Premium Featured Accommodation

Information about Luzzara in the Province of Reggio Emilia

The town is situated in an area which is equidistant from Reggio Emilia, Parma and Mantua. It forms part of a landscape which is typical of the Po valley at the same time as enjoying all the benefits associated with a small town. The distinctive banks of the River Po mark the boundary with the Region of Lombardy, also providing a choreographic backdrop to extensive woodlands and fertile farmland making up 60% of the Luzzara local council area.

According to the official historical account, the town of Luzzara was besieged during the Lombard period after the battle of Mantua in 604 A.D. Tradition has it that the name of the town originates from "Luciaia", the land of the carp. The Po valley fishing waters are indeed well stocked with this fish. Notwithstanding this, the name Luzzara appears for the first time in a document dated 781 in which Charlemagne took the Reggio Emilia Church under his high protection. During the long, dark years of struggle between the Church and Empire, Luzzara experienced numerous vicissitudes until it passed to the dominion of the most prestigious rulers, the Gonzaga family in 1354. The Gonzaga dynasty indeed, sought to fortify the town and the "Luzzara Fair".

In 1411 the family inaugurated a series of benefits and incentives to encourage artists, craftsmen and writers to work in the area. Luzzara thus became a classical example of a small Renaissance centre on the banks of the Po River. Looking at a street plan of the town even today one can still see squares, civic and religious buildings as they were originally conceived in the architectural designs of 1400.

During the 18th century Luzzara experienced bloody and painful conflicts in efforts to gain a partial political and social independence. On the death of Carlo and the ending of the Gonzaga dynasty, Luzzara passed under the protectorate of the Dukedom of Parma with Maria Teresa of Austria, in 1747. It was transferred again in 1748, this time to Filippo di Borbone who introduced important economic incentives leading to a substantial increase in economic activities.With the French Revolution, Luzzara became part of the Cisalpine Republic, later forming part of the Crostolo administrative "Compartment". Napoleonic decrees introduced a number of changes, cemeteries were built both for the town and outlying villages and the new metric system was introduced.

With the fall of the Napoleonic Empire Luzzara was reoccupied by Austrian troops and once again transferred to Maria Luisa of Austria. When the Duchess died in 1948 the town passed to Francesco V of the House of Este. The 2nd war of independence lead to the downfall of the Este family and, following the plebiscite of 1860, Luzzara was finally annexed to Piedmont and later to the Kingdom of Italy. In the administrative re-organisation of the Kingdom of Italy, the local council area of Luzzara was transferred to the Province of Reggio Emilia. From this point, administrative and territorial boundaries have remained unchanged.

Articles