Mezzani
Mezzani is a former Italian scattered community with the last 3208 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2018) in the Italian province of Parma in the Emilia-Romagna region . The municipality was dissolved on January 1, 2019 and the districts merged with the municipality of Sorbolo to form the new municipality of Sorbolo Mezzani . The municipality of Mezzani was in the Casale di Mezzani fraction .
The municipality of Mezzani was made up of the hamlets of Bocca d'Enza, Casale di Mezzani, Ghiare Bonvisi, Mazzabue, Mezzano Inferiore, Mezzano Rondani, Mezzano Superiore and Valle. Neighboring municipalities were Brescello , Casalmaggiore , Colorno , Parma , Sorbolo, Torrile and Viadana . The municipality covered an area of 28 km².
geography
The former municipality lies in the middle of the Po Valley on the right bank of the Po river . The area is also traversed by Parma in the west and Enza in the east. Both rivers flow into the Po. The Parmetta Canal marked the southern border with the former municipality of Sorbolo. The Parma morta is an abandoned river bed of the Parma, which flowed into the Enza until the 19th century and is now a nature park.
The municipality bordered the provinces of Cremona , Mantua and Reggio Emilia . It was in the lowest part of the Po Valley , called the Bassa .
history
The name Mezzani comes from the Latin medianus . This word referred to the river islands in the middle of the Po. Most of the villages in this area emerged from the Po Islands. The landscape has been continuously reshaped by the Po to this day. For this reason, no traces of the ancient settlements were found, but traces of the Roman Centuriation (land surveying) can still be found in the southern part of the municipality.
In the Middle Ages, today's settlements were formed on the Po, which were later connected to the right bank of the river: the first settlement was on the island of Casale. It is already mentioned in a document from 890. The settlement on the Mezzano Superiore Island was founded in 1131 according to a document by Abbot Romani. In the fourteenth century the settlement emerged on the Mezzano Inferiore Island.
Mezzano Rondani was originally built on the left bank, the Lombard side, of the Po. The village became an island after a flood and was later connected to the right bank. Mezzano Rondani and Casale became part of the Duchy of Parma , Mezzano Inferiore and Superiore were fiefdoms of the Bishops of Parma from the very beginning . In Mezzano Superiore, the bishop owned a palace with his own garrison. Both villages formed an independent state until in 1763 the Duke of Parma forced the bishop to cede his dominion to him.
In 1861 Mezzani went with the Duchy of Parma to the Kingdom of Italy.
Demographics
Attractions
Churches
- S. Maria Nascente (Mezzano Inferiore)
The parish church of Mezzano Inferiore was built in 1563 and rebuilt between 1754 and 1779. Inside there is an organ by John and Stefano Cavalletti from 1829, and an altar carved from marble from 1799.
- Oratorio Beata Vergine delle Grazie (Mezzano Inferiore)
Located at Borghetto , has a rectangular floor plan, the interior consists of a cross vault.
- S. Silvestro (Casale)
Mentioned for the first time in a bull of Lucius II from March 1144: Ecclesima de Insula Sancti Silvestri . It was later rebuilt on the site of the medieval church, of which only a few traces are visible today.
- S. Michele (Mezzano Superiore)
A first church was originally built in the twelfth century. It was later rebuilt in a different position and consecrated in 1479 by Bishop Sagramoro Sagramori. The church tower was raised in 1664, and the church was renovated between 1694 and 1736. The current facade dates back to the seventeenth century.
Secular buildings
- Bishop's Palace (Mezzano Superiore)
The Episcopal Palace was never completed, but according to a sixteenth-century drawing it should have been impressive. Today the palace is privately owned.
nature
The nature reserve lies along the stretch of the deserted river bed of the Parma. Hygrophilic (willow and alder) and mesophilic plants (summer oak, maple, cornel, cherry and elm) characterize the vegetation.
- Aquarium
Inside the nature reserve you can visit an interesting aquarium with typical freshwater fish.
Personalities
(Mezzano Superiore 1742 - Vienna 1821) Jesuit and poet , he translated Virgil and Ovid from Latin into Italian and wrote poems of various genres. For political reasons he fled to Tyrol for some time. He later became a tutor for the sons of Archduke Ferdinand , whom he accompanied to Brno in 1796 . In 1810 he came to Vienna and stayed there until his death.
- Giuseppe Rondizzoni
(Mezzano Superiore 1788 - Valparaíso 1866) He began his military career with Napoleon . In 1815, after the Battle of Waterloo, he emigrated first to the United States of America and then to Chile , where he joined the Chilean army. He took part in the wars for the country's independence. Rondizzoni distinguished himself early on in various fights for his courage and tactical experience. He also took part in the war for the liberation of Peru in 1823. For his heroism, he was made a colonel and later a brigadier general.
- Rino Vernizzi (Mezzano Inferiore 1946), musician
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Bollettino Ufficiale della Regione Emilia-Romagna n.380 of December 5th, 2018 (Parte Prima). In: bur.regione.emilia-romagna.it. Retrieved January 3, 2020 (Italian).
Coordinates: 44 ° 55 ′ 0 ″ N , 10 ° 26 ′ 0 ″ E