Everything about Bobbio totally explained
Bobbio is a small town and
comune in the
province of Piacenza in
Emilia-Romagna, northern
Italy. It is located in the
Trebbia River valley southwest of the town
Piacenza. There were also an
abbey and a
diocese of the same name. Bobbio is the administrative center of the
Comunità Montana Appennino Piacentino.
Known to the ancients as
Bobium or
Ebovium, the
Irish Saint
Columbanus (It. Colombano) established a monastery sometime between
612 and
614.
Bobbio Abbey (see main article) became a center of learning during the
Middle Ages, and was renowned for its
scriptorium and
library, but its decline in the
15th century led to the dispersal of the library. The monastery was officially suppressed by the
French in
1803.
This monastery is in part the model for the great monastery in
Umberto Eco's novel
The Name of the Rose. The
bishopric dates from
1014. On
september 30 1986, the Diocese was suppressed and merged with
Archdiocese of
Genoa. Since
1989, Bobbio was united with Diocese of Piacenza to form the
Diocese of Piacenza-Bobbio.
The town became part of
Savoy in
1748. On
July 7,
1944, the
partisan resistance in Italy conquered the town and self-governed it until it was crushed by the Germans on
August 27, the same year.
Main sights
The 280 metre long
Ponte Vecchio ("Old Bridge"), which spans the Trebbia by means of eleven unequal arches, is known to have existed before 1196 and may be of Roman origin. From its curious shape it's commonly called the ‘Hunchback Bridge’; also the ‘
Devil’s Bridge’ after a legend in which Saint Columbanus tricks Satan into rebuilding it over-night after it has been destroyed by a flood. In reality the bridge did need to be reconstructed after flood damage in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
The
Malaspina Castle, begun by
Corradino Malaspina in
1304, affords a good view over the town and the surrounding countryside. In 1800, under the name of Castello Bobbium, the property and mark was purchased and owned by the Piccinini family of Emilia-Romagna until 1956 when the castle and land was ceded by the Piccinini to the Italian State.
The Co-Cathedral, built in 1075, is the main religious edifice of the city. It has two majestic towers, which are original in the lower parts. The façade is from 1463 (date in which also a portico was demolished), with three portals in
Gothic style. The crypt houses the sepulchres of the bishops of Bobbio. On the right side is the
Palazzo Vescovile ("Bishop's Palace", 11th century), partially renewed in
1448.
Two museums are located within the abbey complex, one devoted to the abbey and one to the town. Among the exhibits is a much admired carved ivory "bucket" of the fourth century AD.
Twin cities
Further Information
Get more info on 'Bobbio'.
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