Rho, Lombardy
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Rho (; ; ) is a town and ''
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 ...
'' (municipality) in the
Metropolitan City of Milan The Metropolitan City of Milan ( it, città metropolitana di Milano; lmo, label=Milanese, cittaa metropolitana de Milan ) is a metropolitan city (not to be confused with the metropolitan area) in the Lombardy region, Italy. It is the second mos ...
in the Italian region of
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 ...
, located about northwest of
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 ...
. The language spoken in Rho is Italian.


Geography

Rho is lapped by the river
Olona The Olona (''Olona'' in Italian; ''Ulona'', ''Urona'' or ''Uòna'' in Western Lombard) is an Italian river belonging to the Po Basin, long, that runs through the Province of Varese and Metropolitan City of Milan whose course is developed ent ...
and crossed by its tributaries Bozzente and Lura, nowadays partially cloaked inside the town. At the north and east of the town, there is the road of national interest Strada statale 33 del Sempione, which in the past was crossing the town itself, in the current ''corso Europa''. Rho is at the meeting point of railways linking Milan to
Varese Varese ( , , or ; lmo, label= Varesino, Varés ; la, Baretium; archaic german: Väris) is a city and ''comune'' in north-western Lombardy, northern Italy, north-west of Milan. The population of Varese in 2018 has reached 80,559. It is the c ...
( Line S5) and
Domodossola Domodossola (; Lombard: Dòm) is a city and ''comune'' in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, in the region of Piedmont, northern Italy. It was also known as Oscela, Oscella, Oscella dei Leponzi, Ossolo, Ossola Lepontiorum, and Domo d'Ossola ...
and Milan to
Novara Novara (, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It i ...
( Line S6). In Passirana, it is based a meteo station, managed in cooperation with the Lombard Meteorological Center.


Frazioni

Inside the municipality of Rho are located seven
frazioni A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...
: * Castellazzo: modest inhabited in the west part of the communal territory, close to the place where was situated a country manor house; nowadays it is located near the popular residential quarter of ''via Capuana'' * Biringhello: small village up north-west the town, beyond the Sempione road and bordering with Barbaiana of Lainate * Lucernate: popular southern neighbourhood, beyond the railway station, in the zone of resurgences * Mazzo: called also ''Mazzo Milanese'' or ''Mazzo di Rho'', densely populated eastern hamlet, close to the
Fiera di Milano Fieramilano is a fairground and exhibition facility in Rho, Italy near Milan. It is operated by ''Fiera Milano SpA'' and is part of the larger Fiera di Milano - consisting of two sites: Fieramilano (located on the border of the municipalities o ...
. * Pantanedo: little hamlet, up east Mazzo, made just by an inhabited farm house and some industrial plants * Passirana: town located in the north part of the municipality, close to
Arese Arese ( lmo, Ares ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, about northwest of Milan. Arese borders the following municipalities: Lainate, Garbagnate Milanese, Bollate, Rho, Milan. Arese ...
* Terrazzano: big north-east hamlet, near the junction between A4 and A50 (tool-house of Terrazzano on the A50), it is near to Arese too.


History


Ancient times

Rho is one of the most ancient towns of
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 ...
, originating during the Roman era. This was confirmed by excavations associated with building and road construction in 1876, 1890 and 1917. Additional research during the 20th century showed that the town had remarkable importance during the imperial age, when it was part of the XI Transpadanian region. The current topography can be traced to a style of organization from ancient Roman
centuriation Centuriation (in Latin ''centuriatio'' or, more usually, ''limitatio''), also known as Roman grid, was a method of land measurement used by the Romans. In many cases land divisions based on the survey formed a field system, often referred to in mode ...
: the most of the roads run parallel in east-west or north–south directions. The reference axis are the ''cardo'' (north–south, via Madonna and via Garibaldi) and the ''Decumano'' (east–west, via Matteotti and via Porta Ronca). These roads are crossing in piazza San Vittore, nowadays still the center of the town. Further archeological researches confirmed the existence in Roman age of the
Via Mediolanum-Verbannus Via or VIA may refer to the following: Science and technology * MOS Technology 6522, Versatile Interface Adapter * ''Via'' (moth), a genus of moths in the family Noctuidae * Via (electronics), a through-connection * VIA Technologies, a Taiwan ...
, a road connecting
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 ...
to the
Lake Maggiore Lake Maggiore (, ; it, Lago Maggiore ; lmo, label=Western Lombard, Lagh Maggior; pms, Lagh Magior; literally 'Greater Lake') or Verbano (; la, Lacus Verbanus) is a large lake located on the south side of the Alps. It is the second largest la ...
, passing through Legnano and
Gallarate Gallarate (; Lombard: ''Galaraa'') is a city and ''comune'' of Alto Milanese of Lombardy and of Milan metropolitan area, northern Italy, in the Province of Varese. It has a population of some 54,000 people. It is the junction of railways to Va ...
. Along this infrastructure Rho was placed at the 10th mile, the resting point for the army then. Ancient Romans redirected the flow of
Olona The Olona (''Olona'' in Italian; ''Ulona'', ''Urona'' or ''Uòna'' in Western Lombard) is an Italian river belonging to the Po Basin, long, that runs through the Province of Varese and Metropolitan City of Milan whose course is developed ent ...
in Lucernate, digging an artificial riverbed directed to Milan and running along the road.Autori vari, ''Di città in città – Insediamenti, strade e vie d'acqua da Milano alla Svizzera lungo la Mediolanum-Verbannus'', Soprintendenza Archeologia della Lombardia, 2014 This was considered a fundamental solution to increase traffic on the road, as transport by water was a much easier solution to transport big amounts of goods. The
Christianization Christianization ( or Christianisation) is to make Christian; to imbue with Christian principles; to become Christian. It can apply to the conversion of an individual, a practice, a place or a whole society. It began in the Roman Empire, conti ...
of the village took place in the 4th – 5th centuries. In the piazza San Vittore an ancient cemetery and a Christian chapel has been found; in the current via Belvedere were discovered Capuchin graves with engravings of alfa and
omega Omega (; capital: Ω, lowercase: ω; Ancient Greek ὦ, later ὦ μέγα, Modern Greek ωμέγα) is the twenty-fourth and final letter in the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numeric system/isopsephy (gematria), it has a value of 800. The wo ...
.


Middle Age

The barbarian invasions caused a deep economical crisis in the zone, and the power passed to
Lombards The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 and ...
and then to
Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools, ...
. During the Lombard reign, the village assumed in its own topography names existing still nowadays; ''Pomero'' for example, from the Latin ''Post Moerus'', meaning ''out of the walls''. Such origin is nevertheless not universally recognized: some texts related it to the presence in the place of several apple trees. In the same period it is conferred to Rho the appeal of ''
Curtis Curtis or Curtiss is a common English given name and surname of Anglo-Norman origin from the Old French ''curteis'' ( Modern French ''courtois'') which derived from the Spanish Cortés (of which Cortez is a variation) and the Portuguese and Ga ...
'', a particular form of organization in the feudal society. Rho is first mentioned in a written document from January 9, 864 AD, a certificate of permutation by the notary Agatone, referred to the village simply as a bunch of houses under the name of ''Vicus Raudus'', with a church entitled to
Sant'Ambrogio Sant'Ambrogio may refer to the following entities in Italy: * Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio, a church in the Milan * Sant'Ambrogio, Florence, a Roman Catholic church in Florence * Sant'Ambrogio di Torino, a municipality in the Turin * Sant'Ambrogio di ...
and a rough castle. Other two parchments recalling Vicus Raudus are dated 871. Around 1000 AD the town bloomed as a free
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 ...
and in 1004 Emperor Henry II, after the victory over the Lombards of King
Arduin of Ivrea Arduin ( it, Arduino; – 14 December 1015) was an Italian nobleman who was King of Italy from 1002 until 1014. In 990 Arduin became Margrave of Ivrea and in 991 Count of the Sacred Palace of the Lateran in Rome. In 1002, after the death of Em ...
and his coronation as King of Italy, visited Rho, signing some documents; he accorded to ''Rodo'' the role of and instituted a weekly market, which takes place every Monday even nowadays. He also instituted a Court of Justice and dug a canal for irrigation, using the waters of Olona. It dates back to 11th century also the half-legendary Giovanni de Raude, flagbearer of the Christian army during the
First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Islamic ru ...
; he was the man hoisting the first Christian flag on the
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
walls in the battle of July 15, 1099. In 1160, Rho was razed to the ground by
Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on ...
, as punishment for rebellion against the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...
; it was quickly rebuilt. Between 1130 and 1215 are recorded nine consuls from Rho in the Milanese state, some of them belonging to the family of Capitanei de Raude, residing in Rho since 1196. According to a document filed in the Archive of the
Ospedale Maggiore The Policlinico of Milan ( it, Policlinico di Milano) also known as Ospedale Maggiore di Milano or Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, is one of the oldest hospitals in Italy, founded by Duke Francesco Sforza in 1456. Today it is a modern ...
of
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 ...
, around 1300 a first hospital was built in Rho; in 1481 its goods were bought by the
Augustinians Augustinians are members of Christian religious orders that follow the Rule of Saint Augustine, written in about 400 AD by Augustine of Hippo. There are two distinct types of Augustinians in Catholic religious orders dating back to the 12th–13 ...
friars of Santa Maria del Pasquerio in Rho. In 1305 the noble Cressone Crivelli tried with his soldiers to take possession of Rho and
Nerviano Nerviano ( lmo, Nervian ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the northwestern part of the Metropolitan City of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, located about northwest of downtown Milan. Its territory is crossed by the Olona The Olona (''Ol ...
, but he was defeated by the popular reaction. Eight years later the town was nonetheless conquered by Milan, who killed or imprisoned almost all the inhabitants. Because of its water and fertile lands, in the 15th century many Milanese notables moved to Rho, building sumptuous palaces, mostly no longer existing. The noble presence was such that in Rho was instituted a Universitas nobilium dicti loci de Raude. Between the 16th and 17th century two new monasteries were built: by Agostinians and by Capuchins (on the road to Lucernate), both destroyed in the Napoleonic invasion.


Modern era

In 1511 the
Landsknecht The (singular: , ), also rendered as Landsknechts or Lansquenets, were Germanic mercenaries used in pike and shot formations during the early modern period. Consisting predominantly of pikemen and supporting foot soldiers, their front lin ...
, commanded by Matteo Schinner, sacked Rho during their descent in Italy. Then the Spanish domination took place and in 1539 King Charles V granted the feud to Visconti family. In 1570 a
plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pe ...
epidemic took place in the population, already weakened by the Spanish oppression. According to the chronicles of that time, on 24 April 1583 a painting of
Pietà The Pietà (; meaning " pity", "compassion") is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus after his body was removed from the cross. It is most often found in sculpture. The Pietà is a specific form ...
cried blood tears, event subsequently recognized as a miracle by the
Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
. Instead of the chapel where the painting was placed, a Sanctuary to the Lady of Sorrows was built, with the collaboration of several artists among the best of the region. During the 17th century plague hit again the zone and in 1663 the inhabitants erected in the current piazza San Vittore a ''
Croce della peste Croce may refer to: * Croce (family), a noble family in the Republic of Ragusa * ''Croce'' (genus), a genus of lacewings in the family Nemopteridae * Croce (surname) * Croce, Haute-Corse, a municipality in the Haute-Corse department, France * ...
'' (Cross of the plague), moved beside the parish church in 1928 and moved back to its original place seventy years later. In 1928 a Royal Decree assigned to Rho the town of Passirana, previously part of the comune of Lainate; in 1932 Rho got the official title of ''
Città A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
''. On 10 October 1956 in the hamlet Terrazzano two drifters abducted about one hundred students and three teachers of the local primary school. During the police blitz, which took place after six hours, policemen mistakenly killed Sante Zennaro, who had heroically tried rescuing children negotiating with the kidnapper. At the beginning of 21st century, the new exposition centre of
Fiera di Milano Fieramilano is a fairground and exhibition facility in Rho, Italy near Milan. It is operated by ''Fiera Milano SpA'' and is part of the larger Fiera di Milano - consisting of two sites: Fieramilano (located on the border of the municipalities o ...
was built inside an area for the 90% in the territory of Rho and for the remaining part in the township of Pero. Inaugurated in 2005, was projected by the architect
Massimiliano Fuksas Massimiliano Fuksas (born January 9, 1944) is an Italian architect. He is the head of ''Studio Fuksas'' in partnership with his wife, Doriana Mandrelli Fuksas, with offices in Rome, Paris and Shenzhen. Biography Fuksas was born in Rome in 194 ...
and it is constituted by eight pavilions for a total exposition surface of indoors and outdoors. In a close area took place the
Expo 2015 Expo 2015 was a World Expo hosted by Milan, Italy. It opened on May 1 at 10:00 CEST and closed on October 31. Milan hosted an exposition for the second time; the first was the 1906 Milan International. The Bureau International des Expositi ...
.


Name origin

One theory derives the name from the ''Campi Raudi'' where the Roman consul Caius Marius defeated the
Cimbri The Cimbri (Greek Κίμβροι, ''Kímbroi''; Latin ''Cimbri'') were an ancient tribe in Europe. Ancient authors described them variously as a Celtic people (or Gaulish), Germanic people, or even Cimmerian. Several ancient sources indicate that ...
. The name is presumably from the
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...
''rhaudes'' 'field', or ''raud'' or ''rod'' 'river' (''cf.''
Roddi Roddi is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southeast of Turin and about northeast of Cuneo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,426 and an area of .All demographics an ...
and
Roddino Roddino is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southeast of Turin and about northeast of Cuneo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 386 and an area of .All demographics and ...
in the
Province of Cuneo Cuneo (Italian), or Coni (Piedmontese), is a province in the southwest of the Piedmont region of Italy. To the west it borders on the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur ( departments of Alpes-Maritimes, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Haut ...
). Another postulates that the city was founded by expatriates from the Greek island of
Rhodes Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the So ...
. The current name of Rho, with the "h" in the middle, was made official in 1932, but the town has had various other names. The first document mentioning Rho, in 846, calls it ''Vico Raudo'', and it consists of a hamlet surrounded by cultivated lands. ''Vico'' is a group of houses in the country, while ''Raudo'' probably comes from the Latin ''Rhaudum'', a rough castle existing there. Other names include: ''Rhode'', ''Rodo'', ''Raude'', ''Raudo'', ''Rhaudum''; in 16th-17th century one common version was ''Aro'', then ''Rò'', ''Rhò'' and ''Rho''. In his ''Commentari sulle famiglie milanesi'',
Raffaele Fagnani Raffaele () is an Italian given name and surname, variant of the English Raphael. Notable people with the name include: Given name *Raffaele Amato, Italian mobster *Raffaele Cutolo, Italian mobster * Raffaele Ganci, Italian mobster * Raffaele Cant ...
imagines a
Rhodian Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the So ...
origin. This hypothesis is no longer tenable.


Coat of arms

The coat of arms of the municipality is the wheel with five spokes, crest of the Capitanei de Raude family, vassals of Sassonia and
Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
dukes.The coat of arms on the Municipality website
/ref> The five spokes are recalling five emperors:
Henry the Fowler Henry the Fowler (german: Heinrich der Vogler or '; la, Henricus Auceps) (c. 876 – 2 July 936) was the Duke of Saxony from 912 and the King of East Francia from 919 until his death in 936. As the first non-Frankish king of East Francia, he ...
,
Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Große, it, Ottone il Grande), was East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the oldest son of He ...
,
Otto II Otto II (955 – 7 December 983), called the Red (''der Rote''), was Holy Roman Emperor from 973 until his death in 983. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto II was the youngest and sole surviving son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy. ...
,
Otto III Otto III (June/July 980 – 23 January 1002) was Holy Roman Emperor from 996 until his death in 1002. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto III was the only son of the Emperor Otto II and his wife Theophanu. Otto III was crowned as King of ...
and Henry II. In heraldry the wheel is a symbol of luck or victory, recalling to the Latin saying: ''the powerful wheel crushed every opponent''. In the ancient Basilica of Aquileia there is a chapel named to
Torriani The House of Della Torre (Torriani or Thurn) were an Italian noble family who rose to prominence in Lombardy during the 12th–14th centuries, until they held the lordship of Milan before being ousted by the Visconti. History The family origina ...
family, where, between two coffins, is standing the tombslab of ''Allegranza da Rho'' (14th century), wife of
Corrado della Torre Corrado della Torre, also called Mosca (c. 1251 – 24 October 1307) was an Italian medieval politician and condottiero, a member of the Torriani family. Biography Corrado was the son of Napo della Torre and Marguerite of Baux, a Provençal noblew ...
and mother of the patriarch Cassono della Torre. On the tombstone is engraved the crest of Rho, pictured as a shield with a wheel in the middle.


Culture

The new megacomplex of FieraMilano (Milan Fair), opened in 2005 and is located in Rho near the border with Pero.


Rail transport

Rho is served by two railway stations:
Rho Rho (uppercase Ρ, lowercase ρ or ; el, ρο or el, ρω, label=none) is the 17th letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 100. It is derived from Phoenician letter res . Its uppercase form uses the sa ...
, in the city centre, and Rho Fiera Milano, located by the FieraMilano complex.


See also

*
Battle of Vercellae The Battle of Vercellae, or Battle of the Raudine Plain, was fought on 30 July 101 BC on a plain near Vercellae in Gallia Cisalpina (modern day Northern Italy). A Germanic-Celtic confederation under the command of the Cimbric king Boiorix was ...


References


External links

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