Serramazzoni
Serramazzoni: Let's discover this Emiliano town together
Hello everyone! Today I will be talking about a town in Emilia-Romagna: Serramazzoni, also known as "La Sèra" in the Frignanese dialect. This town, which is part of the Union of Frignano communes, has approximately 8,598 inhabitants and has an interesting history, between agriculture and transportation.
Origins of the Name
The toponym "Serramazzoni" derives from "serra", which means natural barrier between two mountains, and "Mazzoni", the surname of a local family taken from a tool. Before the first half of the 20th century, the name "Serra Mazzoni" was used.
History
The first mention of Serramazzoni is found in the Statutes of Modena in 1327, where it was referred to as "Serra de Legorzano". During this period, it was only a mountain watershed, without significant settlements. In the 18th century, the construction of the Vandelli road began, later replaced by the Giardini road, which crossed the Apennines and connected the Modenese plain to Tuscany. These main transit roads made "Serra" a transit point. In 1860, the municipal seat of the then Municipality of Monfestino moved to Serramazzoni, taking the name of "Municipality of Monfestino in Serramazzoni". However, even at the beginning of the 20th century, there were only a few houses. Later, in 1948, the name became "Municipality of Serramazzoni". During this period, the local economy remained predominantly agricultural. There was a lot of poverty and a need to emigrate to other territories and countries.
Transportation
In the first half of the 20th century, the town was served by the first buses that passed along the Giardini road. During this period, the Ferrovie Modenesi also put into operation the Modena-Pavullo-Lama railway, but due to economic constraints and incompatibility with the new track gauge standards, the railway was never put into service.
Monuments and Places of Interest
Serramazzoni has a very interesting historical-artistic heritage. Monfestino Castle was one of the support fortresses to the most important stronghold in the territory of Frignano, the "Castrum Feronianum", already in Roman times. During the Early Middle Ages, Monfestino was a fort of the Balugola, then of the Da Savignano sul Panaro, the Contrari, and finally the Boncompagni.
Elementary and Middle Schools
The elementary and middle schools in Serramazzoni are named after Lorenzo Casolari and Guido Cavani, respectively.
I hope you enjoyed this episode on the history and curiosities of Serramazzoni. See you next time!
