Codiponte
Encyclopedia
Codiponte is a village in the municipality of Casola in Lunigiana
, Tuscany
, Italy
. It is located in the Province of Massa and Carrara and is about 20 minutes drive from the larger town of Aulla
. The population is about 200.
Codiponte lies in the shadow of the Alpi Apuane
and in the valley of the River Aullela. It is 255 meters above sea level and has a continental climate with hot summers and cold winters including snowfalls during winter. Summer temperatures are in the high 30°s and winters around 0°C.
for pilgrims travelling to Rome
.
Because of its strategic position, during the failed 1521 French siege of Parma
, Codiponte was sacked by Franco-Venetian forces under Federigo da Bozzolo who were endeavouring to enter Parma. Under instructions from the Duke of Urbino and Francesco Guicciardini
, Italian general Marcantonio Colonna
ordered the abandonment of the town and imperial defences regrouped near Parma. However, Parma was ultimately held by the Italians and the French forces withdrew. The campaign was a prelude to the Battle of Bicocca
led by the Vicomte de Lautrec
.
Overlooking the village are ruins from the 13th-century "Castile Codiponte" and the "Convent of Clarisse of Santa Maria del Castellaro".
A stone bridge with three arches which was built in 1703 and repaired in 1936. A Roman pago (village) is believed to have been located on the northern approach to the bridge near the church. A new bridge 500 metres downstream was built in 1970.
(bell-tower) and medieval pieve
(Pleban church) called "Pieve dei Santi Cornelio e Cipriano", which is dedicated to the Saints Cornelius
and Cyprian
. A noticeboard in the church reads:
The church is believed to have been in ruins when it was rebuilt in the Romanesque
style in the 12th century and restored after a landslide in the 14th century. The campanile was built in the 17th century. A triptych
of the Madonna and Child, Saints Cornelius and Cyprian, and Jesus was made around 1440.
Casola in Lunigiana
Casola in Lunigiana is a comune in the Province of Massa-Carrara in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 100 km northwest of Florence and about 20 km north of Massa.-Main sights:...
, Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. It is located in the Province of Massa and Carrara and is about 20 minutes drive from the larger town of Aulla
Aulla
-History:Traces of Roman and Etruscan civilizations found in the Church of Saint Caprisio indicate that there were settlements in Aulla long before the 8th century CE, when margrave Adalbert I of Tuscany founded a village and castle to accommodate pilgrims traveling the via Francigena. Here, at...
. The population is about 200.
Codiponte lies in the shadow of the Alpi Apuane
Alpi Apuane
The Alpi Apuane are a mountain range in northern Tuscany, Italy, part of the Apennine Mountains. They are included between the valleys of the Serchio and Magra rivers, and, to north-west, the Garfagnana and Lunigiana...
and in the valley of the River Aullela. It is 255 meters above sea level and has a continental climate with hot summers and cold winters including snowfalls during winter. Summer temperatures are in the high 30°s and winters around 0°C.
History
Codiponte was once an important stopping place on the Via FrancigenaVia Francigena
The Via Francigena is an ancient road between Rome and Canterbury, passing through England, France, Switzerland and Italy. In mediaeval times it was an important road and pilgrimage route...
for pilgrims travelling to Rome
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
.
Because of its strategic position, during the failed 1521 French siege of Parma
Parma
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
, Codiponte was sacked by Franco-Venetian forces under Federigo da Bozzolo who were endeavouring to enter Parma. Under instructions from the Duke of Urbino and Francesco Guicciardini
Francesco Guicciardini
Francesco Guicciardini was an Italian historian and statesman. A friend and critic of Niccolò Machiavelli, he is considered one of the major political writers of the Italian Renaissance...
, Italian general Marcantonio Colonna
Marcantonio Colonna
Marcantonio II Colonna , Duke and Prince of Paliano, was an Italian general and admiral.-Biography:...
ordered the abandonment of the town and imperial defences regrouped near Parma. However, Parma was ultimately held by the Italians and the French forces withdrew. The campaign was a prelude to the Battle of Bicocca
Battle of Bicocca
The Battle of Bicocca or La Bicocca was fought on April 27, 1522, during the Italian War of 1521–26. A combined French and Venetian force under Odet de Foix, Vicomte de Lautrec, was decisively defeated by a Spanish-Imperial and Papal army under the overall command of Prospero Colonna...
led by the Vicomte de Lautrec
Odet de Foix, Vicomte de Lautrec
Odet de Foix, Vicomte de Lautrec was a French military leader. He gained the reputation of a gallant and able soldier, but this scarcely seems to be justified by the facts; though he was always badly used by fortune....
.
Overlooking the village are ruins from the 13th-century "Castile Codiponte" and the "Convent of Clarisse of Santa Maria del Castellaro".
A stone bridge with three arches which was built in 1703 and repaired in 1936. A Roman pago (village) is believed to have been located on the northern approach to the bridge near the church. A new bridge 500 metres downstream was built in 1970.
Church
The village has a 17th-century campanileCampanile
Campanile is an Italian word meaning "bell tower" . The term applies to bell towers which are either part of a larger building or free-standing, although in American English, the latter meaning has become prevalent.The most famous campanile is probably the Leaning Tower of Pisa...
(bell-tower) and medieval pieve
Pieve
In the Middle Ages, a pieve was a rural church with a baptistery, upon which other churches without baptisteries depended.The Italian word pieve is descended from Latin plebs which, after the expansion of Christianity in Italy, was applied to the community of baptized people...
(Pleban church) called "Pieve dei Santi Cornelio e Cipriano", which is dedicated to the Saints Cornelius
St. Cornelius
Saint Cornelius is the name of the following saints and persons in the previous stages of liturgical veneration:*Pope Cornelius*Cornelius of ArmaghMay 19 *Venerable Cornelius of Komel , abbot...
and Cyprian
Cyprian
Cyprian was bishop of Carthage and an important Early Christian writer, many of whose Latin works are extant. He was born around the beginning of the 3rd century in North Africa, perhaps at Carthage, where he received a classical education...
. A noticeboard in the church reads:
The church is believed to have been in ruins when it was rebuilt in the Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
style in the 12th century and restored after a landslide in the 14th century. The campanile was built in the 17th century. A triptych
Triptych
A triptych , from tri-= "three" + ptysso= "to fold") is a work of art which is divided into three sections, or three carved panels which are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all multi-panel works...
of the Madonna and Child, Saints Cornelius and Cyprian, and Jesus was made around 1440.
Grape festival
Each year in October, Codiponte residents celebrate La Vendemmia, the grape harvest.External links
- http://codiponte.blogspot.com/