Lugo, Emilia-Romagna

History

A settlement in where the city is now is mentioned for the first time in 782 AD, but the names Lucus appears only in 1071. In 1161 it was a fief of the Counts of Cunio, but in 1202 it returned to the Papal States. It was later a possession of the da Polenta, Pepoli, Visconti and Este; the latter maintained it until 1597, when the city was again annexed to the Papal States.

In 1424 the Castle of Zagonara (now destroyed) was the seat of the homonymous battle, in which a Milanese army defeated the Florentines.

When in 1797 the French revolutionary forces invaded northern Italy, Barnaba Chiaramonti (later pope as Pius VII), then still Bishop of Imola, addressed his flock to refrain from useless resistance to the overwhelming and threatening forces of the enemy. The town of Lugo refused to submit to the invaders and was delivered up to a pillage which had an end only when the prelate, who had counselled subjection, supplicantly cast himself on his knees before General Augereau.

In 1859, through plebiscite, Lugo joined the newly born Kingdom of Italy. During World War II, the Senio river formed the frontline between the German and Allied occupation areas from December 1944 until 10 April 1945. The city was liberated by the 1st Jaipur Infantry. A memorial to the Jaipur Infantry was built in the city. The city suffered heavy destruction but recovered quickly after the end of the conflict.

On 19 January 1993 the area near Lugo experienced a meteorite airburst with a yield estimated at 10 ktTNT.

Main sights

• Rocca Estense (Este Castle), the Town Hall from 1797. The current appearance dates from 1500, when the old fortress was rebuilt; the eastern side was erected during the Napoleonic occupation. The interior houses portraits of famous lughesi, a lunette attributed to Mino da Fiesole and a noteworthy 19th-century garden.
• The Pavaglione, former 19th century covered market (mainly known for silkworm trade).
• The Oratorio of Croce Coperta, with 15th-century frescoes.
• The 'Collegiata' church, rebuilt in the 18th century over a 13th-century Franciscan edifice, has a suggestive 15th-century cloister.
• San Francesco di Paola (1890), houses a precious polychrome terracotta sculpture of Dead Christ (15th century).
• Teatro Rossini, now a 445-seat opera house, completely restored between 1984 and 1986 based on its original conception from 1759 and restoration and expansion in 1821.

People

• Gioachino Rossini (1792–1868) – composer
• Giuseppe de Begnis (1793–1849) – operatic bass
• Agostino Codazzi (1793–1859) – cartographer
• Gregorio Ricci-Curbastro (1853–1925) – mathematician
• Attilio Pratella (1856–1949) – painter
• Francesco Balilla Pratella (1880–1955) – composer
• Charles Ponzi (1882–1949) – swindler, known for the Ponzi scheme
• Gustavo Del Vecchio (1883-1972) – economist and politician
• Francesco Baracca (1888–1918) – World War I flying ace
• Fabio Taglioni (1920–2001) – engineer
• Eugenio Berardi (1921–1977) – architect
• Mario Lega (born 1949) – professional motorcycle racer
• Pierluigi Martini (born 1961) – Formula One racing driver
• Lorenzo Baroni (born 1990) – motorcycle racer

Twin towns

• Colombia Agustín Codazzi, Colombia
• FRA Choisy-le-Roi, France
• GER Kulmbach, Germany
• ITA Nervesa della Battaglia, Italy
• Ireland Wexford, Ireland
• ISR Yoqneam, Israel

References

References

1. (10 April 2021). "Lugo celebra la liberazione, commemorazione (Senza pubblico) davanti al monumento al 1st Jaipur Infantry".
2. "The spectacular airburst over (Lugo) Italy on January 19, 1993".