Rovigo

For the Renaissance composer, see Francesco Rovigo.
For the infantry division, see 105 Motorised Division Rovigo.
Rovigo
Comune
Città di Rovigo

Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II.

Coat of arms
Rovigo

Location of Rovigo in Italy

Coordinates: 45°4′13″N 11°47′26″E / 45.07028°N 11.79056°E / 45.07028; 11.79056
Country Italy
Region Veneto
Province / Metropolitan city Rovigo (RO)
Frazioni see list
Government
 • Mayor Massimo Bergamin
Area
 • Total 108,81 km2 (4,201 sq mi)
Elevation 7 m (23 ft)
Population (31 December 2014)[1]
 • Total 52,170
 • Density 4.8/km2 (12/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Rodigini
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 45100
Dialing code 0425
Patron saint St. Bellinus of Padua
Saint day November 26
Website Official website
Church "La Rotonda".

Rovigo (Italian: [rɔˈviːɡo],  listen ) is a town and comune in the Veneto region of North-Eastern Italy, the capital of the eponymous province[2]

Geography

Rovigo stands on the low ground known as Polesine, 80 kilometres (50 mi) by rail southwest of Venice and 40 kilometres (25 mi) south-southwest of Padua, and on the Adigetto Canal. The comune of Rovigo extends between the rivers Adige and Canal Bianco, 40 kilometres (25 mi) west of the Adriatic Sea, except the frazione of Fenil del Turco that extends south of the Canal Bianco.

Polesine is the name of the low ground between the lower courses of the rivers Adige and Po and the sea; the derivation of the name is much discussed, generally applied only to the province of Rovigo, but is sometimes extended to the near towns of Adria and Ferrara.

History

The "Donà" tower.

Rovigo (both Rodigium and Rhodigium in Latin script) appears to be first mentioned in a document from Ravenna dating April 24, 838; the origin of the name is uncertain. In 920 it was selected as his temporary residence by the bishop of Adria, Paolo Cattaneo, after the destruction of his city by the Hungarian ravagers; the fortifications he ordered were already finished in 945. The viscounts of Rovigo built a line of brick walls in the 1130s in the name of the House of Este. The current Torre Donà is a remnant of the castle built some time in between; it is 66 m high and it may have been the highest brick tower at that time if the date of construction is correct.

In 1194 Rovigo became a formal possession of Azzo VI d'Este, duke of Ferrara, who took the title of conte (count) of Rovigo. The Este authority ended in 1482, when the Venetians took the place by siege and retained possession of it by the peace of 1484. Although the Este recovered the city during the War of the League of Cambrai, the Venetians, returning in 1514, retained possession until the French Revolution. In 1806 Napoleon I Bonaparte created it a duché grand-fief for general Anne Jean Marie René Savary. The Austrians in 1815 made it a royal city.

Stamp of Lombardy and Venetia, 5 soldi issue 1864, cancelled at ROVIGO

With the fall of the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia, Rovigo was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy in 1866; in the same year it was connected by railway to Padua, Ferrara, Verona (through Legnago), and Chioggia (through Adria). In the 1900s the first modern industries were established, the most important of which was a sugar refinery. In 1927 the territory of the comune was extended including close municipalities. In 1937 the course of the Adigetto Canal was diverted to the west edge of the town and a large avenue called Corso del Popolo was built in place of the former course. In the years 1943–1945 Rovigo was part of the Italian Social Republic and it has been in Italy since 1946. In the 1950s and 1960s Rovigo had a dramatic development and it had the highest urbanization rate among the towns in the Veneto region after World War II.

Main sights

Giulio Monteverdi: Monument to Victor Emmanuel II
Ettore Ferrari: Monument to Giuseppe Garibaldi

The architecture of the town bears the stamp both of Venetian and of Ferrarese influence. Main sights include :

Villages nearby

Barchessa Candiani, Basso Cavallo, Boara Polesine, Boaria San Marco, Borsea, Braga-Cantonazzo, Buso, Busovecchio, Ca'Bianca, Ca'Matte, Ca'Lunga, Campagna Terzi, Campagnazza, Cantonazzo, Capolavia, Ca'Rangon, Concadirame, Corte Lazzarini, Fenile Morosina, Fenil del Turco, Granzette, Grignano Polesine, Grompo, Grumolo, Le Cassette, Le Giarelle, Le Sorbolaro, L'Olmo, Mardimago, Roverdicrè, San Sisto, Santa Libera, Santa Rita, Sant'Apollinare, Sarzano and Spianata.

Twin cities

Sport

The "Isidoro Quaglio" tribune of Mario Battaglini Stadium, in Rovigo.

Rovigo is home of Rugby Rovigo, the city rugby team that has won the National Championship of Excellence competition 11 times. Among the international players who played in the team remembers the South African Naas Botha.

Other practiced sports include football/soccer, swimming, handball, baseball and roller hockey. The "Rosso Blu" as the baseball team is known is at the level of Serie "A" competition. Notable American players who have played for Rovigo Baseball include: Nathan Cardella (Fresno, Ca.) and Mark Peracchi (San Francisco, Ca).

Rovigo is the first Italian city to have a Gaelic football club.[3] Ascaro Rovigo Gaelic Football Club was founded on June 2, 2011. President and founder of Rovigo GAA Raffaello Franco went to Ireland for his honeymoon that year where he watched a football game at Croke Park - he returned home with an O'Neills ball and a dream to set up a GAA club in Italy. Within two years the resulting club's football team of about 90% Italian players are going from strength to strength as they embrace every code that the GAA has to offer. The team colours are red and blue.

Transportation

Rovigo railway station, opened in 1866, forms part of the Padua–Bologna railway, and is also a junction station for two other lines. Heading eastwards, towards Adria and Chioggia, is the Rovigo–Chioggia railway, and heading west, towards Legnago and Verona, is the Verona–Legnago–Rovigo railway.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Population data from Istat
  2. ↑ It should not be confused with the town of Bougara in Algeria which previously, under French rule, was called Rovigo.
  3. ↑ http://www.gaa.ie/gaa-news-and-videos/daily-news/1/1106131507-biggest-ever-gaa-weekend-in-europe-/

Sources

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