Pontedera

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Pontedera
coat of arms
Pontedera (Italy)
Pontedera
Country Italy
region Tuscany
province Pisa  (PI)
Coordinates 43 ° 40 '  N , 10 ° 38'  E Coordinates: 43 ° 39 '45 "  N , 10 ° 37' 57"  E
height 14  m slm
surface 45.9 km²
Residents 29,647 (Dec. 31, 2019)
Population density 646 inhabitants / km²
Post Code 56025
prefix 0587
ISTAT number 050029
Popular name Pontederesi
Patron saint Faustinus and Jovita
Website Pontedera
View of Pontedera
View of Pontedera

Pontedera is a city with 29,647 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2019) in the Italian region of Tuscany . It belongs to the province of Pisa and is one of the industrial centers of the region. Pontedera is known as the most important production facility of the scooter manufacturer Piaggio .

geography

Pontedera is located at the mouth of the river Era in the Arno , about halfway between Pisa and Empoli . The neighboring municipalities are Calcinaia , Capannoli , Casciana Terme Lari , Cascina , Montopoli in Val d'Arno , Palaia , Ponsacco and Santa Maria a Monte .

history

The name of the city means "bridge over the river Era". The origins of the city go back to the 13th century. Pontedera was located in Pisan territory at a strategically important point on the border with the Republic of Florence and was therefore expanded militarily. Pontedera lost this importance after the victory of the Florentines.

During the Second World War , the city was heavily bombed and damaged because of its war-important industrial operations. A large part of the inner city was rebuilt in a modern way in the post-war period.

The cathedral
Santissimo Crocifisso

economy

Until the 20th century, Pontedera was an important agricultural center in the Arno Valley. In addition to the cultivation of grain and wine, the main occupations were hemp and linen production, so that many textile companies, rope mills and dye works settled around Pontedera. Agriculture has lost its importance today.

Since the opening of the Piaggio factory in the twenties (initially engines and airplanes, after the Second World War motor scooters and small vehicles), the place has been industrial (mechanical engineering, ceramics, building materials, textile industry). The former Pontedera factory airfield was completely demolished by 2013. The sports car manufacturer Mazzanti Automobili is based here, as is the chocolate manufacturer Amedei .

Culture and sights

Buildings

  • The cathedral Ss. Jacopo e Filippo was built in the neoclassical style in 1840–1864. The campanile was rebuilt after the Second World War in place of the destroyed towers. The relics of St. Faustinus, a Roman martyr and patron of the city, are kept in the cathedral.
  • The church of Santissimo Crocifisso dates from the 12th century and was remodeled and enlarged in the 17th century. It contains frescoes from the Pisan School of the 14th century and works by Ludovico Cigoli and Nino Pisano .

theatre

In 1974 the experimental theater center Centro per la Sperimentazione e la Ricerca Teatrale was founded in Pontedera (today: Fondazione Pontedera Teatro ). It organizes theater productions and cultural initiatives on a national and international level, and has hosted the Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski and Thomas Richards since 1986 .

museum

The Museo Piaggio Giovanni Alberto Agnelli is the museum of the Piaggio Group. It is located on the factory premises and shows u. a. Exhibits from the corporate brands Vespa , Ape and Gilera .

Sports

The football club based in Pontedera is the US Città di Pontedera . The club currently plays in the third Italian division, Serie C (Group A).

Town twinning

Pontedera has maintained partnerships with the Nicaraguan community of La Paz Centro since 2003, with the French community of Fourchambault since 2005 and with the Senegalese community of Khombole since 2003.

sons and daughters of the town

Web links

Commons : Pontedera  - 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. ↑ Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski and Thomas Richards ( Memento of the original from September 26, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.theworkcenter.org
  3. ↑ Comune di Pontedera - Gmellaggi , accessed on June 10, 2017