Lodi, Lombardy
Lodi is an Italian comune with 45,375 inhabitants, serving as the capital of the province of the same name in Lombardy.
The city was founded on 3 August 1158 by Frederick Barbarossa, following the destruction of the ancient village of Laus Pompeia, a former Roman municipium, episcopal see, and free commune. During the Renaissance, Lodi experienced a period of significant artistic and cultural splendor, notably after hosting the signing of the historic treaty between the pre-unification Italian states, known as the Treaty of Lodi, in 1454.
In the 21st century, Lodi has become a major industrial hub for cosmetics, crafts, and cheese production. It also serves as a reference point for a region primarily dedicated to agriculture and livestock farming; due to this characteristic, Lodi was chosen as the location for the faculty of veterinary medicine at the University of Milan and the Parco Tecnologico Padano, one of the most qualified research institutes in Europe in the field of agri-food biotechnology.
The city also has a well-developed tertiary sector and tourism industry: Lodi is recognized as one of the art cities of the Po Valley and is notable for several important monuments, including the Cathedral, the Civic Temple of the Crowned Virgin, the Church of San Francesco, the Church of Sant'Agnese, and Palazzo Mozzanica.
Geography
Territory
The territory of Lodi, covering, is located in the central-southern part of Lombardy, in the area known as the "lower plain". The oldest core of the city is situated on the Eghezzone hill, an approximately trapezoidal elevation on the right bank of the Adda River; the rest of the urban center lies partly on a morphological terrace shaped by the river’s erosion and partly in the floodplain area. The municipal territory ranges in elevation from 65 to above sea level.File:Ponte Muzza Muzzetta 1.JPG|thumb|left|The Muzza Canal, at the border between Lodi and Lodi Vecchio
Hydrology
The municipal territory is crossed by the Adda River and several other waterways, including the Muzza Canal, the Roggia Bertonica, and the Roggia Molina.In the Middle Ages, the city was bordered by the Gerundo Lake: the territory was largely marshy and hazardous, but thanks to hydraulic engineering works and the efforts of Cistercian and Benedictine monks, it was reclaimed and transformed into one of the most fertile regions in Europe. Agricultural activity is also supported by the abundant irrigation waters from numerous springs present in the area.
Geology and morphology
From a petrological perspective, the soil consists of glacial and fluvial deposits that filled the Po Valley between the Upper Pleistocene and the Holocene, during the last glaciation. The lithotypes present are varied and irregularly distributed; they are generally rich in matrix. The soils are predominantly sandy and silty.Seismology
The seismic hazard is low and uniformly distributed across the territory: the comune has been classified by the Protezione Civile as "zone 3".Climate
The climate of the Lodi territory, like the rest of the Po Valley, exhibits characteristics typical of a continental climate, specifically the Cfa subtype of the Köppen climate classification : summers are sweltering and characterized by the phenomenon of sultriness ; conversely, winters are often cold and snowfalls are common, though rarely heavy. A very frequent phenomenon during the winter semester is fog, which can sometimes persist for days due to the absence of synoptic winds at ground level. Autumn and spring are the seasons with the highest precipitation.The Italian climate classification places Lodi in "zone E" with degree days.
History
Lodi traces its origins to the destruction of Laus Pompeia, an ancient village of the Boii and later a Roman municipium, renamed in 89 BC in honor of the consul Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo. Located at the confluence of the roads from Placentia and Acerrae to Mediolanum, and at the intersection with the road from Ticinum to Brixia, Laus was a key hub and became a thriving commercial and agricultural village. After coming under the control of the Lombards and later the Franks, on 24 May 1111, Laus Pompeia was razed by the Milanese following a period of siege. The peace agreements prohibited the reconstruction of the destroyed buildings.Nearly fifty years later, on 3 August 1158, the city was refounded by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa not on the ruins of Laus Pompeia but along the banks of the Adda, to ensure a more strategic position for territorial control. The emperor granted Lodi extraordinary privileges, despite which the city grew with difficulty: in 1167, it was forced by the Milanese to join the Lombard League and participate in the Battle of Legnano in 1176.
In the 13th century, Lodi continued to develop under the protection of Frederick II. From 1251, the city saw a succession of lordships under the Vistarini, Torriani, Visconti, Fissiraga, and Vignati, until in the 14th century, the County of Lodi became dependent on the Duchy of Milan, initially under the Visconti, who built the imposing Castle of Porta Regale, and later under the Sforza, who, under Francesco Sforza, expanded and strengthened the defensive system by constructing two fortifications at the ends of the Adda bridge.
During the Renaissance, significant historical events took place in Lodi: in 1413, Antipope John XXIII and Emperor Sigismund convened the Council of Constance from the Lodi Cathedral, which later resolved the Western Schism. On 9 April 1454, the pre-unification Italian states signed the Treaty of Lodi, which ensured forty years of political stability. This also marked one of the happiest periods in Lodi’s history from a cultural perspective, particularly under the episcopate of Carlo Pallavicino.
File:Bacler LA 1797 Bataille de Lodi.jpg|thumb|left|The Battle of the Lodi Bridge depicted in a painting by Louis Albert Guislain Bacler d'Albe
In subsequent eras, Lodi fell under Spanish, Austrian, and French domination. This corresponded to a period of decline and slowed demographic growth, particularly during the Spanish era, when the city was reduced to a veritable fortress. On 10 May 1796, Napoleon Bonaparte defeated the Austrians in the Battle of the Lodi Bridge, paving the way for the conquest of Milan.
In the second half of the 19th century, the city began to expand beyond the ancient medieval walls, particularly following the opening of the Milan-Piacenza railway in 1861 and the establishment of the first industries. Toward the end of the century, the first social clashes occurred between emerging mass parties.
The people of Lodi played a significant role during the Resistance: the actions of the National Liberation Committee, formed in the city in October 1943, intensified in 1944, culminating in the fatal attack on a fascist party official. The reprisal was severe, and by the end of the year, eleven partisans were executed at the shooting range. Lodi was liberated by the CLN on 27 April 1945: when the Allies arrived from Piacenza, they found the city completely free.
Symbols
The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is described as follows:The origins of the emblem are uncertain: some historians suggest it dates back to the time of the First Crusade, although there is no evidence confirming the city’s participation in the enterprise. Most scholars identify an imperial origin, as the gold cross on a red field derives from the banner of Constantine I; the colors were later reversed. According to this interpretation, the city’s banner was created even before the crusade to declare the city’s loyalty to the Ghibelline cause and to distinguish Lodi’s militias during wartime actions.
The gonfalon of the comune displays the heraldic iconography of the coat of arms on the front and two scenes on the back: the first is dedicated to the patron saint Bassianus, while the second depicts Barbarossa presenting the new city’s insignia to Lodi’s notables.
Honors
The comune of Lodi holds the title of city, inherited from Laus Pompeia, an ancient Roman municipium; this status was formally recognized on 3 December 1158 by an imperial diploma issued by Frederick Barbarossa and confirmed by the Imperial Patent of 24 April 1815.Monuments and places of interest
Religious architecture
;Cathedral: It is the oldest and most significant monument in Lodi, as well as one of the largest churches in Lombardy. Its construction symbolically began on 3 August 1158, the same day as the city’s founding, and was completed in 1284. The asymmetrical terracotta facade is typically Romanesque, though characterized by a tall prothyrum in Gothic style and a large rose window in Renaissance style; the bell tower, built between 1538 and 1554 based on a design by the Lodi native Callisto Piazza, remained unfinished for military security reasons. The interior, with three naves covered by rib vaults, houses notable works of art, including a polyptych by Callisto Piazza. The oldest part of the building is the crypt, which contains the relics of the patron saint Bassianus; in the left apsidiole, there is also a 15th-century sculptural group depicting the Lamentation over the Dead Christ.;Civic Temple of the Crowned Virgin: Located in a characteristic narrow street near Piazza della Vittoria, it is considered a masterpiece of Lombard Renaissance and represents the city’s most prestigious monument from an artistic perspective. Designed in 1488 by Giovanni Battagio, it was built at the comune’s expense as an expression of popular religiosity on the site of a former brothel. The temple is a small octagonal structure, topped by an eight-segment dome surmounted by a lantern; the pointed bell tower and facade were completed in later periods. The interior is adorned with lavish gold decorations and houses numerous frescoes, panels, and canvases created between the late 15th and early 19th centuries by Bergognone, the Piazza workshop, and Stefano Maria Legnani; the dome’s segments were frescoed in the 19th century by Enrico Scuri.
;Church of San Francesco: Built between 1280 and 1307, its terracotta facade, left unfinished just above the marble rose window, features a tall prothyrum and two open biforas, representing the first example of an architectural design that spread throughout northern Italy. The interior, with three naves and a Latin cross plan, is decorated with numerous frescoes from the 14th to 18th centuries; the church also houses the remains of notable Lodi figures, including the librettist Francesco De Lemene, the poet Ada Negri, and the naturalist Agostino Bassi.
;Church of San Lorenzo: It is the oldest church in Lodi after the Cathedral. The interior, with three naves, houses significant works of art, including two frescoes by Callisto Piazza. The typically Romanesque facade is characterized by two semicylindrical pilasters and a terracotta-framed rose window, above which is an aedicule with a statue of the saint.
;Church of Sant'Agnese: In the 14th-century Lombard Gothic style, it houses an important work of art: the Galliani Polyptych created in 1520 by Alberto Piazza. The rose window decorated with polychrome majolica is also noteworthy. Adjacent to the church is the former convent with a cloister featuring pointed arches, transformed in the 19th century into a lavish residence now divided into private apartments.
;Church of San Filippo Neri: The building, in Rococo style, was constructed opposite the end of a long street, in keeping with the scenic style of the era. The interior, in a Greek cross plan, is entirely adorned with precious 18th-century frescoes.
;Episcopal Palace: Built in the medieval period and renovated in the 18th century by architect Antonio Veneroni, it is characterized by a massive and austere structure. Noteworthy is the courtyard with paired columns. The elegant interior features some rooms decorated in the 18th century: notable are the former episcopal chapel and the frescoes by Carlo Innocenzo Carloni.
;Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie: Built between 1669 and 1743 to house a sacred image of the Virgin, considered miraculous. The Greek cross interior is fully decorated with frescoes, canvases, and stucco; a side chapel contains the Neoclassical tomb of Maria Cosway, a benefactress of the city.
;Church of Santa Maria Maddalena: Located near the Adda river, slightly off-center from the heart of the medieval historic center, it represents the best example of a Baroque building in the city. Completed in the first half of the 18th century, except for the facade, the church features a single nave with an elliptical plan.
;Church of Santa Chiara Nuova: A small space housing notable artistic works. It is located in a very narrow street, typical of medieval Lodi. The small building consists of two distinct structures, one in the Romanesque style and the other in the Rococo style.
;Church of San Cristoforo: Designed by Milanese architect Pellegrino Tibaldi and deconsecrated since 1798, it hosted a major exhibition dedicated to the Piazza family of painters from Lodi in 1989 and a retrospective on the graphic work of American artist Andy Warhol in 2001.
;Former convents of San Cristoforo and San Domenico: They serve as the headquarters of the Province of Lodi; the internal cloisters are noteworthy.
;Church of San Gualtero: In Neoclassical style, it was built in a peripheral area in 1835, on the occasion of the visit of Emperor of Austria Ferdinand I. The building preserves the relics of the Lodi saint to whom it is dedicated.
;Church of Santi Bassiano e Fereolo: Erected in the second half of the 17th century, it houses a wooden choir with nine stalls.