Poggio Renatico ( Poggese: ; Ferrarese: ) 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 ...

'' (municipality) in the

Province of Ferrara The province of Ferrara ( it, provincia di Ferrara; egl, pruvîncia ad Fràra) is a province in the region of Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Its provincial capital is the city Ferrara. As of 2016, it has a population of 354,238 inhabitants over an area ...

in the Italian region

Emilia-Romagna egl, Emigliàn (man) egl, Emiglièna (woman) rgn, Rumagnòl (man) rgn, Rumagnòla (woman) it, Emiliano (man) it, Emiliana (woman) or it, Romagnolo (man) it, Romagnola (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title ...

, located about northeast of

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different na ...

and about southwest of

Ferrara Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream ...

. Poggio Renatico borders on the following municipalities:

Baricella Baricella ( Bolognese: , locally ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Bologna in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about northeast of Bologna. Baricella borders the following municipalities: Argenta, Budrio, Fe ...

Galliera Galliera ( Northern Bolognese: ) is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Bologna in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about north of Bologna. Galliera borders the following municipalities: Malalbergo, Pieve di Cento ...

Malalbergo Malalbergo (Bolognese: ) is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Bologna in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about northeast of Bologna. Malalbergo borders the following municipalities: Baricella, Bentivoglio, ...

Terre del Reno Terre del Reno is a new '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Ferrara in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna. As of 1 January 2017, it has a population of 10.041. Terre del Reno borders the following municipalities: Bondeno, Cento, Galliera ...

Vigarano Mainarda Vigarano Mainarda ( Ferrarese: ) is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Ferrara in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about northeast of Bologna and about west of Ferrara. Vigarano Mainarda borders the following municipaliti ...

History

During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, the region of Poggio Renatico was fortified by the rulers of

through a discontinuous line of towers and castles that provided exclusive control of fishing and river trade and protection against the expansionist intentions of neighboring

. About outside Poggio Renatico is one of the Italian Air Force's biggest radar stations, which was formerly used to monitor air traffic over Yugoslavia and southern

Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact (WP) or Treaty of Warsaw, formally the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist republi ...

countries. In 2010,

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two N ...

controlled its air forces in southern Europe from the Poggio Renatico radar base, and in March 2010 it provided military control over the airspace between the Danube delta and the Atlantic Ocean. In May 2011, this

Italian Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = (Ordinance March of the Air Force) by Alberto Di Miniello , mascot = , anniversaries = 28 March ...

radar station was used by NATO as the nerve center for coordinating air strikes during the

Libyan Civil War Demographics of Libya is the demography of Libya, specifically covering population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, and religious affiliations, as well as other aspects of the Libyan population. The ...

. Poggio Renatico was hit by the

2012 Emilia earthquakes In May 2012, two major earthquakes struck Northern Italy, causing 27 deaths and widespread damage. The events are known in Italy as the 2012 Emilia earthquakes, because they mainly affected the Emilia region. The first earthquake, registering m ...

which caused the Lambertini Castle clock tower to collapse. The earthquake also damaged the dome and bell tower of the Abbey Church of St. Michael the Archangel. On 4 June 2012 (several weeks after the earthquake) the steeple of the church was demolished with explosives.

Main sights

* Lambertini Castle * Abbey of St. Michael the Archangel * The Abbey of St. Michael the Archangel * Tower of the Uccellino, also called the Usolino * The Tower of the Cocenno * The Tower of the Poggio, also called that of the Ortolano or Fornasini * The Tower of the Verga, also called that of the Vedrega * The Clock Tower of Poggio Renatico

Notable people

Carlo Fornasini ''Cavaliere dottore'' Carlo Fornasini (3 November 185424 December 1931) was an Italian micropalaeontologist who specialised in Foraminifera ('forams'). He was a pioneer in using fossil forams to sequence marine sedimentary deposits by their rel ...

(1854-1931), micropalaeontologist, mayor of Poggio Renato for almost thirty years

References

External links

Official website
Cities and towns in Emilia-Romagna {{EmiliaRomagna-geo-stub