Crevalcore
Discovering Crevalcore, an Italian city
Hi friends! Today I'm taking you on a journey to discover Crevalcore, a beautiful city with a population of 13,594 located in the metropolitan city of Bologna, in Emilia-Romagna. In this article, I'll talk about the city's physical geography, its fascinating history, and its ancient origins.
Physical geography
The city is located in the beautiful Po Valley, just 20 meters above sea level. If you're wondering about the climatic classification of Italian municipalities, Crevalcore falls under zone E, with 2238 GR/G. Not bad, right?
History
The foundation of the castle
The origin of the toponym Crevalcore dates back to the 16th century, when Carlo Sigonio wrote: "Castrum alterum Crepacorium ad disrumpendum cor hostium munivere". In other words, it refers to the construction of a second castle carried out by the Municipality of Bologna between 1226 and 1231, after the complete destruction of the previous one by the troops of Frederick II of Swabia in 1219. According to Alessandro Tassoni, however, the word Grevalcore would derive from the name of Pansa, who died during the war of Modena, and from the grief felt by his acquaintances. However, this etymology remains a mere historical curiosity, as there is no evidence to support this theory. So how do we explain the town's coat of arms, with three red hearts on a white background? They seem to represent the symbol of the city and could be related to the toponym Crevalcore, which could derive from the Latin expression crepa(tum) corium - that is, cracked skin or bark - used to designate an area on the outskirts of the valleys, where water retreated in summer producing cracks in the marshy terrain.
The first certain mention of the toponym Crevalcore dates back to 1130, when a document published by Girolamo Tiraboschi spoke of "casamentum unum juris Sancti Silvestri in castro Cravacuore". However, the castrum did not stand in the center of the current city, but was located a short distance from the ruins of the more ancient castle of Fultignano, which was already in ruins in 1017. This castle was part of the Byzantine defensive system along the Panaro border. Despite the lack of recent and in-depth studies on the subject, it seems that the origin of Crevalcore is linked to the conquest of the district by the Municipality of Bologna around 1130, building the first castle on land belonging to the Nonantolana Abbey.
Conclusions
In conclusion, Crevalcore is a city with a fascinating past and a long history behind it. The different etymological explanations of the name suggest the complexity of its past, which invites us to explore it even more. I hope this article has sparked your curiosity about Crevalcore, an Italian city, and that if you have the opportunity, you can visit it and admire its beauty!
