Pontremoli

Infobox CityIT
img_coa = Pontremoli-Stemma2.png official_name = Comune di Pontremoli
name = Pontremoli
region = Tuscany
province = Massa-Carrara
elevation_m = 236
area_total_km2 = 182
population_as_of = 2007-05-31
population_total =7942

---

population_density_km2 =
timezone = CET, UTC+1
coordinates = coord|44|23|N|09|53|E
frazioni = See list
telephone = 0187
postalcode = 54027
gentilic = Pontremolesi
saint = Saint Geminianus
day = January 31
mayor = Marino Bertocchi (since June, 2004)
mapy = 9.8833
mapx = 44.3833
website = [http://www.comune.pontremoli.ms.it/ www.comune.pontremoli.ms.it]

Pontremoli is a city, commune and bishop's see in the province of Massa-Carrara, Tuscany, Italy. Literally translated, "Pontremoli" means "Trembling Bridge" (from the Italian "tremare" - "to tremble"), with the commune having been named after a prominent bridge across the Magra.

Pontremoli is situated in the upper valley of the Magra, 40 km north by east of La Spezia by rail and 90 km SSW of Parma.

History

Pontremoli is believed to have been first settled around a thousand years before Christ. [ [http://goeurope.about.com/cs/italy/a/luni_history.htm Article about ancient "Menhir" statues found in the area] ] It was known in Roman times as Apua. The commune later became an independent republic in the 12th and 13th centuries, partly because of its mountainous situation. This situation in the valley of the Magra also made Pontremoli a target for numerous conquests from rival Italian and foregin Lords. Pontremoli was controlled by various aristocratic families, including the Malaspina (in 1319) and the Antelminelli (in 1322). The conflict between the rival Guelfi and Ghibellini factions in the early fourteenth century resulted in the construction of the Great Bell Tower ("Il Campanone") to separate the rival camps. During these Medieval times Pontremoli was often visited by pilgrims travelling from Canterbury to Rome.

In 1331 Pontremoli was sold by John I of Bohemia to Mastino II della Scala (Lord of Verona). Pontremoli was later taken over by the Visconti of Milan in 1339. In 1404 the ownership of Pontremoli once again changed hands as it was seized by the Fieschi family of Genoa. However, by 1433 Pontremoli was again under the control of the Milanese. In 1495 Pontremoli was sacked by the troops of Charles VIII of France, during this time Pontremoli was a territory owned by the House of Sforza, who were the new Dukes of Milan.

Pontremoli was a French territory from 1508 until 1522 as several northern Italian areas were conquered. In 1526, Pontremoli was captured by Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire. Pontremoli was controlled by Spain until 1647, when it was bought by the Republic of Genoa. Three years later, Pontremoli was made part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. It stayed as such (with the exception of a period of French control from 1805 to 1814) until Italian unification in the nineteenth century.

With the Leopoldine reforms, Pontremoli became an autonomous community (whilst still part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany) in 1777. [ [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-27716 Encyclopaedia Britannica explanation of Leopoldine reforms] ] In 1778, it officially became a City. The area was heavily damaged by an earthquake in 1834. In November 1847 Pontremoli was (along with Fivizzano) occupied by the Duke of Modena, due to a dispute over trade routes.

Inhabitants

Demographic evolution

Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.7) id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1) id:barra value:rgb(0.6,0.7,0.8)

ImageSize = width:455 height:373PlotArea = left:50 bottom:50 top:30 right:30DateFormat = x.yPeriod = from:0 till:20000TimeAxis = orientation:verticalAlignBars = justifyScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:5000 start:0ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:1000 start:0BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo

BarData= bar:1861 text:1861 bar:1871 text:1871 bar:1881 text:1881 bar:1901 text:1901 bar:1911 text:1911 bar:1921 text:1921 bar:1931 text:1931 bar:1936 text:1936 bar:1951 text:1951 bar:1961 text:1961 bar:1971 text:1971 bar:1981 text:1981 bar:1991 text:1991 bar:2001 text:2001

PlotData= color:barra width:20 align:left

bar:1861 from:0 till: 12716 bar:1871 from:0 till: 14330 bar:1881 from:0 till: 14717 bar:1901 from:0 till: 15015 bar:1911 from:0 till: 15633 bar:1921 from:0 till: 16552 bar:1931 from:0 till: 14754 bar:1936 from:0 till: 14919 bar:1951 from:0 till: 14788 bar:1961 from:0 till: 12603 bar:1971 from:0 till: 10664 bar:1981 from:0 till: 10106 bar:1991 from:0 till: 8639 bar:2001 from:0 till: 8252

PlotData=

bar:1861 at: 12716 fontsize:S text: 12.716 shift:(-8,5) bar:1871 at: 14330 fontsize:S text: 14.330 shift:(-10,5) bar:1881 at: 14717 fontsize:S text: 14.717 shift:(-10,5) bar:1901 at: 15015 fontsize:S text: 15.015 shift:(-10,5) bar:1911 at: 15633 fontsize:S text: 15.633 shift:(-10,5) bar:1921 at: 16552 fontsize:S text: 16.552 shift:(-10,5) bar:1931 at: 14754 fontsize:S text: 14.754 shift:(-10,5) bar:1936 at: 14919 fontsize:S text: 14.919 shift:(-10,5) bar:1951 at: 14788 fontsize:S text: 14.788 shift:(-10,5) bar:1961 at: 12603 fontsize:S text: 12.603 shift:(-10,5) bar:1971 at: 10664 fontsize:S text: 10.664 shift:(-10,5) bar:1981 at: 10106 fontsize:S text: 10.106 shift:(-10,5) bar:1991 at: 8639 fontsize:S text: 8.639 shift:(-10,5) bar:2001 at: 8252 fontsize:S text: 8.252 shift:(-10,5)

TextData= fontsize:S pos:(20,20) text:Data from ISTAT

After a peak of 16,552 people in 1921, Pontremoli's population has decreased over recent years to a figure of 8,255 in 2001. The 2001 census also showed there were 3,666 families living in Pontremoli, meaning that there was an average of 2.25 people in each family.

Individuals

In 1802, Alessandro Malaspina took up residence within this area. A notable person born in Pontremoli was mathematician and poet Luigi Poletti, there is now a road within the city named in his honour. The goalkeeper for Italy in the 1970 FIFA World Cup, Enrico Albertosi, is the only notable sportsman to come from the area. Currently, Italian singer Zucchero owns a house in the commune. [ [http://money.guardian.co.uk/movingoverseas/story/0,12344,1037715,00.html The Guardian tourism article] ]

Main sights and culture

A large number of churches are situated in Pontremoli and these provide the main cultural sights of the city. One of these is the Church of "San Nicolò" which houses a wooden cross, dating back several centuries. Also present is the "Chiesa Cattedrale S. Maria Assunta" ("Il Duomo") which was built in the 17th century and dedicated to Saint Geminianus - the cathedral holds many valuable sculptures and paintings. The dome of this cathedral, along with "Il Campanone" (the bell tower), dominates the city skyline. The church of the "SS. Annunziata" with its Augustinian monastery and painted mural is another notable feature within the area.

There are also several buildings concerned with the past noble families of Pontremoli. The major site is the "Castello del Piagnaro", one of the largest castles of Lunigiana. Several palaces, such as those of the houses of Malaspina and Dosi, are located within the commune.

More modern attractions of Pontremoli include the annual "Premio Bancarella" book festival, as well as "Il Bar Moderno" (a local café), which was in 1970 the winner of a "gold medal" in a Milanese "Ice Cream and Coffee" competition. [it icon [http://www.comune.pontremoli.ms.it/root/Cronaca/NewsScheda.asp?idnews=94 Pontremoli Website Article] ] There is also the "Museo delle Statue Stele" (situated within the castle) which contains a number of stone structures found in the surrounding land, many are of a historic nature and reflect the area's cultural past. There are also several mineral springs in the surrounding mountains and a local market takes place on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Cuisine

Local foods unique to Pontremoli include "amori" (a type of small cake, consisteing of a creamy filling between wafers), "spongata" (a Christmas cake containing chocolate, honey and hazelnuts, among other ingredients), "torta d'erbe" (a spinach based pastry) and "testaroli" (a flat oven baked pasta, often served with pesto). Many have suggested that the latter was actually the first type of pasta.

Wild boar is a surprisingly common feature of many restaurant menus. Each October sees a "Mushroom and Chestnuts Festival" take place in the city and, indeed, there are a number of restaurants which specialise in dishes using local mushrooms as is the custom of the region.

List of frazioni

There are 57 unique "frazioni" (English: fractions--equivalent to neighborhoods or outlying villages legally part of the commune government) in Pontremoli. They are, ordered alphabetically:

Arzelato, Arzengio, Baselica, Bassone, Belvedere, Braia, Bratto, Caná, Canale Scuro, Careola, Cargalla Inferiore, Cargalla Superiore, Casalina, Cavezzana D'Antena, Ceretoli, Cervara, Costa di Soglio, Dozzano, Gravagna Montale, Gravagna San Rocco, Grondola, Groppodalosio, Groppoli, Guinadi, La Colla, Mignegno, Molinello, Montelungo Inferiore, Montelungo Superiore, Monti, Navola, Oppilo, Pian di Valle, Pietra Piccata, Poderi, Pollina, Ponte Teglia, Pontremoli (Capoluogo), Prá del Prete, Pracchiola, Previdé, Saliceto Belvedere, San Cristoforo, Santa Giustina, Scorano, Sergola, Serola, Soglio, Teglia, Toplecca di Sopra, Torrano, Traverde, Valle, Versola, Veserada, Vignola and Villa Vecchia.

Twin towns

Pontremoli is twinned with:
* Trenčianske Teplice, Slovakia
* Morières-lès-Avignon, France
* Noto, Italy

Gallery

References

*1911

External links

* [http://www.fodors.com/wire/archives/001338.cfm Visitors Guide to Pontremoli]
* [http://www.thefickeadventure.com/Travel/Europe2004/Aulla-Pontremoli.jsp Photo Gallery]
* [http://www.valdimagra.com/english/HTML/cultura/culpont.htm Article on the Culture of Pontremoli]
* [http://www.helloit.co.uk/lunigiana%20food.htm Cuisine in Lunigiana]
* [http://www.terraditoscana.com/default.aspx?lpg=visitare_province_alturist&obj=ms_pontremoli Article on the History of Pontremoli]
* [http://www.aptmassacarrara.it/eng/page.asp?IDCategoria=419&IDSezione=2062&ID=49912 Massa-Carra Tourism section on Pontremoli]