Lodi / an Italian Beauty

Lodi is a city in Lombardy in northern Italy. Located primarily on the western bank of the River Adda.

It is also the capital of the province of Lodi.

Lodi was a Celtic village in Roman times and it was called Laus Pompeia and was also known because of its position allowed many Gauls of Gallia Cisalpina to obtain the citzenship. It was in an important position where a vital Roman road crossed the River Adda.

Lodi became the Holly See of diocese in the 3rd century. Its first bishop Saint Bassianus (San Bassiano) was the patron saint of the town.

The free commune fiercely resisted the Milanese who destroyed the city in 1111. The old town corresponds to the modern Lodi Vecchio. Frederick Barbarossa rebuilt it on its current location in 1158.

Starting from 1220, the inhabitants of Lodi spent some decades in realising an important work of water system with artificial rivers and channels in order to give water to the countryside, turning some arid areas into one of the most important agricultural areas of the region.

14th century Lodi was ruled by Visconti family who built a castle there.

In 1454, representatives from all regional states of Italy met in Lodi to sign the treaty known as the peace of Lodi by which they intended to work in the direction of Italian unification, but this peace lasted only 40 years.

The town was then ruled by Sforza family. In 1786mit became eponymous capital of the province that between 1815 – 1859 would have included Crema.

On May 10, 1796 in the first major battle of his career as a general, the young Napoleon Bonaparte defeated the Austrians in the Battle of Lodi. In the second half of 19th century Lodi began to expand outside of the city walls, boosted by economic expansion and the construction of a network of railway lines that followed the unification of Italy.

 

Piazza della Vittoria, listed by the Italian Touring Club among the most beautiful squares in Italy. It includes Basilica della Vergine Assunta.

Saluti da Lodi…!