Via Palestro is a street in the town of

Ivrea Ivrea (; ; ; ) is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. Situated on the road leading to the Aosta Valley (part of the medieval Via Francigena), it straddles the Dora Baltea and is ...

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 ...

History

The layout of the street reflects that of the eastern section of the ancient ''

decumanus maximus In Roman urban planning, a ''decumanus'' was an east–west-oriented road in a Roman city or '' castrum'' (military camp). The main ''decumanus'' of a particular city was the ''decumanus maximus'', or most often simply "the ''decumanus''". In t ...

'' from the Roman era, during which Ivrea was known as Eporedia. In the Middle Ages, it was called ''Via Magna Burgi'', serving as the main thoroughfare of the town. After the French occupation of Ivrea in 1798, the street was renamed ''Rue de Marengo'' after the site near

Alessandria Alessandria (; ) is a city and commune in Piedmont, Italy, and the capital of the Province of Alessandria. It is also the largest municipality of the region. The city is sited on the alluvial plain between the Tanaro and the Bormida rivers, ...

, where the French achieved a significant victory against the Austrians during the

Battle of Marengo The Battle of Marengo was fought on 14 June 1800 between French forces under the First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte and Austrian forces near the city of Alessandria, in Piedmont, Italy. Near the end of the day, the French overcame General ...

. A plaque bearing the Napoleonic street name was restored in 2024. It was not until 1861 that the street adopted its current name, commemorating the

Battle of Palestro The Battle of Palestro was fought on 30–31 May 1859 between the Austrian Empire and the combined forces of the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont and Second French Empire, France. The Franco-Piedmontese forces were victorious. It was fought just sout ...

, near

Pavia Pavia ( , ; ; ; ; ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, in Northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino (river), Ticino near its confluence with the Po (river), Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was a major polit ...

, during the

Second Italian War of Independence The Second Italian War of Independence, also called the Sardinian War, the Austro-Sardinian War, the Franco-Austrian War, or the Italian War of 1859 (Italian: ''Seconda guerra d'indipendenza italiana''; German: ''Sardinischer Krieg''; French: ...

. In this battle,

Victor Emmanuel II Victor Emmanuel II (; full name: ''Vittorio Emanuele Maria Alberto Eugenio Ferdinando Tommaso di Savoia''; 14 March 1820 – 9 January 1878) was King of Sardinia (also informally known as Piedmont–Sardinia) from 23 March 1849 until 17 March ...

, leading the Piedmontese troops allied with the French, secured a victory over the Austrian forces.

Description

The street, which is the main commercial destination in Ivrea, hosts numerous shops and establishments. It is mainly pedestrianised, with vehicle access restricted to residents only. It extends longitudinally, connecting Piazza di Città to Porta Vercelli. Its natural continuation beyond Piazza di Città is Via Arduino, which corresponds to the remaining western section of the decumanus maximus from the Roman era. Two squares open onto the northern side of the street:

Piazza Pietro Ottinetti Piazza Pietro Ottinetti is a square in the center of Ivrea, Italy. History The square corresponds to the inner courtyard of the former Monastery of the Clarisses in Ivrea. Following their arrival in the city in the 14th century, the institutio ...

, the largest in Ivrea and home to the Garda Museum, and the smaller Piazzetta Santa Marta. In the section between these two squares, a side street leads to Piazza del Teatro, where the Teatro Giacosa stands. The Giuseppe Boaro cinema, one of the oldest in Italy, and the Church of San Salvatore are located on the southern side of the street.

Gallery

File:Via Palestro Ivrea 8.jpg File:Via Palestro Ivrea 7.jpg File:Via Palestro Ivrea Marengo 2.jpg

References

External links

{{Commons category-inline Ivrea Streets in Italy