Lugo, Emilia-Romagna

Lugo () is a town and comune in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, in the province of Ravenna.

History
A settlement in where is now the city is mentioned for the first time in 782 AD, but the names Lucus appears only in 1071. In 1161 it was a fief of the Counts of Cunio, but in 1202 it returned to the Papal States. It was later a possession of the da Polenta, Pepoli, Visconti and Este; the latter maintained it until 1597, when the city was again annexed to the Papal States.

In 1424 the Castle of Zagonara (now destroyed) was the seat of the homonymous battle, in which a Milanese army defeated the Florentines.

When in 1797 the French revolutionary forces invaded northern Italy, Barnaba Chiaramonti (later pope as Pius VII), then still Bishop of Imola, addressed  his flock to refrain from useless resistance to the overwhelming and threatening forces of the enemy. The town of Lugo refused to submit to the invaders and was delivered up to a pillage which had an end only when the prelate, who had counselled subjection, supplicantly cast himself on his knees before General Augereau.

In 1859, through plebiscite, Lugo joined the newly born Kingdom of Italy. During World War II, the Senio river formed the frontline between the German and Allied occupation areas from December 1944 until 10 April 1945. The city suffered heavy destruction but recovered quickly after the end of the conflict.

On 19 January 1993 the area near Lugo experienced a meteorite airburst with a yield estimated at

Main sights
Rocca Estense (Este Castle), the Town Hall from 1797. The current appearance dates from 1500, when the old fortress was rebuilt; the eastern side was erected during the Napoleonic occupation. The interior houses portraits of famous lughesi, a lunette attributed to Mino da Fiesole and a noteworthy 19th-century garden.
The Pavaglione, former 19th century covered market (mainly known for silkworm trade).
The Oratorio of Croce Coperta, with 15th-century frescoes.
The 'Collegiata' church, rebuilt in the 18th century over a 13th-century Franciscan edifice, has a suggestive 15th-century cloister.
San Francesco di Paola (1890), houses a precious polychrome terracotta sculpture of Dead Christ (15th century).
Teatro Rossini, now a 445-seat opera house, completely restored between 1984 and 1986 based on its original conception from 1759 and restoration and expansion in 1821.

People
Francesco Baracca (1888–1918) – World War I flying ace
Giuseppe de Begnis (1793–1849) – operatic bass
Agostino Codazzi (1793–1859) – cartographer 
Mario Lega – former world champion motorcycle racer
Charles Ponzi (1882–1949) – famous swindler
Attilio Pratella (1856–1949) – famous painter
Gioachino Rossini (1792–1868) – composer 
Gregorio Ricci-Curbastro (1853–1925) – mathematician
Francesco Balilla Pratella (1880–1955) – composer
Pierluigi Martini (born 1961) – Formula 1 driver
Fabio Taglioni (1920–2001) – engineer 
Lorenzo Baroni (born 1990) – Motorcycle racer

Twin towns
 Agustin Codazzi, Colombia
 Choisy-le-Roi, France
 Kulmbach, Germany
 Nervesa della Battaglia, Italy
 Wexford, Ireland
 Yoqneam, Israel

References

Category:Cities and towns in Emilia-Romagna
Category:Castles in Italy