Casaltone
Casaltone: the hamlet divided between Sorbolo Mezzani and Parma
Hello everyone! Today I want to talk about Casaltone, a geographical hamlet of 349 inhabitants divided into two municipalities by the Croce road: Sorbolo Mezzani to the north and Parma to the south. The locality is 2.34 km from Sorbolo and 8.57 km from the center of Parma and is located on a flat land at an altitude of 37 m a.s.l. near the left bank of the Enza river.
The history of Casaltone
But let's get to the history of this locality: its origins are very ancient and partly linked to the findings of Bronze Age materials preserved at the Archaeological Museum of Parma. Casaltone is actually mentioned for the first time in two medieval documents: the first, from the year 945, refers to it by the name of "Casale Toloni", while the second, a parchment from the year 1005, cites it with the toponym of "Casale Ottoni".
Unfortunately, Casaltone is also known for two tragic events that have struck it: the massacre of April 24, 1945, and the earthquake of July 1971.
The massacre of April 24, 1945
On April 24, 1945, due to the retreat of German troops, a massacre of 21 civilians took place in the locality of Casaltone. The victims have been commemorated with a marble monument placed in the center of the hamlet. The list of victims is: Guido Azzali (69 years old), Ubaldo Azzali (34 years old), Emilio Baroni (50 years old), Florio Benassi (23 years old), Renzo Confortini (16 years old), Luisa Dall'Asta (16 years old), Amedeo Fava (56 years old), Gianni Galvani (19 years old), Amilcare Gandolfi (53 years old), Costante Ghiretti (37 years old), Umberto Maestri (40 years old), Ercole Pesci (69 years old), Oreste Pesci (69 years old), Ennio Pesci (47 years old), Ermete Pesci (15 years old), Gustavo Pesci (56 years old), Nello Reggiani (31 years old), Giorgio Salvatori (4 months old), Luigi Sepali (28 years old), Rino Setti (21 years old), Rosolino Zoni (29 years old).
The earthquake of 1971
The hamlet of Casaltone was the epicenter of the violent earthquake of July 1971, which struck the Parma plain and was classified as eighth on the Mercalli scale. The earthquake damaged numerous buildings, including the church of Casaltone, dedicated to the Purification of Mary, which was then completely rebuilt.
The flood of 1972
But the natural disasters that have struck this locality do not end here. In 1972, due to intense precipitation in the watershed area, a flood wave was created measured at the Sorbolo hydrometer at 12.20 m. The river overflowed in the Casaltone and Gattatico areas, causing flooding of 5.15 km² in the Parma area and 18 km² in the Reggio area.
Monuments and places of interest
Now, let's move on to the monuments and places of interest in Casaltone.
The Church of the Purification of Mary
This church is mentioned in the parchment of 1005. Rebuilt for the first time in 1716, it was completely destroyed by the earthquake of 1971. However, the altarpiece of Parmesan school of the seventeenth century depicting the Purification and a fresco of Parmesan school depicting the Annunciation were saved.
Villa Ceci
Finally, I would like to point out the splendid Villa Ceci. The building consists of a central two-story body with triple arches on the ground floor. The lateral wings are on one floor only, with a sequence of peacock eye-shaped openings. Inside there is a coat of arms, identifiable with that of the Garbarini counts, a family of Genoese origins, present in Parma since the seventeenth century.
In conclusion, Casaltone is a locality with a rich and troubled history, but it can offer a lot to its visitors. If you are in the area, I recommend visiting these places and discovering the beauty of the hamlet.
