Codogno (;
Lodigiano: ) is a town and ''
comune
The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...
'' of 15,868 inhabitants in the
province of Lodi
The province of Lodi ( it, provincia di Lodi; Ludesan: ) is a province in the Lombardy region of Italy. Its provincial capital is the city of Lodi. As of 2017, it has a population of 229,541 inhabitants over an area of c. , giving the province ...
,
Lombardy
(man), (woman) lmo, lumbard, links=no (man), (woman)
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, ...
, northern
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. It is the main center of the plain known as Basso Lodigiano, which has about 90,000 inhabitants. It received the honorary title of city with a presidential decree on June 26, 1955.
History
There is evidence of a settlement dating back to Roman penetration of
Gaul
Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...
, where it is thought to have been used as a ''
castrum
In the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a po ...
''. The Latin form of the name Codogna was "Cothoneum" and is believed to derive from the name of the consul Aurelius Cotta, conqueror of the Gauls, who inhabited these lands at that time. However, it is not until 997 C.E. that the name of the town is found in print. It is mentioned in a charter of Emperor
Otto II
Otto II (955 – 7 December 983), called the Red (''der Rote''), was Holy Roman Emperor from 973 until his death in 983. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto II was the youngest and sole surviving son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy ...
. It has also been suggested that the name may be derived from the ''cydonia'' apple, or the ''melo cotogno'', a variety of
quince
The quince (; ''Cydonia oblonga'') is the sole member of the genus ''Cydonia'' in the Malinae subtribe (which also contains apples and pears, among other fruits) of the Rosaceae family. It is a deciduous tree that bears hard, aromatic bright ...
, both common in this region.
In 1441, after long jurisdiction by the
bishops of Lodi
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...
, the settlement was sold to the
Venetian
Venetian often means from or related to:
* Venice, a city in Italy
* Veneto, a region of Italy
* Republic of Venice (697–1797), a historical nation in that area
Venetian and the like may also refer to:
* Venetian language, a Romance language s ...
family Fagnani by
, the
Duke of Milan
The following is a list of rulers of Milan from the 13th century to 1814, after which it was incorporated into the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia by the Congress of Vienna.
Before elevation to duchy
Until 1259, Milan was a free commune that ele ...
and subsequently, in 1450, to
Gian Giacomo Trivulzio
Gian Giacomo Trivulzio (1440 or 1441 – December 5, 1518) was an Italian aristocrat and ''condottiero'' who held several military commands during the Italian Wars.
Biography
Trivulzio was born in Milan, where he studied, among others, w ...
under whom it was granted the status of ''borgo'' (
"burg", a fortified town) by
Francesco I Sforza
Francesco I Sforza (; 23 July 1401 – 8 March 1466) was an Italian condottiero who founded the Sforza dynasty in the duchy of Milan, ruling as its (fourth) duke from 1450 until his death. In the 1420s, he participated in the War of L' ...
.
During this time, Codogno had developed a thriving commercial life, and having a fiercely autonomous spirit, they wished to be independent of
Trivulzio
The House of Trivulzio is the name of an old Italian noble family, most closely associated with Milan, whose members were prominent politicians, military men and various clergymen.
History
The noble and ancient Trivulzio family was one of the g ...
. The Codognesi sought inclusion in the jurisdiction of
Piacenza
Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...
to have a wider and freer market. Thus, by an act ratified on April 21, 1492, they became citizens of Piacenza. To demonstrate their gratitude, they altered their
coat-of-arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its wh ...
to show the Roman she-wolf (the symbol of Piacenza), tied to a quince tree (the symbol of Codogno) with a gold chain.
Codogno became the early centre of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
in Italy when a 38-year-old Italian went to a local clinic reporting respiratory issues on 16 February 2020 and became the first Italian with no travel links to China to test positive for the virus. From Codogno, the virus spread quickly throughout Italy and the city was later quarantined on 22 February.
The outbreak in Italy was a key event in the global spread of COVID-19, which was officially recognised as a pandemic by the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level o ...
on 11 March 2020.
Sports
U.S. Codogno (previously "
Associazione Calcio Codogno 1908") is an
Association Football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
club based in Codogno. It was formed in 1908.
People
*
Sergio Franchi
Sergio Franchi (born Sergio Franci Galli; April 6, 1926 – May 1, 1990) was an Italian-American tenor and actor who enjoyed success in the United States and internationally after gaining notice in Britain in the early 1960s. In 1962, RCA Vict ...
– singer, dancer and actor
*
Dana Valery – singer and actress
*
Maurizio Milani - comedian and humor writer
*
Luigi Negri - politician
*
Frances Xavier Cabrini
Frances Xavier Cabrini ( it, Francesca Saverio Cabrini; July 15, 1850 – December 22, 1917), also called Mother Cabrini, was an Italian-American Catholic religious sister. She founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, ...
- Saint, founded Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1880; born 1850, died 1917
Twin towns
*
Solagna, Italy
References
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