Novellara ( Reggiano: or ) is a town and ''

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 ...

'' in the

province of Reggio Emilia The province of Reggio Emilia (; Emilian: ''pruvînsa ed Rèz'') is a province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. The capital city, which is the most densely populated ''comune'' (municipality) in the province, is Reggio Emilia. It has an ...

Emilia-Romagna Emilia-Romagna (, , both , ; or ; ) is an Regions of Italy, administrative region of northern Italy, comprising the historical regions of Emilia (region), Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of , and a population of 4.4 m ...

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 ...

and has a population of 13,670. It is north of

Reggio Emilia Reggio nell'Emilia (; ), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until Unification of Italy, 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has about 172,51 ...

and has a railway station for the local train going from Reggio to Guastalla.

History

The current name comes from the medieval ''Nubilaria'', when the surrounding terrain was mostly covered by marshes, which favoured the formation of recurring fogs. The town was the seat of the Gonzaga family from the 13th century: here Guido Gonzaga, in the early 14th century, created an effectively independent lordship, which later evolved into the County of Novellara and Bagnolo, roughly including what is now the communal territory of Novellara and the nearby Bagnolo in Piano. Novellara Collegiata Santo Stefano 1

After Gonzaga's end, in 1728, the town passed to the Este of the Duchy of Modena, whose history Novellara followed until 1859 when it was annexed to the newly unified Italy.

Main sights

*The ''Jesuit Convent'' *''Chiesa Collegiata di Santo Stefano'' *The ''Rocca Gonzaga'' ("Gonzaga Castle"). This was built by Feltrino Gonzaga starting from 1350, most likely over a pre-existing fortifications from Lombard times. *The ''Casino di Sotto'' and ''Casino di Sopra'', summer residences of the Gonzagas. The Gonzaga Museum houses a rare 16th century vases collection. *The main square (''Piazza Unità d'Italia'') with the ''Church of St. Stephen'', important work by Lelio Orsi. In addition to this, Novellara is also home to the second largest

gurdwara A gurdwara or gurudwara () is a place of assembly and place of worship, worship in Sikhism, but its normal meaning is "place of guru" or "home of guru". Sikhism, Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths and rel ...

in Europe. This reflects the presence of a very large

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

community, living in Novellara and nearby places, where they work mainly in cattle farms and dairies, where Parmigiano Reggiano is made. As in other towns of the region, (e.g.

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

), streets are lined with characteristic arcades, intended to offer shade in summer and shelter from rain or snow.

Famous people

* Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina, duchess of Modena, Reggio, Massa and Carrara, was born here in 1725. * Augusto Daolio, (1947-1992) singer and founder of the Nomadi band. * Vittorio Marchi, (1851–1908), histologist * Lelio Orsi, 16th century painter * Luciano Pigozzi, film actor * Giaches de Wert, composer of the Renaissance, lived and raised his family here from about 1550 to 1565. Baldassare Castiglione, famous humanist philosopher who was a count in Novellara.

Twin towns - sister cities

Novellara is twinned with: *

Nový Jičín Nový Jičín (; ) is a town in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 23,000 inhabitants. The historic centre of Nový Jičín is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument reservati ...

, Czech Republic * Neve Shalom, Israel * Sancti Spíritus, Cuba * Santa Gertrudes, Brazil * Santo Stefano di Cadore, Italy

References

{{authority control Cities and towns in Emilia-Romagna Castles in Italy