Valdagno
Encyclopedia
History
Valdagno's town was founded in 861, the name deriving from the Latin amins, then amnius, meaning "river". It is first mentioned in a 1184 document when it was a fief given by the Vicenza bishop to the Trissino family.Two castles where erected on two opposite hills, one being named the Valdagno castle and the other the Panisacco Castle. However the Vicenza comune
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
started very soon to contend it to the Trissino family, who in turn joined forces with Scaliger
Scaliger
The noble family of the Scaliger were Lords of Verona. When Ezzelino III was elected podestà of the commune in 1226, he was able to convert the office into a permanent lordship...
s to defend it.
In 1291, in the course of the war with Verona, Venice occupied Valdagno and kept it until 1340. In 1377 it was pillaged by Bernabò Visconti
Bernabo Visconti
Bernabò Visconti was an Italian soldier and statesman, who was Lord of Milan.-Life:He was born in Milan, the son of Stefano Visconti and Valentina Doria. From 1346 to 1349 he lived in exile, until he was called back by his uncle Giovanni Visconti...
and in 1404 it went back to the Venetians. From 1434 to 1439 it was occupied by the Visconti
House of Visconti
Visconti is the family name of two important Italian noble dynasties of the Middle Ages. There are two distinct Visconti families: The first one in the Republic of Pisa in the mid twelfth century who achieved prominence first in Pisa, then in Sardinia where they became rulers of Gallura...
family and then re-annexed to Venice by Gian Giorgio Trissino.
Between 1510 and 1514 it suffered repeated destructions by the armies of Maximilian I
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian I , the son of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor and Eleanor of Portugal, was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1493 until his death, though he was never in fact crowned by the Pope, the journey to Rome always being too risky...
, during the War of the League of Cambrai
War of the League of Cambrai
The War of the League of Cambrai, sometimes known as the War of the Holy League and by several other names, was a major conflict in the Italian Wars...
. Starting from 1797, with the fall of the Republic of Venice
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
, Valdagno fell under the French and Austrian rule. It was annexed to the newly created Kingdom of Italy in 1866.
Valdagno is the birthplace of Gaetano Marzotto, a pioneer of the textile industry and founder of the Marzotto
Marzotto
The Marzotto Group is an Italian textile manufacturer, based in Valdagno.Created in 1836 as the Lanificio Luigi Marzotto & Figli. In 2005 Marzotto Group's textile business separated from Valentino Fashion Group....
, which allowed Valdagno to became an industrial centre.
The decline of the Marzotto industry in the 1980s and subsequent relocation of the firm to other areas ( China and Romania ), left high bouts of unemployment, that have contributed to a rise of crime in the area.
The town is a focal centre of the Fronte Veneto: a violent neo-fascist group which has found a large following in Valdagno. The group is responsible for numerous acts of violence against immigrants in Veneto, Trentino and Lombardy.
Sport
The town has a football team, A.C. Nuova ValdagnoA.C. Nuova Valdagno
Associazione Calcio Nuova Valdagno is an Italian association football club located in Valdagno, Veneto. It currently plays in Promozione. Its colors are light blue and white....
and is home to the rink hockey team Isello Hockey Valdagno
Asd Hockey Marzotto Valdagno
Asd Hockey Marzotto Valdagno or just Isello Hockey Valdagno is a professional roller hockey team based in Valdagno, Italy...
.