Formigine
Formigine: a City with a Long History
Hello, everyone! Today I'm going to talk about Formigine, a city located in Emilia-Romagna. This city has a very interesting history that dates back to the Celtic era.
Foundation
In the past, Formigine was inhabited by the Boi, a Celtic tribe that settled in the area between the Taro and Reno rivers in 400 BC. This tribe was conquered by the Romans, leading to the Latinization of the Celts or Celto-Ligurians, which resulted in the creation of the local language belonging to the Gallo-Romance language family.
In the 10th century, a small church was built, indicating the presence of a settled population in Formigine. In 1200, it was decided to fortify Formigine, and in 1318 the castle of Formigine was entrusted to a family of Modenese aristocracy. In the 14th century, the settlement had reached a certain size and underwent various transformations.
Period of Pio
From 1394, the castle was entrusted to Azzo da Castello, and after his demise, the dominance of the lord of Carpi, Marco I Pio, was established in Formigine. During the height of Pio's power, between the late 15th and early 16th centuries, Formigine was chosen as a podestà seat along with other cities. In 1524, a clock was installed on the main tower of the castle, and the settlement was the part inside the castle walls. In 1648, Francesco I d'Este ceded the fief of Formigine to the Marquis Mario Calcagnini, and in 1660, new prisons were built along the castle's walls.
20th and 21st centuries
In 1945, Formigine and its castle were bombarded, and in 1946, the heirs of the Calcagnini family decided to sell the castle, which was acquired by the municipality to become the new town hall. After several years of restoration, the castle was reopened to the public in 2007, and the town hall was moved to the new location.
In the early 2000s, the city castle underwent new and important archaeological excavations, conducted by Ca' Foscari Venice University at the request of the municipal administration and the Superintendence for Archaeological Heritage of Emilia-Romagna.
This excavation revealed numerous aspects of the daily, social, economic, and military history of the former Formigine village. A relative distance was discovered between the church now located inside the castle and the settlement, and the strong militarization of the entire area from the construction of the main fortification, defending the eastern side of the Modenese territory.
Conclusions
Formigine is an Italian city that has a long and interesting history. This city underwent various transformations, and its castle played a significant role in important historical events. Today, thanks to the archaeological excavations carried out in the early 2000s, we can discover even more about the history of this city. Thank you for reading!
