Gazzo Veronese
Discovering Gazzo Veronese
Hello everyone! Today I'll be talking about Gazzo Veronese, a small town in the province of Verona, located approximately 38 kilometers south of the city. Gazzo is a dispersed municipality, whose town hall is located in the hamlet of Roncanova. The town is inhabited by 5237 people and is located between the Great Veronese Valleys.
Its location and the beauty of the Busatello oasis
Gazzo Veronese is located on the southern Veronese coast and is the westernmost municipality compared to the other three. Its position makes it a very interesting place from a naturalistic point of view. In fact, the territory of Gazzo Veronese hosts the Busatello Oasis, which is a protected area managed by WWF since 1996. This oasis is part of a wetland that also extends into the territory of Ostiglia. The area is very beautiful and boasts a great variety of flora and fauna.
The history of Gazzo Veronese
Gazzo Veronese has existed since prehistory. The name "Gazzo" comes from the Lombard term "gahagi", which means forest. The town is a special place because here there is a continuity of human presence from ancient times to the present. In Roman times, there were important villages that had complex buildings. In fact, we can find sculpted stones from those centuries around the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Gazzo Veronese, the Church of San Pietro in Monastero (which is affectionately called "Ceson" by the locals), the parish church of Correzzo, and in other parts of the territory. These stones demonstrate the existence of an extraordinary continuity of human presence in this territory from prehistory to the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
The Benedictines and the abandonment of the territory
With the fall of the empire, the territory of Gazzo Veronese depopulated and the marshes gradually reclaimed their space. Only around the 8th century did the Benedictines begin to reclaim the land. The church and convent of Santa Maria were dependent on the convent of Santa Maria in Organo in Verona, with the concession of the Lombard kings. The Benedictines were entrusted with the fief of Gazzo, which was then ceded in 1307 to Federico della Scala.
The fiefs and lands of the Dal Verme
In medieval times, the territory of Gazzo Veronese was divided between the fiefs of Correzzo and Maccacari. These fiefs were given to Nicola Dal Verme, a man-at-arms and jurist, politician and diplomat of the Scaligeri. It was thanks to him that the fiefs then passed on to his sons Pietro and Giacomo. The latter, lord of Bagnolo and Nogarole Rocca, returned to the marsh family of the Dal Verme. Later, the willows passed to Ugolino Dal Verme and then to the cousins Taddeo and above all Jacopo Dal Verme, a great condottiero and lord of several lands.
Conclusions
Here's a brief overview of Gazzo Veronese. This municipality constitutes a very cute and interesting naturalistic hot spot that is worth visiting. Its history is also very fascinating and shows us that human presence in this territory dates back a long time. If you feel like taking a walk in nature or if you want to discover something more about the history of this municipality, then Gazzo Veronese is the right place for you!
