolcano Mount Parker in the Philippines) has a major eruption.
* January 18 – Pau Claris proclaims the Catalan Republic.
* February 16 – King Charles I of England gi ...
and
1660; elevated to the dignity of a
minor basilica
In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular ...
in
1903
Events January
* January 1 – Edward VII is proclaimed Emperor of India.
* January 19 – The first west–east transatlantic radio broadcast is made from the United States to England (the first east–west broadcast having bee ...
, it was enriched in
1912 with the
neo-baroque facade designed by the architect Lamberto Cusani. Inside there are various valuable works, including the frescoes of the vault, the seventeenth and eighteenth century paintings, the
organ of
1696, the baroque furnishings and the numerous ex-votos; among the many statues, the
Madonna del Rosario, sculpted in
1615
Events
January–June
* January 1 – The New Netherland Company is granted a three-year monopoly in North American trade, between the 40th and 45th parallels.
* February – Sir Thomas Roe sets out to become the first a ...
, is the object of great devotion.
Labirinto della Masone
![Labirinto della masone, labirinto di bambù, 04](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Labirinto_della_masone%2C_labirinto_di_bamb%C3%B9%2C_04.jpg)
The
Labirinto della Masone (The Mason Labyrinth) is a cultural park built nearby Fontanellato. It extends for seven
hectare
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100- metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is ...
s and includes a
labyrinth
In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (, ) was an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by t ...
made up of
bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...
of different species (the largest of its kind in the world) and spaces that house the art collection of
Franco Maria Ricci
Franco Maria Ricci (2 December 1937 – 10 September 2020) was an Italian art publisher and magazine editor. Amongst his publications is '' FMR'', a Milan-based bi-monthly art magazine published in Italian, English, German, French, and Spanish for ...
and his publishing house, temporary exhibitions, conferences, concerts, a restaurant, a café and a
delicatessen
Traditionally, a delicatessen or deli is a retail establishment that sells a selection of fine, exotic, or foreign prepared foods. Delicatessen originated in Germany (original: ) during the 18th century and spread to the United States in the m ...
.
The art collection, spread over five thousand square meters, was collected by Franco Maria Ricci in about fifty years of activity, it reflects his personal taste and is constantly expanding. The works, including paintings, sculptures and art objects, are about five hundred. It starts from the 16th century, in particular there are works by Mannerist artists, among which
Girolamo Mazzola Bedoli
Girolamo Mazzola Bedoli (c. 1500–1569) was an Italian painter active in the Mannerist style.
Biography
Bedoli was born in Parma in a family coming from Viadana in Lombardy. He was a near contemporary of Parmigianino, and after the early deat ...
,
Luca Cambiaso
Luca Cambiaso (also known as Luca Cambiasi and Luca Cangiagio (being ''Cangiaxo'' the surname in Ligurian); 18 November 1527 – 6 September 1585) was an Italian painter and draughtsman and the leading artist in Genoa in the 16th century. He i ...
and
Ludovico Carracci
Ludovico (or Lodovico) Carracci (21 April 1555 – 13 November 1619) was an Italian, early-Baroque painter, etcher, and printmaker born in Bologna. His works are characterized by a strong mood invoked by broad gestures and flickering light th ...
stand out. The seventeenth century is widely represented both in painting and in sculpture, with works by
Valentin de Boulogne
Valentin de Boulogne (before 3 January 1591 – 19 August 1632), sometimes referred to as Le Valentin, was a French painter in the tenebrist style.
Origins
Valentin was born in Coulommiers, France, where he was baptised in the parish of Sai ...
,
Philippe de Champaigne
Philippe de Champaigne (; 26 May 1602 – 12 August 1674) was a Brabançon-born French Baroque era painter, a major exponent of the French school. He was a founding member of the Académie de peinture et de sculpture in Paris, the premier art ...
,
Gian Lorenzo Bernini,
Giambattista Foggini, Lorenzo Merlini. Ample space is dedicated to the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, with paintings by
Francesco Hayez
Francesco Hayez (; 10 February 1791 – 12 February 1882) was an Italian painter. He is considered one of the leading artists of Romanticism in mid-19th-century Milan, and is renowned for his grand historical paintings, political allegories, and ...
,
Giovanni Carnovali, pastels by
Rosalba Carriera
Rosalba Carriera (12 January 1673 – 15 April 1757) was a Venetian Rococo painter. In her younger years, she specialized in portrait miniatures. Carriera would later become known for her pastel portraits, helping popularize the medium in eigh ...
and
Jean-Étienne Liotard
Jean-Étienne Liotard (; 22 December 1702 – 12 June 1789) was a Swiss painter, art connoisseur and dealer. He is best known for his portraits in pastel, and for the works from his stay in Turkey. A Huguenot of French origin and citizen of the ...
, watercolors by
Giuseppe Pietro Bagetti
Giuseppe Pietro Bagetti (14 April 1764 – 29 April 1831) was an Italian civil and military architect, as well as painter. He painted landscapes and battle paintings.
Biography
He was born in Turin. He initially studied music at the Turin Conser ...
, marble sculptures from the
neoclassical period depicting mainly characters linked to
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
(and Napoleon himself), by
Antonio Canova,
Lorenzo Bartolini
Lorenzo Bartolini (Prato, 7 January 1777 Florence, 20 January 1850) was an Italian sculptor who infused his neoclassicism with a strain of sentimental piety and naturalistic detail, while he drew inspiration from the sculpture of the Florentine ...
,
François Joseph Bosio
Baron François Joseph Bosio (19 March 1768 – 29 July 1845) was a Monegasque sculptor who achieved distinction in the first quarter of the nineteenth century with his work for Napoleon and for the restored French monarchy.
Biography
Born in ...
and French
terracotta
Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous.
In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terracotta ...
s. Particular attention is paid to artists originating in the Parma area or who have worked there, making an important artistic contribution, including
Pietro Melchiorre Ferrari
Pietro Melchiorre Ferrari (1735 - 1787) was an Italian painter, active mainly in Parma in a late- Baroque and early Neoclassical style.
He was born in Sissa
The International School for Advanced Studies (Italian: ''Scuola Internazionale Super ...
,
Giuseppe Baldrighi
Giuseppe Baldrighi (12 August 1722 – 22 January 1803) was an Italian painter of the late Baroque (Rococo) and early Neoclassic periods.
Biography
Born in the town of Stradella, in Lombardy, Giuseppe Baldrighi initially trained with an unkno ...
and
Jean Baptiste Boudard. Another main theme of the collection is that of the
Vanitas
A ''vanitas'' (Latin for 'vanity') is a symbolic work of art showing the temporality, transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death, often contrasting symbols of wealth and symbols of ephemerality and death. Best-kn ...
, in which the works of
Jacopo Ligozzi
Jacopo Ligozzi (1547–1627) was an Italian painter, illustrator, designer, and miniaturist. His art can be categorized as late-Renaissance and Mannerist styles.
Biography
Born in Verona, he was the son of the artist Giovanni Ermano Ligozzi ...
and
Maurizio Bottoni stand out. As for the
twentieth century
The 20th (twentieth) century began on
January 1, 1901 (1901, MCMI), and ended on December 31, 2000 (2000, MM). The 20th century was dominated by significant events that defined the modern era: Spanish flu, Spanish flu pandemic, World War I and ...
, the sculptures by
Adolfo Wildt
Adolfo Wildt (March 1, 1868 – March 12, 1931) was an Italian sculptor. He is mostly known for his marble sculptures, which blend simplicity and sophistication, and paved the way for numerous modernist sculptors.http://translate.googleusercont ...
and
Demetre Chiparus
Demetre is an Old Greek Old Greek is the Greek language as spoken from Late Antiquity (c. AD 400) to around AD 1500. Greek spoken during this period is usually split into:
*Late Greek (c. 400 – c. 800 AD)
*Medieval Greek (c. 800 – c. 1500 AD ...
, the paintings by
Antonio Ligabue and
Alberto Savinio and the tempera by
Erté
Romain de Tirtoff (23 November 1892 – 21 April 1990) was a Russian-born French artist and designer known by the pseudonym Erté, from the French pronunciation of his initials (, EHR TEH). He was a 20th-century artist and designer in an a ...
are noteworthy. Finally, there are also numerous art objects, including a wooden model of the
Milan Cathedral and one of the
Cathedral of Ulm, two
narwhal teeth, and an altar in semiprecious stones and
ebony
Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus '' Diospyros'', which also contains the persimmons. Unlike most woods, ebony is dense enough to sink in water. It is finely textured and has a mirror finish when ...
.
WW2 POW camp
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, a large brick building with stone facings and neo-classical features next to the
Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of the Holy Rosary
The Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of the Holy Rosary is a minor basilica in Fontanellato, Province of Parma, northern Italy. One can see the bell tower of the sanctuary near the Fidenza gate of the Autostrada A1 (Italy), A1 autostrada. It is abo ...
, intended for an
orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or ab ...
(but never used as such), was the
prisoner-of-war camp
A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured by a belligerent power in time of war.
There are significant differences among POW camps, internment camps, and military prisons. ...
PG (''Prigioniero di Guerra'') 49. From here 600 Allied officers and men escaped, thanks to the decision by the Commandant, Colonel Eugenio Vicedomini, to open the gates the day after the
Armistice
An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the ...
of 8 September 1943.
On 6–9 September 2013, to celebrate the 70th anniversary of this event a conference was held in the Rocca on prisoners of war in World War II, with other celebrations and commemorations, jointly by the town and the
Monte San Martino Trust. One of the escaping prisoners was the English writer
Eric Newby
George Eric Newby (6 December 1919 – 20 October 2006) was an English travel writer. His works include '' A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush'', ''The Last Grain Race'' and '' A Small Place in Italy''.
Early life
Newby was born in Barnes, London, ...
, who memorably detailed his escape and subsequent experiences in the 1971 memoir, ''
Love and War in the Apennines''.
The building is now a centre for neurological disorders.
Twin cities
Fontanellato is twinned with:
*
Kißlegg
Kißlegg (''Kisslegg'') is a town in the district of Ravensburg in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Kißlegg is not far from the village of Vogt. It has a beautiful church, rich in culture and beauty.
Culture and attractions
* Castle ''Altes Schlo ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
*
Falköping
Falköping is a locality and the seat of Falköping Municipality in Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 16,350 inhabitants in 2010.
History
The town of Falköping was first spoken of in the Icelandic ''Rimbegla'' (around 1100 A.D.), and ...
,
Sweden
*
Wells,
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
References
External links
Fontanellato tourist office Comune di Fontanellato
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in Emilia-Romagna