Groppo is a district (''

frazione A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' ('municipality') in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidat ...

'') of the

Riolunato Riolunato ( Riolunatese: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Modena The province of Modena () is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Modena. It has an area of and a ...

municipality (''

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 ...

''), located in Modena province, Emilia-Romagna region, Italy.

Geography

Groppo is both an hamlet and a territory. The territory boundaries are: the Scoltenna creek (south-east); the Palagano territory, beyond the Giardini and Vandelli routes (north-west); the

Pievepelago Pievepelago ( Frignanese: or ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Modena in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna in the heart of the northern Apennine Mountains. Situated on the Scoltenna River, in a mountain valley, it is a touris ...

territory (south-west) and Roncombrellaro (north-east). As a territory, it includes Cabonargi and many other small inhabited areas and it is about 3 km² wide.

History

During the 15th century, Groppo was already a municipality, endowed with its own statutes. It became part of the municipality of

quite recently; in 1845 it was still part of the Pievepelago community, one of the five communities into which Frignano was divided (the others were Pavullo, Fanano, Sestola and Fiumalbo). In 1786–1787, a great landslide affected the town, reaching as far as the Scoltenna creek. Notable natives of Groppo include Father Claudio Fini, famous in the second half of the sixteenth century as a theologian and preacher, a witness to the holiness of

St. Aloysius Gonzaga Aloysius de Gonzaga, SJ (; 9 March 156821 June 1591) was an Italian aristocrat who became a member of the Society of Jesus. While still a student at the Roman College, he died as a result of caring for the victims of a serious epidemic. He was ...

; Saverio Cabonargi, a follower of

Mazzini Giuseppe Mazzini (, ; ; 22 June 1805 – 10 March 1872) was an Italian politician, journalist, and activist for the unification of Italy (Risorgimento) and spearhead of the Italian revolutionary movement. His efforts helped bring about the ...

, who inspired the participation of the Frignanese mountain in the 1831 Modena revolution and Luigi Cabonargi (died 1852), a doctor in Rome and a friend of

Stendhal Marie-Henri Beyle (; 23 January 1783 – 23 March 1842), better known by his pen name Stendhal (, , ), was a French writer. Best known for the novels ''Le Rouge et le Noir'' ('' The Red and the Black'', 1830) and ''La Chartreuse de Parme'' ('' T ...

. During the final phase of the Second World War, the territory of Groppo was just north of the

Gothic Line The Gothic Line (; ) was a German and Italian defensive line of the Italian Campaign of World War II. It formed Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's last major line of defence along the summits of the northern part of the Apennine Mountains du ...

; during that time an American reconnaissance aircraft crashed in the heights near the village: the body of the pilot, Paul M. Thorngren, from Boone, Iowa, was temporarily buried near the parish church and now rests in the Florence American Cemetery.See record on th
Find a grave
website.

Operation Herring Operation Herring (Herring 1) was the last World War II Airborne forces, airborne combat drop in Europe. Background The Allies of World War II, Allied Spring 1945 offensive in Italy, April 1945 offensive on the Italy, Italian front, which wa ...

took place in the same era, in which the paratrooper Enea Cucchi participated and died on 22 April 1945. Enea was born there; he was awarded the silver medal for military valour and a street and a commemorative plaque are dedicated to him.

References

Frazioni of the Province of Modena {{EmiliaRomagna-geo-stub