Brescello
Encyclopedia
Brescello is a comune
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...

(municipality) in the Province of Reggio Emilia
Province of Reggio Emilia
The Province of Reggio Emilia is one of the eight provinces of the Italian Region of Emilia-Romagna. The capital city, which is the most densely populated comune in the Province, is Reggio Emilia....

 in the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 region Emilia-Romagna
Emilia-Romagna
Emilia–Romagna is an administrative region of Northern Italy comprising the two historic regions of Emilia and Romagna. The capital is Bologna; it has an area of and about 4.4 million inhabitants....

, located about 80 km northwest of Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...

 and about 25 km northwest of Reggio Emilia
Reggio Emilia
Reggio Emilia is an affluent city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has about 170,000 inhabitants and is the main comune of the Province of Reggio Emilia....

. It has 5,504 inhabitants.

Geography

Situated in the north-western side of the province, close to the borders with the provinces of Parma
Province of Parma
The Province of Parma is a province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Parma.It has an area of 3,449 km², and a total population of 413,198...

 and Mantua
Province of Mantua
The Province of Mantua is a province in the Lombardy region of northern Italy. Its capital is the city of Mantua.-Communes:It includes 70 comuni , ranging in area from Viadana, with 102.19 km², to Mariana Mantovana, with 8.81 km²....

 (Mantua is in Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...

), Brescello lies on the southern shore of the river Po, near the confluence with the Enza
Enza
The Enza is a river in northern Italy, a right affluence of the Po River. Its source is at the Alpe di Succiso, in the northern Apennines , at 1,406 m...

. The municipality borders Boretto
Boretto
Boretto is a comune in the Province of Reggio Emilia in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 80 km northwest of Bologna and about 25 km northwest of Reggio Emilia...

, Gattatico
Gattatico
Gattatico is a comune in the Province of Reggio Emilia in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 80 km northwest of Bologna and about 15 km northwest of Reggio Emilia....

, Mezzani
Mezzani
Mezzani ) is a comune in the Province of Parma in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 90 km northwest of Bologna and about 15 km northeast of Parma...

 (PR
Province of Parma
The Province of Parma is a province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Parma.It has an area of 3,449 km², and a total population of 413,198...

), Poviglio
Poviglio
Poviglio is a comune in the Province of Reggio Emilia in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 70 km northwest of Bologna and about 15 km northwest of Reggio Emilia...

, Sorbolo
Sorbolo
Sorbolo is a comune in the Province of Parma in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 80 km northwest of Bologna and about 11 km northeast of Parma...

 (PR) and Viadana
Viadana
Viadana may refer to:* Lodovico Grossi da Viadana , an Italian composer, teacher, and Franciscan friar* Viadana, Lombardy, a town in the province of Mantua, Lombardy, northern Italy* Viadana Rugby, a rugby union club based in the town...

 (MN
Province of Mantua
The Province of Mantua is a province in the Lombardy region of northern Italy. Its capital is the city of Mantua.-Communes:It includes 70 comuni , ranging in area from Viadana, with 102.19 km², to Mariana Mantovana, with 8.81 km²....

).

The town

Located near the Po river, remains of this ancient town's Roman roots – it was called Brixellum during the Roman era – can still be seen in the Antiquarium, via Cavallotti 12 (a former Benedictine monastery), where ancient Roman relics and sculptures are on display. This town is most famous, however, for being the antebellum set for one of Italy's most loved film series: that of Peppone and Don Camillo
Don Camillo
Don Camillo is the main character created by the Italian writer and journalist Giovannino Guareschi , and is based on the historical Roman Catholic priest, WW II partisan and detainee of the concentration camps of Dachau and Mauthausen, Don Camillo Valota . Don Camillo is one of two protagonists,...

, played by Gino Cervi
Gino Cervi
Gino Cervi was an Italian actor of international fame.Cervi was born in Bologna. His father was the theatre critic Antonio Cervi.In 1928, he married Nini Gordini and they had a son, Tonino Cervi...

 and Fernandel
Fernandel
Fernand Joseph Désiré Contandin , better known as Fernandel, was a French actor and singer. Born in Marseille, France, he was a comedy star who first gained popularity in French vaudeville, operettas, and music-hall revues...

 and based on the books by Giovannino Guareschi
Giovannino Guareschi
Giovannino Oliviero Giuseppe Guareschi was an Italian journalist, cartoonist and humorist whose most famous creation is the priest Don Camillo.-Life and career:...

. Brescello has dedicated a museum to these two characters who have become symbolic of the region of Emilia after the World War. The museum houses many props, including a tank which was used in a scene from Don Camillo e l'onorevole Peppone ("Don Camillo's Last Round"). The crucifix which speaks to Don Camillo in the movie is not in the museum, but in its original location, the church of Santa Maria Nascente.

Church of Santa Maria Nascente

The current church was rebuilt between 1829 and 1837 replacing the ancient medieval church that once stood here. Inside it has a nave and two aisles with six side altars, three on each side, with larges archways that divide the nave from the aisles, and an impressive wooden Crucifix by Bruno Avesani. On the side of the main altar, there is a plaster statue of Padre Pio made by the local sculptor Carlo Pisi, and in the curvature of the apse, there is the chorus seating made from inlaid wood, with a large painting by Carlo Zatti above it. The original altar is now located in the central chapel in the left aisle. Near it is the wooden, carved, gold-leaf central pulpit. The facade, dominated by the 1896 bell tower, has two statues, one of the Virgin and one of the patron Saint Genesius, both by Innocente Franceschini, and placed on the facade in 1899. The bell tower has five bells.
On the night of April 5, 2010, a fire destroyed a modern altar and damaged some furniture.

Former monastery of San Benedetto

This Benedictine monastery was built in the 15th century for the secluded monks of the Saint Benedict order who remained there until the beginning of the Cisalpine Republic
Cisalpine Republic
The Cisalpine Republic was a French client republic in Northern Italy that lasted from 1797 to 1802.-Birth:After the Battle of Lodi in May 1796, Napoleon Bonaparte proceeded to organize two states: one to the south of the Po River, the Cispadane Republic, and one to the north, the Transpadane...

. Today, now completely remodeled, it is home to a Cultural Center which houses the Museum of Peppone and Don Camillo, a day care, the library, the Municipal Council, the Auser Center and the Municipal Police.

Parco Giovannino Guareschi

Adjacent to the Museum, there is this wonderful park where the remaining part of the original church of the old cloister of the Benedictine monks can be seen and admired. In the center of the park there is the bust of Giovannino Guareschi which was inaugurated in 1995.

Town of Don Camillo

Brescello is also the town where the films of the "Don Camillo
Don Camillo
Don Camillo is the main character created by the Italian writer and journalist Giovannino Guareschi , and is based on the historical Roman Catholic priest, WW II partisan and detainee of the concentration camps of Dachau and Mauthausen, Don Camillo Valota . Don Camillo is one of two protagonists,...

" series were filmed, and besides the museum dedicated to this film series, visitors can also admire the various places and props used in the films; for example the church or the nearby square, as well as the two bronze statues one of Don Camillo and one of Giuseppe Bottazzi.

Famous People from Brescello

  • Antonio Panizzi, patriot, librarian and bibliographer
  • Carlo Bisi, illustrator, painter and designer
  • Mario Nizolio, philosopher and scholar

Brescello Festival Mondo Piccolo Cinematografico – Film Festival

Begun in 2003, this Festival is dedicated to documentaries and works of fiction that focus on Italy: its places, environment, traditions, values and culture. The event is promoted by the Municipality of Brescello together with the Pro Loco Association and the Videoclub of Brescello, with the patronage of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Cultural Activities and Heritage. The 2011 edition will be held June 23-26.

External links

Brescello official website
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK