Urgnano
Welcome to Urgnano: a Commune with a Long History
Hello friends! Today I will talk to you about Urgnano, an Italian Commune located in the province of Bergamo, Lombardy. With its 9800 inhabitants, Urgnano is a small but beautiful town with ancient roots and a long story to tell. It is located about 9 kilometers south of Bergamo, in the Bergamo plain, and today I will take you to discover some curiosities about its origins.
Roman and Lombard Origins
Urgnano has very ancient origins dating back to Roman times. Important findings such as two funerary stones dating back to the Roman Empire period have been discovered. Its toponym also appears to have originated from that time, deriving from the Latin name of an ancient landowner of the time, Aurinus, to which the adjective suffix "-anus" was added. During that period, there were two important routes for mobility, the Cremasca and the Francesca, which today are still important roads.
Urgnano also saw the settlement of the Lombard population, of which burials have been found.
The Holy Roman Empire, the Franks, and the Barbarians
In the ninth century, the town was re-established by the Franks, who established the Holy Roman Empire. The first document attesting to the existence of the "rural Commune of Urgnano" dates back to 985. During this period, some barbarian invasions occurred, which according to some are the basis of another explanation related to the toponym, deriving from the name of the Huns, protagonists of raids on the territories of the Po Valley.
The Castle and the Visconti Domination
The period of profound instability, combined with the increasing conflicts between the factions of the Guelphs and the Ghibellines, led the town to equip itself with defensive fortifications, including a castle. The castle dating back to the 10th and 11th centuries brought together a large part of the population and thus created a significant residential center, which today forms the historic center.
In the following centuries, the town became a fief of the Milanese Visconti family who, starting from the 14th century, built a fortress in the place of a previous fortification, in order to protect their possession from the expansionist ambitions of other powers, first of all the Republic of Venice.
The Domination of the Serenissima and Bartolomeo Colleoni
Urgnano was located in an area on the border between the two political entities of the time and, starting from the first half of the 15th century, passed under the domination of the Serenissima. This issued a series of measures aimed at improving the social and economic situation, restored and strengthened the castle, and assigned it in feudal tenure, together with the surrounding land, to the condottiero Bartolomeo Colleoni.
Agriculture and the Future
In 1622, the cultivation of maize was introduced in Urgnano and since then the town has focused on economic growth thanks to the agricultural sector.
And that's it, friends! I hope I made you appreciate the beauty and history of Urgnano. There is still much to discover, so if you have the opportunity to visit this beautiful Italian town, do not hesitate and come and discover all its secrets!
