The Castle of Voghera in a 19th-century etching. Voghera ( Vogherese dialect of Emilian: ''Vughera'';

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

: ''Forum Iulii Iriensium'') 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 Pavia The province of Pavia () is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Lombardy region of Italy. Its capital is Pavia. , the province has a population of 548,722 inhabitants and an area of ; the town of Pavia has a population of 72,205. History T ...

in the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

region

Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...

. The population was 39,374 as of 2017. It is the third most populated town in the province, after Pavia and Vigevano. It is located 30 km south-southwest of that city, on the Staffora (a tributary of the Po). It is the main town of

Oltrepò Pavese The Oltrepò Pavese (; ; ) is a historical region making up the southern portion of the province of Pavia, in the northwest Italian region of Lombardy. The area is named after its location south of the Po (river), River Po as considered from th ...

and is an important rail and road hub as well as a renowned wine producer.

History

Known in ancient times as ''Iria'', the town took its name from the river on which it was situated. It was on the road from

Piacenza Piacenza (; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Piacenza, eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with more ...

to ''

Dertona Tortona (; , ; ) is a ''comune'' of Piemonte, in the Province of Alessandria, Italy. Tortona is sited on the right bank of the Scrivia between the plain of Marengo and the foothills of the Ligurian Apennines. Its ''frazione'' of Vho is one of I ...

'', and was made a colony by

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

(''colonia Forum Iulium Iriensium''). In the 1st century CE, it was destroyed by the

Rugii The Rugii, Rogi or Rugians (), were one of the smaller Germanic peoples of Late Antiquity who are best known for their short-lived 5th-century kingdom upon the Roman frontier, near present-day Krems an der Donau in Austria. This kingdom, like t ...

, and it is next mentioned as ''Viqueria'' (contracted from ''vicus Iriae'', Iria's village) in the 10th century. After several lordships, it was acquired by the

House of Savoy The House of Savoy (, ) is a royal house (formally a dynasty) of Franco-Italian origin that was established in 1003 in the historical region of Savoy, which was originally part of the Kingdom of Burgundy and now lies mostly within southeastern F ...

in 1743 with the Treaty of Worms. Five years later it became the provincial capital and received the city status. In 1800, the troops of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

occupied the town and set his headquarters in the Palazzo Dattili for the battle of Montebello. In 1805 it became part of the ''département'' of Genoa; after the French defeat in 1814, it was captured by the Austrians, who handed it over to the Piedmontese. In 1860 it was included in the province of Pavia. During

World War II 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 ...

, the town was heavily bombed by the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

because of its strategic position on the roads Milan-Genoa and Turin-Bologna. On May 31, 1962, it was the location of a railway disaster that killed 62 people.

Main sights

*The Castle, erected by the Visconti in 1335–1372, containing frescoes attributed to

Bramantino Bartolomeo Suardi ( – ) was an Italian painter and architect, mainly active in his native Milan. Biography He was born in Milan, the son of Alberto Suardi, but his biography remains unclear, and was long complicated by two "Pseudo-Bramantinos" ...

. *''Palazzo Gounela'', the current Town Hall. *The large Cathedral of

Saint Lawrence Saint Lawrence or Laurence (; 31 December 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the Persecution of Christians, persecution of the Christians that the Roman Empire, Rom ...

dates from the 11th century, but was remodelled in the

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

style about the beginning of the 17th. *The church of St. Joseph, with a noteworthy Baroque façade. *The suppressed church of ''Sant'Ilario'', also known as ''Tempio alla Cavalleria'' or ''Chiesa Rossa'' ("Cavalry Temple" or "Red Church"), so-called from the red colour of the brick of which it is built. It dates from the 8th–10th centuries. *Cowboyland - Only Western theme-park in Italy The Historic Museum houses, among the others, the personal A112 car of General Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa, killed by

the Mafia "Mafia", as an informal or general term, is often used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original Mafia in Sicily, to the Italian-American Mafia, or to other organized crime groups from Italy. The central ...

in 1982, and the weapon that allegedly killed

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...

Transport

Voghera railway station, opened in 1858, forms part of the Alessandria–Piacenza railway, and is also an important node of the railway from Milan to Genoa. Due to its strategic position, the station is an important trading node, and one of the major railway stations in Italy's north-west.

Popular culture and media

The term "Voghera housewife" (''casalinga di Voghera'') is often used in the media, political discourse and even in common parlance as a reference to the average, stereotypical, somewhat lower-middle-class person, voter or consumer. It is not a disparaging term but refers to an average person who – despite not being very educated or sophisticated – with hard work and self-sacrifice is trying to raise a family as best as possible.

People

* Nora Orlandi, pianist, violinist, soprano vocalist, composer, and occasional actress. * Alberto Arbasino, writer * Sandro Bolchi, cinema director *

Ambrogio Casati Ambrogio Casati (December 27, 1897 – July 19, 1977) was an Italian painter. He was born in Voghera, Italy in 1897 and was schooled in Paris in the plastic arts. Upon his return to Italy, he became associated with Filippo Tommaso Marinetti ...

, painter *

Valentino Garavani Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani (; born 11 May 1932), known mononymously as Valentino, is an Italian fashion designer, the founder of the Valentino (fashion house), Valentino brand and company. His main lines include Valentino, Valentino G ...

, fashion designer * Attilio Gatti, explorer in Africa, author (b. in Voghera 1896) * Aldo Giorgini, computer art pioneer *

Carolina Invernizio Carolina Maria Margarita Invernizio (28 March 1851 – 27 November 1916), better known just as Carolina Invenizio, was an Italian novelist. She had a large popular success between late 1800s until her death. Biography Early life Invenizio wa ...

, writer * Alessandro Maragliano, writer * Maserati Brothers, automobile engineers *

Antonio Natali Antonio Natali (born 1951) is an Italian art historian, academic and museum director. Born in Piombino, he headed several departments at the Uffizi from 1981 onwards before becoming its director from 2006 until 2015. He and Carlo Falciani curated ...

, politician *

Mauro Nespoli Mauro Nespoli (born 22 November 1987, in Voghera) is an Italian archer. He won individual silver at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics and was a member of the Italian teams that won gold at the 2012 Summer Olympics and silver at the 2008 Summer Ol ...

, archer * Giovanni Parisi, boxer *

Giovanni Plana Giovanni Antonio Amedeo Plana (6 November 1781 – 20 January 1864) was an Italian astronomer and mathematician. He is considered one of the premiere Italian scientists of his age. The crater Plana on the Moon is named in his honor. Biograp ...

, astronomer, mathematician * Federico Sandi, motorcycle racer * Luigi Montagna, better known as

Bull Montana Lewis Montagna (born Luigi Montagna; May 16, 1887 – January 24, 1950), better known as Bull Montana, was an Italian-American professional wrestler, boxer and actor. Biography Born in Voghera, Italy, into a poor country family — and at a tim ...

, professional wrestler and actor * Fabrizio Poggi, Grammy-nominated blues harmonica player

Twin cities

Manosque Manosque (; Provençal Occitan: ''Manòsca'' in classical norm or ''Manosco'' in Mistralian norm) is the largest town and commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. However, it is not the ''préfecture'' (capital ...

, France * Leinfelden-Echterdingen, Germany *

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. The Cheyenne comprise two Native American tribes, the Só'taeo'o or Só'taétaneo'o (more commonly spelled as Suhtai or Sutaio) and the (also spelled Tsitsistas, The term for th ...

, United States

References

External links

Voghera official website
{{Authority control Castles in Italy