Dolcedo

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dolcedo
coat of arms
Dolcedo (Italy)
Dolcedo
Country Italy
region Liguria
province Imperia  (IM)
Coordinates 43 ° 54 '  N , 7 ° 57'  E Coordinates: 43 ° 54 '25 "  N , 7 ° 57' 6"  E
height 75  m slm
surface 19.32 km²
Residents 1,323 (Dec 31, 2019)
Population density 68 inhabitants / km²
Post Code 18020
prefix 0183
ISTAT number 008030
Popular name Dolcedesi
Patron saint Thomas (Apostle)
Dolcedo center
Dolcedo center
View of Dolcedo, with its olive tree forests
The picturesque church of Dolcedo
Pass church Santa Brigida with the starting point of the bridge path towards Rio Merea and Pietrabruna

Dolcedo (in the dialect name Duseu , mentioned as Villadolce as early as 1218 ) is a town in Italy with 1,323 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2019) in the province of Imperia . It is located 8 km north of Imperia in Liguria at the confluence of the Torrente Prino and the Rio dei Boschi , a junction of the region's old road network.

history

Dolcedo originally belonged to the Lords of Ivrea , then to the Marquis of Clavesana . In 1103, the Bishop of Albenga left the parish church of San Tommaso to Benedictine monks, who systematically introduced olive cultivation. In 1161 Dolcedo came to the nearby port city of Porto Maurizio as Terziere di San Tommaso . With this it came more and more under the influence of the Republic of Genoa , which leased the rights to Dolcedo from the landlords in 1228. In 1238 Dolcedo took part in an uprising against the Genoese , but from then on behaved loyally. In 1613 the Terziere di San Tommaso of Genoa was granted administrative autonomy and the Comune di Dolcedo was established.

Districts

The following districts ( frazioni ) and hamlets ( borghi ) belong to Dolcedo :

  • Bellissimi
  • Boeri
  • Castellazzo
  • Costa Carnara
  • Isolalunga
  • Lecchiore
  • Magliani
  • Monte Faudo
  • Orenghi
  • Ramelli
  • Rimbaudi
  • Ripalta
  • San Martino
  • San Paolo
  • Santa Brigida
  • Trincheri

Attractions

The picturesque cityscape with many old houses and winding alleys ( carruggi ) is characterized by the piazza, the church and the five bridges that span the Prino and the Rio dei Boschi . The oldest bridge is the Ponte dei Cavalieri di Malta or Ponte Gande , which, according to the building inscription, was built in 1292 by the Order of St. John . The piazza on the western side of the Prino gives the town center Dolcedo its name and refers to its importance as a market place from ancient times. It is bordered to the south by the oratory of San Lorenzo from the 17th century. At the northern end of the piazza is the spacious Loggia Suttu Munte , which was built after Dolcedo's independence in 1650 and is named after the Monte di Pietà pawnshop , which existed from 1504 to 1863. Today the town hall ( palazzo comunale ) is in the building above. In the loggia, which is lined with shops, two stone hollow dimensions are walled in (" meza barile de vino " - half a barrel of wine, and " quarto de olio " - a quarter barrel of oil) with inscriptions dated 1613 and bearing the Genoese coat of arms, as well as two lengths ( canna and cannella ) used to measure fabric on market days. Furthermore, the Banco della Ragione can be seen, where - typical for Liguria - people took a seat for public consultation. At the back is a passage to the forecourt of the parish church of San Tommaso . This church, originally from the late Middle Ages , was completely redesigned in 1738 in baroque style; The Renaissance portal from 1492 was integrated into the baroque canopy of the facade. Classical concerts take place in the courtyard in summer. The apse of the church rises just above the confluence of the Prino and Rio dei Boschi . The late medieval foundation walls can also be seen there outside.

A regional specialty is the ball game Pallone Elastico (in the dialect Balùn ), which is also played regularly in Dolcedo in a special stadium ( Sferisterio ).

The wide basin of Dolcedo, called Conca d 'Oro since ancient times , is completely covered with the terraces of olive cultivation. Chestnut and oak forests stretch over the extensive olive groves up to the alpine pastures of the ridge, where Monte Faudo is the highest elevation at 1149 meters. There are a number of chapels worth seeing, such as the Santuario Madonna dell 'Acquasanta near the district of Lecchiore or the Santa Brigida pass church from 1425 on the height between Dolcedo and Pietrabruna. The old traffic network of the mule roads ( mulatiere ) is partly still preserved and designated for hiking.

economy

Important for Dolcedo is obtained from the local olive oil mills in the local olive oil . In addition, tourism is also playing an increasing role.

The first foreigners came to Dolcedo in the early 1970s, bought and renovated the old, typical Ligurian stone houses in the districts of Ripalta and Isolalunga and thus made a significant contribution to the preservation of the existing, largely medieval, building fabric. Since the 1950s Dolcedo and its districts (frazioni) had been gradually abandoned. Since then, Dolcedo has experienced a tourism boom that was initially limited to old-fashioned holiday homes. From the mid-1990s, houses in Dolcedo were so in demand that many new houses were also built. As a result of tourism, the construction and service sectors also became a relevant economic factor. The resurgence of the cultivation and processing of the Taggiasca olive is also a result of the great popularity of the place with Germans, British and Scandinavians.

A conflict with the local prosecutor's office has been simmering since 2008. Over 80 plots of land, including buildings, were confiscated because of the alleged illegal division of agricultural land, despite all the legal documents required by Italian law and signed by all competent authorities. Those affected have appealed but were unable to prevent de facto expropriation. The duration and outcome of the proceedings are completely open. Dolcedo and the entire Conca d 'Oro were, however, declared a "Centro storico" in the early 1980s, in which a general building ban applies. The construction ban could be circumvented for the construction of agricultural buildings if one could prove a minimum agricultural area in the outdoor area. This gap was used by the builders to build in the area of ​​the “Centro storico”. However, holiday homes were built and often on too small an area.

Web links

Commons : Dolcedo  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Statistiche demografiche ISTAT. Monthly population statistics of the Istituto Nazionale di Statistica , as of December 31 of 2019.
  2. ↑ Marlies Fischer: "Italian arbitrariness". In: welt.de. June 28, 2013, accessed November 10, 2014 .