Novara (, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

region in northwest

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 ...

, to the west 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 ...

. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

. It is an important crossroads for commercial traffic along the routes from Milan to Turin and from

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. Novara lies between the rivers Agogna and Terdoppio in northeastern Piedmont, from Milan and from Turin.

History

Novara was founded around 89 BC by the Romans, when the local

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

s obtained the Roman citizenship. Its name is formed from ''Nov'', meaning "new", and ''Aria'', the name the Cisalpine Gauls used for the surrounding region. Ancient ''Novaria'', which dates to the time of the Ligures and the

Celts The Celts (, see pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples () are. "CELTS location: Greater Europe time period: Second millennium B.C.E. to present ancestry: Celtic a collection of Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient ...

, was a municipium and was situated on the road from Vercellae ( Vercelli) to ( Mediolanum) Milan. Its position on perpendicular roads (still intact today) dates to the time of the Romans. After the city was destroyed in 386 by Magnus Maximus for having supported his rival Valentinian II, it was rebuilt by

Theodosius I Theodosius I ( grc-gre, Θεοδόσιος ; 11 January 347 – 17 January 395), also called Theodosius the Great, was Roman emperor from 379 to 395. During his reign, he succeeded in a crucial war against the Goths, as well as in two ...

. Subsequently, it was sacked by

Radagaisus Radagaisus (died 23 August 406) was a Gothic king who led an invasion of Roman Italy in late 405 and the first half of 406.Peter Heather, ''The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians'', 2nd ed. 2006:194; A committed ...

(in 405) and Attila (in 452). Under the

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 an ...

, Novara became a duchy; under Charles the Fat, a countship. Novara came to enjoy the rights of a

free imperial city In the Holy Roman Empire, the collective term free and imperial cities (german: Freie und Reichsstädte), briefly worded free imperial city (', la, urbs imperialis libera), was used from the fifteenth century to denote a self-ruling city that ...

. In 1110, it was conquered by

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...

and destroyed, but in 1167 it joined the Lombard League. At the end of the 12th century, it accepted the protection of

and became practically a dominion of 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 later of the

Sforza The House of Sforza () was a ruling family of Renaissance Italy, based in Milan. They acquired the Duchy of Milan following the extinction of the Visconti family in the mid-15th century, Sforza rule ending in Milan with the death of the last m ...

. In the Battle of Novara in 1513, Swiss mercenaries defending Novara for the Sforzas of Milan routed the French troops besieging the city. This defeat ended the French invasion of Italy in the War of the League of Cambrai. In 1706, Novara, which had long ago been promised by Filippo Maria Visconti to Amadeus VIII of Savoy, was occupied by Savoyard troops. With the

Peace of Utrecht The Peace of Utrecht was a series of peace treaties signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715. The war involved three contenders for the vacant throne ...

, the city, together with Milan, became part of the Habsburg Empire. After its occupation in 1734, Novara passed, in the following year, to the House of Savoy. Novara Piramide

After

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 wh ...

's campaign in Italy, Novara became the capital of the

Department of the Agogna Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

, but was then reassigned to the House of Savoy in 1814. In 1821, it was the site of a battle in which regular Sardinian troops defeated the Piedmontese constitutional liberals. In the even larger Battle of Novara in 1849, the Sardinian army was defeated by the

Austrian army The Austrian Armed Forces (german: Bundesheer, lit=Federal Army) are the combined military forces of the Republic of Austria. The military consists of 22,050 active-duty personnel and 125,600 reservists. The military budget is 0.74% of nat ...

of Field Marshal Joseph Radetzky von Radetz. This defeat led to the abdication of Charles Albert of Sardinia and to the partial occupation of the city by the

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

ns. The defeat of the

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label= Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, aft ...

ns can be seen as the beginning of the Italian unification movement. A decree in 1859 created the province of Novara, which then included the present-day provinces of Vercelli, Biella, and Verbano-Cusio-Ossola. The city of Novara had a population of 25,144 in 1861. Industrialisation during the 20th century brought an increase in the city's population to 102,088 in 1981. The city's population has changed little in subsequent years. Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, former president of Italy and Italian senator for life, was born in Novara in 1918.

Climate

Architecture

Novara's sights can be divided into two groupings. The city's most important sights lie within its historic centre, the area once enclosed by the city walls. However, several important sights also lie outside the line of the former city walls. Novara has numerous churches and historic buildings; some of these have been restored over the years. The most significant architectural element is th emajestic dome, 121 meters high, designed by the architect-engineer Alessandro Antonelli. Now known as the

Basilica of San Gaudenzio The Basilica of San Gaudenzio is a church in Novara, Piedmont, northern Italy. It is the highest point in the city. It is dedicated to Gaudentius of Novara, first Christian bishop of the city. It was built between 1577 and 1690 following the de ...

,it was built in 1888. It has nowbecome a symbol of the city and a distinctive sign of its panorama, observable from all the road that lead to the city. The bell tower is also of particular interest; it was designed by Benedetto Alfieri, uncle of the more famous Vittorio Alfieri.

Historic centre

The old urban core makes up the "Historic centre", situated in the district of the same name. Novara once had an encircling wall, which was demolished to permit urban development. Of the old wall there remains only the ''Barriera Albertina'', a complex of two neo-classical buildings that constituted the gate of entry to the city, the required passageway for those who traveled from Turin to Milan. After their removal, the walls were replaced by the present-day ''baluardi'', the broad, tree-lined boulevards that surround the Historic Centre. The centre of the religious life of the city is the Novara Cathedral, in the neo-classical style, also designed by Alessandro Antonelli. It rises exactly where the temple of

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but slightly less than one-thousand ...

stood in the time of the Romans. Facing the Duomo is the oldest building in Novara today: the early Christian ''Battistero'' (Baptistry). Close to the Duomo is the courtyard of the '' Broletto'' (the historic meeting place of the city council), the centre of the political life of the imperial free city of Novara. Overlooking the courtyard of the Broletto are the ''Palazzo del Podestà'' ("Palace of the

Podestà Podestà (, English: Potestate, Podesta) was the name given to the holder of the highest civil office in the government of the cities of Central and Northern Italy during the Late Middle Ages. Sometimes, it meant the chief magistrate of a city ...

"), ''Palazzetto dei Paratici'' ("Little Palace of the Paratici Family"), site of the Civic Museum and of the Gallery of Modern Art, the Palace of the City Council, and a building of the 15th century. Not far from the Piazza della Repubblica (formerly Piazza Duomo) is the Piazza Cesare Battisti (known to Novaresi as the ''Piazza delle Erbe'', "Herbs square"), which constitutes the exact centre of the city of Novara. In Piazza Giacomo Matteotti stands the ''Palazzo Natta-Isola'', seat of the province and of the prefecture of Novara. The landmark feature of this palace is its clock tower. Extending from this square is the via Fratelli Rosselli, along which is the ''Palazzo Cabrino'', the official seat of the administrative offices of the city. As it was a Roman city, the street network of Novara is characterized by a cardo and a Decumanus Maximus, which correspond respectively to the present-day Corso Cavour and Corso Italia. The two streets cross at the so-called "Angolo delle Ore" (Corner of the Hours). The city conservatory, Conservatorio Guido Cantelli, named after Novara's Guido Cantelli, is located in via Collegio Gallarini, 1 (facing largo Luigi Sante Colonna in the area between piazza Puccini and Novara's hospital). The conservatory, founded in 1996, was established in a building built in the 1700s, once known as the ''casone''. In 1766, the building, after a donation from the Gallarini family, started to be used as a college. Between 1854 and 1905, several artistic features, such as colored tiles and terracotta decorations on the facade were added. The largest square is Piazza Martiri della Libertà (formerly Piazza Castello) dominated by the equestrian statue of

Victor Emmanuel II en, Victor Emmanuel Maria Albert Eugene Ferdinand Thomas , house = Savoy , father = Charles Albert of Sardinia , mother = Maria Theresa of Austria , religion = Roman Catholicism , image_size = 252px , succession ...

, the first king of Italy. Overlooking the Piazza Martiri are the ''Castello Visconteo-Sforzesco'', built by the Milanese dukes

and

, and the

Teatro Coccia Teatro Coccia (, "Carlo Coccia, Coccia Theatre") is the main opera house in Novara (as well as one of the major traditional Italian theatres), and is also the most important "historical" theatres in Piedmont. It faces along via Fratelli Rosselli, ...

. The Castello Visconteo-Sforzesco, once much larger than the complex that remains today, is surrounded by the ''Allea'', one of the largest public gardens in Novara. Other important squares are: * Largo Cavour, dominated by the statue of Cavour, recently restored. * Piazza Garibaldi, the square facing the Novara Railway Station, also recently restored and featuring the statue of the hero of two worlds and a fountain with the statue of a mondina. * Piazza Gramsci, formerly Piazza del Rosario, location, after the restoration of 2005, of the landmark statue of Icarus. Novara san gaudenzio.jpg, The cupola of the

, symbol of Novara, is high. Novara Duomo2.jpg, Novara Cathedral Novara Broletto.jpg, The Broletto

Outside the ''Baluardi''

Places of interest situated outside the belt of the ''baluardi'' include the Church of San Nazzaro della Costa, with its attached abbey, restored in the 15th century by Bernardino of Siena, and the Ossuary of Bicocca, in pyramidal form, which stands in the neighbourhood of Bicocca, in memory of the fallen soldiers of the historic battle of 23 March 1849, between the Piedmontese (Sardinia) and Austrians. Worthy of note are the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie (Saints Martino and Gaudenzio), built beginning in 1477 by the Augustinians, whose interior consists of a single nave with lateral chapels and paintings attributed to artists of the 15th century, among them Daniele de Bosis.

Religious buildings

* Chiesa di Ognissanti (12th century) * Santa Maria delle Grazie, also known as San Martino (15th century) * San Pietro al Rosario (1599-1618) * San Marco (17th century) * Oratory of San Giovanni Decollato (17th century) * Santa Maria della Salute (17th century) * Sant'Eufemia (17th century) * Chiesa del Carmine (18th to 19th centuries) * Nuova Chiesa di San Rocco (21st century)

Festivals and events

* 22 January: Novara celebrates annually the Feast of San Gaudenzio (Saint Gaudentius of Novara), the patron saint of Novara. Throughout the day, it is possible to visit the tomb of the saint and to obtain the typical roasted chestnuts, also known as ''marroni di Cuneo'' (" Cuneo chestnuts"). * 23 March: Re-enactment of the 1849 Battle of Novara, with period uniforms and weapons. * On 25 April, Liberation Day, as in many other Italian cities, the Novaresi organise numerous initiatives to commemorate the Italian resistance movement, and in particular, the partisans who fought around Novara and in the "Partisan Republic of the Ossola". * Since 2001, ''Giovani Espressioni'' ("Young Expressions") has been held in Novara. This is a musical festival for emerging young musicians, organised by Staff Millennium, a performance agency, of which Alessandro Marchetti is the artistic director. The "Espressioni Contest" is of special importance as a showcase for emerging bands that picks a winner every year. Among the noted artists who have participated are Negramaro, Caparezza, Finley, Vallanzaska, Extrema, and Blaze Bailey. * Since 2005, Novara hosts the "Novara Gospel Festival", that is composed by workshops, local tours, and obviously gospel concerts in the main theatre of the city. It is probably one of the most important festival of this music in Italy, also because the main event is a concert of the most appreciated gospel's singers, such as Kirk Franklin, Donnie Mc Clurkin, etc.

Demographics

In 2007, there were 102,862 people residing in Novara, of whom 49% were male and 51% were female. Minors (children ages 18 and younger) totalled 16.35% of the population compared to pensioners who number 21.6%. This compares with the Italian average of 18.06% (minors) and 19.94% (pensioners). The average age of Novara residents is 44 compared to the Italian average of 42. In the five years between 2002 and 2007, the population of Novara grew by 1.64%, while

as a whole grew by 3.85%. The birth rate in Novara is 9.15 births per 1,000 inhabitants compared to the Italian average of 9.45 births. In 2006, 92.37% of the population was Italian. The largest immigrant group comes from other

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

an nations: 2.94%, North Africa: 2.23%, and

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived ...

: 0.71%. Like most of Italy, Novara is predominantly

Roman Catholic 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 let ...

Economy

Novara is an important commercial centre of the Padan plain and is the seat of the Centro Intermodale Merci (CIM: Goods Intermodal Centre). Economically, it is affected by the proximity of Milan, and in fact many Milanese firms have offices in Novara. The main economic products and services are: *agriculture: rice and maize (American English: corn) *metallurgical production *chemicals and petrochemicals *pharmaceuticals *food products *intermodal commerce and logistics *banking and insurance services *rice products exchange The city of Novara is a member of the TOP-IX (Torino-Piemonte Exchange Point) internet exchange consortium, a consortium to create an Internet Exchange Point for northwestern Italy. Companies based in Novara include the publishing company De Agostini.

Transport

The local public transport agency is the SUN. Novara vista cropped

Railways

The city is served by three railway stations: * Vignale FS, a small station operated by the

Ferrovie dello Stato Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane S.p.A. ( "Italian Railways of the State"; previously only Ferrovie dello Stato, hence the abbreviation FS) is Italy's national state-owned railway holding company that manages transport, infrastructure, real estat ...

(regional trains) * Novara FS, the principal station of the Ferrovie dello Stato, Italy's national railway (regional, national and international trains). * Novara Nord, the station operated by the LeNord railroad. The new station in via Leonardo da Vinci opened in 2005 (regional and high-speed trains (only 2006) trains).

Motorways and main roads

Novara is linked to Turin and Milan by the A4 motorway (via the junctions Novara Ovest and Novara Est). The A26 motorway crosses most of Novara province, but there is not a junction that links it directly with Novara. To reach Novara from the A26, one must exit at Vercelli Est, but one can also reach Novara by way of the A4, which crosses the A26 at a junction. Novara is served by a system of dual-carriageway bypasses. The oldest such bypass is the Tangenziale Est, directly linked with the motorway junction Novara Est. In 2003, road works were completed on the Tangenziale Sud. The S11 trunk road from Milan and Magenta passes through Novara on its way to Vercelli and Turin. Trunk roads to the north and south also link Novara to the motorway network.

Sports

Novara Calcio is an association football club based in Novara. There is a professional women's Serie A1 volleyball team:
AGIL Volley - Igor Novara Volley
There were an important baseball team and very important Hockey team.

Government

The current mayor of Novara is Alessandro Canelli, elected in June 2016, representing a centre-right coalition.

Administrative subdivisions

Novara is divided into thirteen wards (''

circoscrizioni ''Circoscrizione'' (; plural: ''circoscrizioni'') can refer to two different administrative units of Italy. One is an electoral district approximating to the English ''constituency'' but typically the size of a province or region, depending on th ...

''); several of these are formed of a number of quarters (''

quartieri A (; plural: ) is a territorial subdivision of certain Italian towns. The word derives from (‘fourth’) and was thus properly used only for towns divided into four neighborhoods by the two main roads. It has been later used as a synonymous ...

''), zones, and/or ''

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 ...

''. According to changes in local electoral laws, from June 2011 elections they were stripped of their elective bodies (council and president), thus remaining as a simple internal partition of the

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 ...

. * Centro (Historic Centre) * Nord est (North East) **Sant’Andrea (''quartiere'') ** San Rocco (''quartiere'') * Nord (North) **Sant’Antonio (''quartiere'') **Vignale (''frazione'') **Veveri (''frazione'') * Sant’Agabio * Porta Mortara * Sacro Cuore * San Martino * Santa Rita * Ovest (West) **San Paolo (''quartiere'') **Zona Agogna (zone) * Sud (South) **Cittadella (''quartiere'') **Rizzotaglia (''quartiere'') **Villagio Dalmazia (''quartiere'') **Torrion Quartara (''frazione'') * Sud est (South East) **Bicocca (''quartiere'') **Olengo (''frazione'') * Lumellogno ** Lumellogno (''frazione'') **Casalgiate (''frazione'') **Pagliate (''frazione'') **Gionzana (''frazione'') * Pernate

Notable people

* Sergio Tacchini tennis player; *

Gaspare Campari Gaspare Campari (1828–1882) was an Italian drinks manufacturer. Born in Cassolnovo, Lombardy,Alessandro Antonelli architect; *

Silvio Piola Silvio Piola (; 29 September 1913 – 4 October 1996) was an Italian footballer who played as a striker. He is known as a highly prominent figure in the history of Italian football due to several records he set, and he is regarded as one of the ...

football player; * Giuseppe Ravizza inventor; * Gaudenzio Ferrari painter; * Isabella Leonarda (1620–1704), composer; * Gianni Bettini (1860–1938), inventor; *

Felice Casorati Felice Casorati (December 4, 1883 – March 1, 1963) was an Italian painter, sculptor, and printmaker. The paintings for which he is most noted include figure compositions, portraits and still lifes, which are often distinguished by unusua ...

(1883–1963), painter; *

Carlo Emanuele Buscaglia Carlo Emanuele Buscaglia (22 September 1915 – 24 August 1944) was an Italian aviator, and one of the most famous Italian pilots of World War II. Buscaglia was born in Novara, Piedmont, in 1915 and entered the Italian '' Accademia Aeronaut ...

(1915–1944), aviator; *

Vittorio Gregotti Vittorio Gregotti (10 August 1927 – 15 March 2020) was an Italian architect, born in Novara. He was seen as both a member of the Neo-Avant Garde and a key figure in 1970s Postmodernism. Biography Gregotti was born in Novara, in the Italian P ...

(1927–2020), architect; *

Enzo Emanuele Enzo Emanuele (born June 10, 1977) is an Italian clinical pathologist known for his interdisciplinary research in the field of biological psychology. He has studied the biochemical basis of romantic interpersonal attraction and identified the ne ...

(born 1977), medical researcher; *

Domenico Fioravanti Domenico Fioravanti (born 31 May 1977) is a retired Italian competitive swimmer who won two gold medals in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. Career Domenico Fioravanti was born at Novara, Piedmont. He started to swim competitively at the ag ...

(born 1977), swimmer; *

Matias Masucci Matias Masucci is an Italian-born American writer, independent filmmaker and actor. Masucci has been a proponent of digital independent cinema and self distribution since the early 2000s. His work includes the short film ''happiending'' (2008) th ...

actor, director; * Roberto Passarin (1934–1982), Italian professional football player * Oscar Luigi Scalfaro (1918–2012), former Italian President of the republic; * Mario Miltone, professional footballer; * Marchesa Colombi, writer

Twin towns – sister cities

Novara is twinned with: *

Chalon-sur-Saône Chalon-sur-Saône (, literally ''Chalon on Saône'') is a city in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is the largest city in the department; h ...

, France, since 1970 * Koblenz, Germany, since 1991

References

Bibliography

External links

Comune di Novara, city government website

Turismo Novara (tourist office)
{{Authority control Castles in Italy Cities and towns in Piedmont