Casalmaggiore ( Casalasco-Viadanese: ) is a ''

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 ...

'' in the province of Cremona, Lombardy,

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 ...

, located across the Po River. It was the birthplace of Italian composers

Ignazio Donati Ignazio Donati (c. 1570 – 21 January 1638) was an Italian composer of the early Baroque era. He was one of the pioneers of the style of the concertato motet. Biography Ignazio Donati was born in Casalmaggiore (now in the Province of Cremona ...

and

Andrea Zani Andrea Teodoro Zani (11 November 1696 – 28 September 1757) was an Italian violinist and composer. Life Zani was born at Casalmaggiore in the Province of Cremona. He received his first instruction in playing the violin from his father, an ...

. It became worldwide famous thanks to its Women Volleyball Team Volleyball Casalmaggiore especially in the years between 2015-2018. Sights include the ''Duomo'' (Cathedral), the Museo Diotti, and the Bijoux Museum.

History

Archaeological findings in 1970 proved that the area was inhabited from the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

, although the town most likely was founded by the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

as ''Castra Majora'' ("Main Military Camp"). Around the year 1000 it was a fortified castle in the

House of Este The House of Este ( , , ) is a European dynasty of North Italian origin whose members ruled parts of Italy and Germany for many centuries. The original House of Este's elder branch, which is known as the House of Welf, included dukes of Bavaria ...

lands; in the 15th century it was under the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

. On July 2, 1754, it obtained the status of city with an imperial decree. After a period under the Austrians, it became part of the newly unified

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia was proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to an institutional referendum to abandon the monarchy and f ...

in 1861.

Twin towns

Guilherand-Granges Guilherand-Granges () is a commune in the Ardèche department in southern France. It is a suburb of Valence, Drôme. It is one of the most populous commune in the Ardéche department, after Annonay and Aubenas, and before Tournon-sur-Rhône. ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

* Tarnów, Poland

References

Municipalities of the Province of Cremona Casalmaggiore, {{Cremona-geo-stub