Cozzo
Cozzo: A Small Village with a Great History
Hello everyone! Today, I'll take you to discover Cozzo, a small municipality of 355 inhabitants located in the province of Pavia, Lombardy. Although it's a modest-sized town, Cozzo can boast of a very interesting history dating back to the Roman era.
History
In the past, Cozzo, called Cuttiae in Roman times, was the capital of the Cottuta region, an area that extended up to Pavia and represented an important stop on the road to Gaul. Indeed, from here, one could easily reach Turin following the course of the River Po, or head towards Vercelli, Ivrea, and Aosta to cross the Great St. Bernard Pass and reach Burgundy.
The presence of this ancient settlement is attested by the finding of a milestone dating back to the time of Emperor Antoninus Pius and by references to several ancient itineraries. In Cozzo, there was a mutatio, that is, a place of horse changing for travelers in transit, which represented a sort of medieval post station.
Over the centuries, Cozzo was disputed between the Palatine counts of Lomello and the bishopric of Vercelli and came under the domination of Pavia in 1164, but the ancient conflict continued until the thirteenth century. In 1465, the town became the property of the Gallarati, a family of nobles who held the fief for the entire feudal period, until the end of the eighteenth century.
During the sixteenth century, Cozzo became an important post station, and in the seventeenth century, it had to face difficult periods due to plagues and military occupations: in 1657, the Spanish invaded the town, while other armies occupied it during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In 1707, Cozzo came under the control of the domains of the House of Savoy, and in 1859, it was included in the province of Pavia. In 1890, the hamlet of Celpenchio was aggregated to the town.
Symbols
The Cozzo municipal coat of arms was granted by a decree of the President of the Republic on October 11, 1983. It represents a pebbled street on the truncation, recalling the road that crossed the town in Roman times and connected it to Gaul.
Conclusions
So here is a little taste of the history of Cozzo, a town that can boast of a historical and cultural heritage of great importance. If you have the opportunity to visit it, don't miss it: I'm sure it will enchant you with its ancient charm and the beauty of western Lomellina.
