Soncino (locally ) is a ''

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 ...

'' (municipality) in the

Province of Cremona The province of Cremona (; Cremunés dialect, Cremunés: ; ; Emilian dialects, Casalasco-Viadanese: ) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Lombardy region of Italy. Its capital city is Cremona. The province occupies the central section of Pa ...

in the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

region

Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...

, located about east of

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

and about northwest of

Cremona Cremona ( , , ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po (river), Po river in the middle of the Po Valley. It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local city a ...

. Soncino borders the following municipalities:

Casaletto di Sopra Casaletto di Sopra ( Cremasco: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cremona in the Italian region Lombardy, located about east of Milan and about northwest of Cremona. Casaletto di Sopra borders the following municipalities: Barb ...

Cumignano sul Naviglio Cumignano sul Naviglio ( Soresinese: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cremona in the Italian region Lombardy, located about east of Milan and about northwest of Cremona Cremona ( , , ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in n ...

, Fontanella,

Genivolta Genivolta ( Soresinese: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cremona in the Italian region Lombardy, located about east of Milan and about northwest of Cremona. Genivolta borders the following municipalities: Azzanello, Casalmor ...

, Orzinuovi, Roccafranca,

Ticengo Ticengo ( Soresinese: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cremona in the Italian region Lombardy, located about east of Milan and about northwest of Cremona. Ticengo borders the following municipalities: Casaletto di Sopra, Cumi ...

Torre Pallavicina Torre Pallavicina ( Bergamasque: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Bergamo in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about east of Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the l ...

, Villachiara. It is located on the banks of the river

Oglio The Oglio (; or ; , ) is a left-side tributary of the river Po in Lombardy, Italy. It is long. In the hierarchy of the Po's tributaries, with its of length, it occupies the 2nd place per length (after the river Adda), while it is the 4th pe ...

. It is one of

I Borghi più belli d'Italia () is a non-profit private association of small Italian towns of strong historical and artistic interest, that was founded in March 2001 on the initiative of the Tourism Council of the National Association of Italian Municipalities, with the a ...

("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). Soncino received the honorary title of city with a presidential decree on November 18, 2004.

Main sights

*The well-preserved

Castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

(''Rocca Sforzesca''), built in 1473 for

Galeazzo Maria Sforza Galeazzo Maria Sforza (24 January 1444 – 26 December 1476) was the fifth Duke of Milan from 1466 until 1476. He was born to Francesco Sforza, a popular condottiero and ally of Cosimo de' Medici who would gain the Duchy of Milan in 1450 ...

. It has three square towers and a round one. It has been chosen as set for movies like '' Ladyhawke'' and '' Il mestiere delle armi''. *The church of ''San Giacomo'' and the annexed former Dominican convent, with an octagonal pending tower. *The church of ''Santa Maria Assunta'' (12th century). *The Town Hall with the Civic Tower. *The ''Casa degli Stampatori'' ("Printers' House"), where, in 1488, the first complete Jewish Bible in the world was printed. See the entry for:

Soncino family (printers) The Soncino family (משפחת שונצינו) is an Italian Ashkenazi Jewish family of printers, deriving its name from the town of Soncino in the duchy of Milan. It traces its descent through a Moses of Fürth, who is mentioned in 1455, back to ...

*The Renaissance ''Santa Maria delle Grazie'', with a fine interior.

References

External links

Official website

Soncino Turismo
(tourism promotion)
Pro Loco di Soncino
(tourism promotion)
Castrum Soncini
(tourism promotion) * Cities and towns in Lombardy Castles in Italy Borghi più belli d'Italia {{Cremona-geo-stub