Carpi (; ) is an Italian town and ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' of about 71,000 inhabitants in the

province of Modena The province of Modena () is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Modena. It has an area of and a total population of about 701,000 (2015). There are 48 ''comuni'' (: ''comune'') in th ...

Emilia-Romagna Emilia-Romagna (, , both , ; or ; ) is an Regions of Italy, administrative region of northern Italy, comprising the historical regions of Emilia (region), Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of , and a population of 4.4 m ...

. It is a busy centre for industrial and craft activities and for cultural and commercial exchanges.

History

The name ''Carpi'' is derived from ''

carpinus Hornbeams are hardwood trees in the plant genus ''Carpinus'' in the family Betulaceae. Its species occur across much of the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Common names The common English name ''hornbeam'' derives from the hard ...

'' '

hornbeam Hornbeams are hardwood trees in the plant genus ''Carpinus'' in the family Betulaceae. Its species occur across much of the temperateness, temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Common names The common English name ''hornbeam'' derives ...

', a tree particularly widespread in medieval times in the Po Valley region. In prehistoric times it was a settlement of the

Villanovan Culture The Villanovan culture (–700 BCE), regarded as the earliest phase of the Etruscan civilization, was the earliest Iron Age culture of Italy. It directly followed the Bronze Age Proto-Villanovan culture which branched off from the Urnfield cult ...

. The foundation by the Lombard king

Aistulf Aistulf (also Ahistulf, Haistulfus, Astolf etc.; , ; died December 756) was the Duke of Friuli from 744, King of the Lombards from 749, and Duke of Spoleto from 751. His reign was characterized by ruthless and ambitious efforts to conquer Roman ...

of St. Mary's Church in the castle (''Castrum Carpi'') in 752 was the first step in the current settlement of the city. From 1319 to 1525, it was ruled by the Pio family, after whom it was acquired by the Este, as part of the

Duchy of Modena A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a country, territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or queen in Western European tradition. There once existed an important difference between "sovereign ...

. The city received a Silver Medal for Military Valour in recognition of its participation in the resistance against the German occupation during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The town has one of the largest squares in all Italy (3rd place), the heart of the city, Piazza dei Martiri. It is surrounded by the castle, the cathedral, the town hall, and a portico with 52 arches. Usually every Thursday and Saturday the square hosts the local market. Carpi used to be the finishing point of the annual Italian Marathon, which begins in nearby

Maranello Maranello ( Modenese: ) is a city of Italy in the province of Modena, in the region of Emilia-Romagna, 18 km from Modena, with a population of 17,504 as of 2017. It is known worldwide as the home of Ferrari and the Formula One racing team, ...

. Almost 1000 athletes enter the senior men's and women's race which has been held every year since 1988 in honor of Dorando Pietri, a long distance runner born in Carpi that lost his Olympic Gold Medal for being helped to stand up after a fall near the finish line. The area was crippled in the earthquakes of May 2012.

Title

As a titular Duke of Modena, the current holder of the title of "Prince of Carpi" would be Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este.

Geography

Located in the northern area of its province, at the borders with

Reggio Emilia Reggio nell'Emilia (; ), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until Unification of Italy, 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has about 172,51 ...

, Carpi borders with the municipalities of Campogalliano, Cavezzo,

Correggio Antonio Allegri da Correggio (August 1489 – 5 March 1534), usually known as just Correggio (, also , , ), was an Italian Renaissance painter who was the foremost painter of the Parma school of the High Renaissance, who was responsible for som ...

( RE), Fabbrico (RE),

Modena Modena (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It has 184,739 inhabitants as of 2025. A town, and seat of an archbis ...

, Novi di Modena, Rio Saliceto (RE), Rolo (RE), San Prospero and Soliera. It counts the hamlets (''

frazioni A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') 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 consolidat ...

'') of Budrione, Cantone di Gargallo, Cibeno Pile, Cortile, Fossoli, Gargallo, Lama di Quartirolo, Migliarina, Osteriola, San Marino, San Martino Secchia and Santa Croce.Municipal statute of Carpi
/ref>

Demographics

Main sights

Carpi is distinguished by its great Renaissance square (

piazza A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Rela ...

), called Piazza Martiri https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g670816-d4380076-Reviews-Piazza_dei_Martiri-Carpi_Province_of_Modena_Emilia_Romagna.html the largest in the region. It is flanked by a

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...

with 52 columns. Other notable landmarks include: *Town hall (''Palazzo dei Pio'') - formerly the castle of the Pio family. It includes parts from different ages, such as the merloned-tower of Passerino Bonaccolsi, the Renaissance façade and the tower of Galasso Pio, and the 17th century watch tower. It includes a chapel frescoed by Bernardino Loschi and Vincenzo Catena. * Carpi Cathedral - Originally designed by Baldassarre Peruzzi, drawings for it are located in the Gabinetto dei Disegni e Stampe in the Uffizi, Florence, and document Peruzzi's contact with

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested o ...

.Parsons, "Between Typology and Geometry, Designs by Baldassarre Peruzzi for Carpi Cathedral," ''Romisches Jahrbuch der Biblioteca Hertziana'' (Hirmer Verlag, Munich, 2005), band 35, pp. 287-326. Construction begun 1514, Baroque façade added in 1701 and cupola completed 1774). *Church of Santa Maria in Castello or ''La Sagra'' - façade (1514) designed by Peruzzi . *Church of Santa Chiara *Church of Santissimo Crocifisso *Church of San Bernardino Realino *Church of San Bernardino da Siena *Church of San Nicolò, Carpi *Church of

Sant'Ignazio The Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola at Campus Martius (, ) is a Latin Catholic titular church, of deaconry rank, dedicated to Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, located in Rome, Italy. Built in Baroque style between 1626 and ...

- home of the Museum of the Diocese of Carpi *Church of San Francesco d'Assisi

Sports

The biggest football team in Carpi is Carpi FC 1909 who play in the 5510 capacity

Stadio Sandro Cabassi Stadio Sandro Cabassi, is a multi-purpose stadium in Carpi, Emilia-Romagna, Carpi, Italy. It is mainly used mostly for football (soccer), football matches and hosts the home matches of Carpi F.C. 1909. The stadium has a capacity of 5,510 spectator ...

. Carpi FC 1909 played in

Serie B The Serie B (), officially known as Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season. It had b ...

during the 2013–14 season, achieving a 12th-place finish ensuring second tier football remained in the town for another season. On April 28, 2015, the club clinched promotion to

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

for the first time in its history. On 2016 the Carpi-born world champion swimmer Gregorio Paltrinieri won Gold Medal on 1 500 free style at Brazil Olympics.

Notable people

Jacopo Berengario da Carpi Jacopo Berengario da Carpi (also known as Jacobus Berengarius Carpensis, Jacopo Barigazzi, Giacomo Berengario da Carpi or simply Carpus; c. 1460 – c. 1530) was an Italian physician. His book "''Isagoge breves''" published in 1522 made him the mo ...

(1460–1530), physician * Ermes Effron Borgnino, known as Ernest Borgnine (1917–2012), U.S. actor, was the son of Anna Boselli (1894–1949) who was born in Carpi * Camilla Pio di Savoia, (1440–1504) founder of Santa Chiara at Carpi *

Liliana Cavani Liliana Cavani (born 12 January 1933) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. Cavani became internationally known after the success of her 1974 feature film ''Il portiere di notte'' ('' The Night Porter''). Her films have historical concerns ...

(born 1933), film director and screenwriter * Alida Chelli (1943–2012), actress * Roberto Corradi (born 1975), former footballer * Ciro Menotti (1798–1831), patriot * Gregorio Paltrinieri (born 1994), swimmer * Galasso I Pio (died 1367), Prince of Carpi * Alberto III Pio (1475–1531), prince and humanist *

Rodolfo Pio da Carpi Rodolfo Pio da Carpi (22 February 1500 – 2 May 1564) was an Italian cardinal, humanist and patron of the arts. The nephew of a diplomat, he himself became a diplomat by the age of thirty, and came to know both Emperor Charles V and King F ...

(1500–1564), cardinal and humanist * Bernardino Ramazzini (1633–1714), physician * Carlo Rustichelli (1916–2004), composer * (1950–2007), fashion photographer

References

External links

Carpi official websiteCarpi
at Emilia Romagna Turismo (in English) {{Authority control Cities and towns in Emilia-Romagna Castles in Italy Villanovan culture