Voghera
Voghera is a town and commune of
Lombardy,
Italy, in the
province of Pavia. It is located 30 km soutsouthwest of that city, on the
Staffora (a tributary of the
Po).
|
The Castle of Voghera in a 19th century etching. |
The neighbourhood produces much silk, in which, as well as in corn and wine, an active trade is carried on.
Known in ancient times as
Iria, it took its name from the river on which it was situated. It was on the road from
Piacenza to
Dertona, and was made a colony by
Augustus (
colonia Forum Iulium Iriensium).
In the
1st century CE it was destroyed by the
Rugi, and its following mentioned as
Viqueria in the 10th century. After several lordships, it was acquired by the
House of Savoy in
1743 with the
Concordat of Worms. Five years later it became provincial capital.
In
1800 it was occupied by
the troops of
Napoleon, who set his headquarters in the Palazzo Dattili for the
battle of Montebello. In
1805 it became part of the
department of Genoa; after the French defeat in 1814, it was captured by the Austrians, who handed it over to the Piedmontese. In 1860 it was included in the province of
Pavia.
During
World War II, ue to its stragetic position on the roads Milan-Genoa and Turin-Bologna, it was heavily bombed by the Allied.
On
May 31,
1962, it was the location of a railway disaster that killed 62 people.
*The
Castle, erected by the
Visconti in 1335-1372.
*
Palazzo Gounela, the current Town Hall.
*The large
Cathedral of Saint Lawrence dates from the 11th century, but was remodelled in the
Baroque style about the beginning of the 17th.
*The church of
St. Joseph, with a noteworthy Baroque façade.
*The suppressed church of
Sant'Ilario, also known as
Tempio alla Cavalleria or
Chiesa Rossa ("Cavalry Temple" or "Red Church"), so called from the red colour of the brick of which it is built. It dates from the 8th-10th centuries.
The
Historic Museum houses, among the others, the personal
A112 car of General
Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa, killed by
mafia in
1982, and the weapon that allegedly killed
Benito Mussolini.
|
The Cathedral of Voghera. |
*Futurist painter
Ambrogio Casati.
*Fashion designer
Valentino Garavani, best known simply as Valentino.
*Computer art pioneer
Aldo Giorgini.
*The
housewife from Voghera (in
Italian "casalinga di Voghera") is a
stereotypical figure representing the general public.
*The
Maserati brothers:
Carlo Maserati,
Ettore Maserati,
Bindo Maserati,
Ernesto Maserati and
Alfieri Maserati were born here.
*Writers
Alberto Arbasino and
Carolina Invernizio.
* -
Manosque,
France* -
Leinfelden-Echterdingen,
Germany
