Longastrino
Welcome to Longastrino: a village linked to its geographical location
Longastrino is a village of about 1,930 inhabitants, situated between the municipalities of Argenta and Alfonsine, in the provinces of Ferrara and Ravenna. The name of the village may derive from the strips of land emerging from the valley that gave the first settlements, or indicate the huts present in the Po di Ostro area.
The history of Longastrino
The first document that mentions Longastrino dates back to 1082, when Giovanni Carbone and his wife Borgia gave in emphyteusis to the corporation of fishermen what they owned in the Uzverti and Longastrino valleys. However, an older document from 1022 may refer to the "longariam terrae", or the settlement of Longastrino, where the bishop of Ravenna granted a strip of land not far from the church of S. Maria in Filo. Flavio Biondo, in the fifteenth century, spoke of a settlement in the area of Longastrino.
Near the village, remains of Neolithic, pile-dwelling, and Etruscan settlements that can be traced back to the ancient city of Spina were found.
Historically, the settlement of Longastrino developed around the church of San Giuliano, erected in the sixteenth century and destroyed in the Allied bombing in 1945. After the Second World War, the territory underwent many changes that determined its current configuration.
The peculiarity of Longastrino
The peculiarity of the village concerns its geographical and political placement. It is divided between the municipalities of Argenta and Alfonsine, and between the provinces of Ferrara and Ravenna. The territory was influenced by the presence of the Po di Primaro, and today the "old Po" is still talked about. Furthermore, the wind blowing from the south is called "Ostro" or "Austro."
Longastrino is a village that still preserves a strong cultural and traditional identity, with religious and popular festivals. The inhabitants are linked to their land and the history of the village, which encloses memories of a distant past but also of dramatic moments in recent history.
Conclusions
In conclusion, Longastrino is a village that combines the beauty of the territory with the millennia-old history that characterizes it. The name of the village may derive from its geographical origins, but also from the first huts that arose in the Po di Ostro area. The peculiarity of the village is given by its political and geographical placement, between the provinces of Ferrara and Ravenna and between the municipalities of Argenta and Alfonsine. Longastrino is a place of traditions and cultural roots that still persist in the form of religious and popular festivals. The inhabitants are proud of their history and their land, which still retains traces of a distant past and dramatic events of recent history.
