Fontanellato

Fontanellato
Comune
Comune di Fontanellato
Sanctuary of Beata Vergine del santo Rosario

Coat of arms
Fontanellato
Location of Fontanellato in Italy
Coordinates: 44°53′N 10°11′E / 44.883°N 10.183°E / 44.883; 10.183Coordinates: 44°53′N 10°11′E / 44.883°N 10.183°E / 44.883; 10.183
Country Italy
Region Emilia-Romagna
Province Parma (PR)
Frazioni Albareto, Cannetolo, Casalbarbato, Ghiara, Ghiara Sabbioni, Grugno, Parola, Paroletta, Priorato, Rosso, Sanguinaro, Toccalmatto
Government
 • Mayor Maria Grazia Guareschi
Area
 • Total 53 km2 (20 sq mi)
Elevation 45 m (148 ft)
Population (31 May 2007)[1]
 • Total 6,624
 • Density 120/km2 (320/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code 43012
Dialing code 0521
Website Official website

Fontanellato (Parmigiano: Funtanlè) is a small town in the province of Parma, in northern Italy. It lies on the plains of the River Po near the A1 autostrada, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) west of Parma towards Piacenza.

The town was built up in the 15th century around the moated and fortified house of the Sanvitale family, the Rocca Sanvitale, on the borders of the domain of the Dukes of Parma. The house was occupied by the family until 1951, when it was sold to the commune. One notable feature of the Rocca Sanvitale is a room which serves as a large 'Camera Oscura' in which a small hole acts as a lens causing an image of an outside scene to be projected inside the room.

The shrine to the Madonna del Rosario commemorates a succession of miracles beginning in 1628.


During World War II a large brick building with stone facings and neo-classical features next to the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of the Holy Rosary, intended for an orphanage (but never used as such), was the Prisoner of War Camp PG 49. It is now a centre for neurological disorders. From here 600 Allied officers and men escaped, thanks to the decision by the Commandant, Colonel Eugenio Vicedomini, to open the gates the day after the Armistice of 8 September 1943.[2] On 6–9 September 2013, to celebrate the 70th anniversary of this event a conference was held in the Rocca on prisoners of war in World War II, with other celebrations and commemorations, jointly by the town and the Monte San Martino Trust. One of the escaping prisoners was the English writer Eric Newby who memorably detailed his escape and subsequent experiences in the 1971 memoir, 'Love and War in the Apennines'.

Twin cities

Fontanellato is twinned with:

References

  1. ↑ All demographics and other statistics: Italian statistical institute Istat.
  2. ↑ Eric Newby, Love and War in the Apennines (1971); Tom Carver, Where the hell have you been? (2009); Colonel Vicedomini was imprisoned in Germany as a result of this act of humanity and died soon after the war. http://www.birminghampost.net/tm_headline=not-too-much-hardship-at-fontanellato&method=full&objectid=18667800&siteid=50002-name_page.html
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