Villimpenta ( 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 ...

'' (municipality) in the Province of Mantua in the Italian region Lombardy, located about east 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 ...

and about east of

Mantua Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and '' comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture. In 2017, it was named as the Eur ...

. Villimpenta borders the municipalities of

Castel d'Ario Castel d'Ario ( Mantovano: ) is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Mantua in the Italian region Lombardy, located about east of Milan and about east of Mantua. It was the birthplace of race car driver Tazio Nuvolari. Castel d'Ar ...

Gazzo Veronese Gazzo Veronese is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Verona in the Italian region Veneto, located about southwest of Venice and about south of Verona. Gazzo Veronese borders the following municipalities: Casaleone, Nogara, Osti ...

Roncoferraro Roncoferraro (Mantovano: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Mantua in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about southeast of Milan and about southeast of Mantua. Roncoferraro borders the following municipalities: Bagnolo Sa ...

Sorgà Sorgà is a ''comune'' in the province of Verona, Veneto, 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 ...

and

Sustinente Sustinente (Mantovano: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Mantua in the Italian region Lombardy, located about southeast of Milan and about southeast of Mantua. Sustinente borders the following municipalities: Bagnolo San Vito, ...

Origins of the Name

The name may derive from Latin ''villapicta -'' which is a compound of v''illa'' (rural building surrounded by other houses and decorated) and the Latin adjective ''pictus, -a, -um'' (painted) through the form ''impincta''.

History

The town has remote origins and numerous archaeological findings which date back the settlement to the Neolithic and Bronze Age. The oldest mention dates back to 1047 and tells of a castellum in Villapicta owned by the Abbey of St Zeno of Verona, given by Emperor Henry III. Villimpenta was under the control of the Veronese house until 1243, when the Mantuans regained possession of the area, imprisoning the supporters of

Ezzelino Ezzelino III da Romano (25 April 1194, Tombolo7 October 1259) was an Italian feudal lord, a member of the Ezzelino family, in the March of Treviso (in modern Veneto). He was a close ally of the emperor Frederick II ( r. 1220–1250), and ruled ...

as well. During the 14th century, it passed under control of the

Scaliger The Della Scala family, whose members were known as Scaligeri () or Scaligers (; from the Latinized ''de Scalis''), was the ruling family of Verona and mainland Veneto (except for Venice) from 1262 to 1387, for a total of 125 years. History Wh ...

, the Visconti and on 23 January 1391, it definitively passed under the control of the Gonzaga with

Francesco I Gonzaga Portrait of Francesco I Gonzaga Francesco I Gonzaga (1366 – 7 March 1407) was ruler of Mantua from 1382 to 1407. He was also a condottiero. Succeeding his father Ludovico II Gonzaga in 1382, he led a policy of balance between the nearby ...

, lord of

, who purchased the area including the village and the ancient castle from Gian Galeazzo Visconti. The Gonzaga family ruled until 1708, the year of their fall. The village was plundered in 1618 and then 1796 by both French and Austrian troops.

Sights and Tourist Attractions

* Scaliger Castle, 11th century * Villa Gonzaga-Zani, 16th century, designed by

Giulio Romano Giulio Romano (, ; – 1 November 1546), is the acquired name of Giulio Pippi, who was an Italian painter and architect. He was a pupil of Raphael, and his stylistic deviations from High Renaissance classicism help define the sixteenth-cent ...

* Parish church of San Michele Arcangelo, 18th century

Culture

Museums

* Francioli Nuvolari Museum

Traditional events

In the town the so-called "Festa del Risotto" (

Risotto Risotto (, , from meaning "rice") is a northern Italian rice dish cooked with broth until it reaches a creamy consistency. The broth can be derived from meat, fish, or vegetables. Many types of risotto contain butter, onion, white wine, and Pa ...

Festival) takes place, twinned with ‘Sagra de la Volìa Cazzata’ (Fair of the pressed olive) of Martano ( Lecce).

References

External links

* Cities and towns in Lombardy {{Mantua-geo-stub