Altissimo is a ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' (municipality) in the

province of Vicenza The province of Vicenza (; ) is a province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital city is Vicenza. The province has an area of 2,722.53 km2, and a total population of 865,082 (as of 2017). There are 113 ''comuni'' (municipalities) in th ...

Veneto Veneto, officially the Region of Veneto, is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the Northeast Italy, north-east of the country. It is the fourth most populous region in Italy, with a population of 4,851,851 as of 2025. Venice is t ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. It is located in the hills of Chiampo valley.

History

Even though the civic and religious organization of the area must be placed earlier, the inhabited territory evolved in the 13th century following the colonization of ethnic German populations (the so-called

Cimbri The Cimbri (, ; ) were an ancient tribe in Europe. Ancient authors described them variously as a Celtic, Gaulish, Germanic, or even Cimmerian people. Several ancient sources indicate that they lived in Jutland, which in some classical texts was ...

). On February 5, 1287, the Cimbrian Olderico da Altissimo signed a contract with Verona's bishop, Bartolomeo della Scala, to become steward of the area. There is little information on the medieval period, and it largely pertains to the church of San Nicola and the districts of Molino and Costa; there is no evidence of castles. Altissimo, together with Padua and Venice, fought against

Mastino II della Scala Mastino II della Scala (1308 – 3 June 1351) was lord of Verona. He was a member of the famous Scaliger family of Northern Italy. He was the son of Alboino I della Scala and Beatrice da Correggio. At the death of Cangrande I, he and his broth ...

1336 Year 1336 ( MCCCXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. Events * February 25 ** Rather than be taken captive by the Teutonic Knights, 4,000 defenders of Pilėnai, Lithuania commit mass suicide. ** The Kenmu Restorat ...

. The

Scaligeri The House of Della Scala, whose members were known as Scaligeri () or Scaligers (; from the Latinized ''de Scalis''), was the ruling family of Verona and mainland Veneto (except for Venice) from 1262 to 1387, for a total of 125 years. History ...

were followed by the

Visconti Visconti is a surname which may refer to: Italian noble families * Visconti of Milan, ruled Milan from 1277 to 1447 ** Visconti di Modrone, collateral branch of the Visconti of Milan * Visconti of Pisa and Sardinia, ruled Gallura in Sardinia from ...

in 1387, and afterwards by the Republic of Venice (1404). During the Serenissima's reign, the economy shifted from a subsistence economy based on small and medium-sized local proprietors to a profit economy dominated by

nobles Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

and

bourgeois The bourgeoisie ( , ) are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a "middle class" between the peasantry and Aristocracy (class), aristocracy. They are tradition ...

. Altissimo became a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

of the Lombardo-Veneto Kingdom after the

Napoleonic period The Napoleonic era is a period in the history of France and history of Europe, Europe. It is generally classified as including the fourth and final stage of the French Revolution, the first being the National Assembly (French Revoluti ...

, located in the

Arzignano Arzignano is an industrial town and ''comune'' in the Province of Vicenza in Veneto, Italy. It is located from Vicenza, in the Valle del Chiampo. History In 1413, during a campaign of King Sigismund of Hungary against the Republic of Venice, its ...

district of the

, a condition that has largely been preserved to the current day. The

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

period is notable. Following Cassibile's armistice, the locals saved several disbanded soldiers going through the area. Furthermore, in the beginning of October 1943, the first

partisan Partisan(s) or The Partisan(s) may refer to: Military * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line ** Francs-tireurs et partisans, communist-led French anti-fascist resistance against Nazi Germany during WWII ** Ital ...

units emerged, with the assistance of many local families, despite the risk of Nazi-fascist retaliation. The town was traversed by retreating German forces in the days following the conflict's end: some were confronted and disarmed, while others ransacked houses and kidnapped hostages.

References

External links

*
(Google Maps)

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