Commessaggio
Discovering Commessaggio
Commessaggio is a delightful village in the province of Mantua, located in the "low" Mantua region on the border with the province of Cremona. Approximately 1082 people live in this municipality. Since June 2014, Commessaggio has been part of the Lombarda Terre d'Oglio Union of municipalities together with the municipalities of Gazzuolo and San Martino dall'Argine.
The territory of Commessaggio is characterized by the presence of numerous irrigation channels, including the Navarolo that runs through the town, the Bogina that marks the municipal border with Viadana and Sabbioneta, and the Regona, a reclaimed swamp that once extended through the area. In the past, the Navarolo canal was an excellent source of fish, which attracted fishermen from the neighbouring provinces and became an important livelihood for the village inhabitants.
The history of Commessaggio
The name of the village probably derives from the Latin "comes," meaning count. However, recent studies explain the toponym as derived from "commissum," with the addition of the suffix "-àticum," meaning entrusted place.
The village of Commessaggio was under the dominion of the cadet branch of the Gonzaga family for over two centuries, whose lineage is responsible for the construction of elegant urbanistic and architectural solutions. Commessaggio is part of the complex of villages that dot the lands between the Oglio and Po rivers.
In the area, remains of pile dwellings, tombs and utensils belonging to an important Bronze Age Terramare can be found, dating back to 1300 BC. These primitive populations were later replaced by the Etruscans, Gauls and then the Romans. After the barbarian invasions, the Mantuan territory fell under the dominion of the Lombards, as evidenced in an act of the year 759, in which Desiderio, the last king of the Lombards, donated the village of Commessaggio to the Church of San Maria in ripa d'Adda.
After the dominion of the Estensi, the Malaspina and the Pallavicini, Commessaggio was listed among the assets of Count Ugo Bosone, whose son, without heirs, subjugated his county to the episcopal jurisdiction of Cremona by his father's testamentary disposition in 1091. In 1390, the territory passed to the Free Commune of Cremona and subsequently to the Gonzaga possessions.
Gianfrancesco Gonzaga (1407-1444), Marquis of Mantua, invested with the title by Sigismondo of Luxembourg in 1433, expanded the borders of his dominion, appropriating the territory to the west and south respectively of the Oglio and Po rivers, and to the north of the Postumia road.
The Regona, a witness of the Bronze Age
The Regona is an ancient swamp that extended through the area of Commessaggio, fed by the flood waters of the Po and its tributaries. The reclamation of the swamp led to the creation of the current irrigation channels. Thanks to archaeological findings in the nearby locality of Ca' de Cessi, a fraction of the municipality of Sabbioneta, it was possible to reconstruct the ancient palafittic settlements dated back to the Bronze Age.
Conclusions
Commessaggio is a municipality with a long history and a territory characterized by irrigation channels, which represent the main source of livelihood for the area. The village is a peaceful and picturesque place that offers visitors interesting historical and archaeological insights. If you have the opportunity to visit it, you will surely be fascinated.
