Legnago () 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 ...

'' in the Province of Verona,

Veneto it, Veneto (man) it, Veneta (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = ...

, 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 ...

, with population (2012) of 25,439. It is located on the

Adige The Adige (; german: Etsch ; vec, Àdexe ; rm, Adisch ; lld, Adesc; la, Athesis; grc, Ἄθεσις, Áthesis, or , ''Átagis'') is the second-longest river in Italy, after the Po. It rises near the Reschen Pass in the Vinschgau in the pro ...

river, about from

Verona Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city municipality in the region and the second largest in nor ...

. Its fertile land produces crops of rice, other cereals, sugar, and tobacco.

History

Traces of human presence in the area date back to 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 ...

. Legnago had an important military role since the early Middle Ages. In the 19th century it was one of the Quadrilatero fortresses, the main strongpoint of the Austrian Lombardy-Venetia puppet state during the Italian Wars of Independence. The present fortifications were planned and made in 1815, the older defences having been destroyed by

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

in 1801.

Geography

Located in the southwestern corner of its province, near the borders with the ones of Rovigo,

Padua Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...

and

Vicenza Vicenza ( , ; ) is a city in northeastern Italy. It is in the Veneto region at the northern base of the ''Monte Berico'', where it straddles the Bacchiglione River. Vicenza is approximately west of Venice and east of Milan. Vicenza is a thr ...

, Legnago borders with the municipalities of Angiari, Bergantino (RO),

Bonavigo Bonavigo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Verona in the Italian region Veneto, located about west of Venice and about southeast of Verona. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,990 and an area of .All demographics and ...

, Boschi Sant'Anna, Castelnovo Bariano (RO),

Cerea Cerea is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Verona, Veneto, northern Italy. History From 923 AD until 1223 Cerea was a ''castrum'' (fortification). On 1223 Cerea it became a "comune" but, a year after, it was plundered because of the war be ...

, Minerbe,

Terrazzo Terrazzo is a composite material, poured in place or precast, which is used for floor and wall treatments. It consists of chips of marble, quartz, granite, glass, or other suitable material, poured with a cementitious binder (for chemical bind ...

and Villa Bartolomea. It counts the hamlets ('' frazioni'') of Canove, Casette, Porto, San Pietro, San Vito, Terranegra, Torretta, Vangadizza and Vigo.

Main sights

*Church of ''San Salvaro'' (12th century). *Cathedral (''Duomo''), from the 18th century. *The ''Torrione'' ("Grand Tower"), dating from the 14th century, the only surviving tower from the old medieval walls.

Culture

In honour of Legnago's most famous native, the composer

Antonio Salieri Antonio Salieri (18 August 17507 May 1825) was an Italian classical composer, conductor, and teacher. He was born in Legnago, south of Verona, in the Republic of Venice, and spent his adult life and career as a subject of the Habsburg monarchy ...

, there is a Salieri Opera Festival every autumn sponsored by the Fondazione Culturale Antonio Salieri and dedicated to rediscovering his work and those of his contemporaries. A theatre in Legnago has also been renamed in his honour.

People

(1750-1825), composer *

Giovanni Battista Cavalcaselle Giovanni Battista Cavalcaselle (22 January 1819 – 31 October 1897) was an Italian writer and art critic, best known as part of "Crowe and Cavalcaselle", for the many works in English on art history he co-authored with Joseph Archer Crowe. ...

(1827-1897), art historian * Apollo Granforte (1886-1975), operatic baritone

Sport

The local football club is the F.C. Legnago Salus S.S.D.

References

Sources

External links

Official website
Cities and towns in Veneto {{Veneto-geo-stub