Voghera

Voghera
—  Comune  —
Città di Voghera
The Cathedral of Voghera.
Coat of arms
Voghera Location of Voghera in Italy
Coordinates: 44°59′33″N 09°00′33″E
Country	Italy
Region	Lombardy
Province	Pavia (PV)
Frazioni	Medassino, Oriolo, Valle, Torremenapace, Campoferro
Government
• Mayor	Carlo Barbieri
Area
• Total	63 km2 (24 sq mi)
Elevation	96 m (315 ft)
Population (31 October 2010)
• Total	39,889
• Density	630/km2 (1,600/sq mi)
Demonym	Vogheresi or Iriensi
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	27058
Dialing code	0383
Patron saint	San Bovo
Saint day	First Friday before Ascension
Website	Official website

The Castle of Voghera in a 19th century etching.

Voghera (Lombard: Vughera) is a town and comune of Lombardy, Italy, in the province of Pavia. It is located 30 km south-southwest of that city, on the Staffora (a tributary of the Po).

The neighbourhood produces much silk, in which, as well as in corn and wine, an active trade is carried on.

History

Known in ancient times as Iria, it took its name from the river on which it was situated. It was on the road from Piacenza to Dertona, and was made a colony by Augustus (colonia Forum Iulium Iriensium).

In the 1st century CE it was destroyed by the Rugii, and it is next mentioned as Viqueria (contracted from vicus Iriae, Iria's village) in the 10th century. After several lordships, it was acquired by the House of Savoy in 1743 with the Concordat of Worms. Five years later it became provincial capital and received the city status.

In 1800 it was occupied by the troops of Napoleon, who set his headquarters in the Palazzo Dattili for the battle of Montebello. In 1805 it became part of the département of Genoa; after the French defeat in 1814, it was captured by the Austrians, who handed it over to the Piedmontese. In 1860 it was included in the province of Pavia.

During World War II, owing to its strategic position on the roads Milan-Genoa and Turin-Bologna, it was heavily bombed by the Allies.

On May 31, 1962, it was the location of a railway disaster that killed 62 people.

Main sights

• The Castle, erected by the Visconti in 1335-1372.
• Palazzo Gounela, the current Town Hall.
• The large Cathedral of Saint Lawrence dates from the 11th century, but was remodelled in the Baroque style about the beginning of the 17th.
• The church of St. Joseph, with a noteworthy Baroque façade.
• The suppressed church of Sant'Ilario, also known as Tempio alla Cavalleria or Chiesa Rossa ("Cavalry Temple" or "Red Church"), so called from the red colour of the brick of which it is built. It dates from the 8th-10th centuries.

The Historic Museum houses, among the others, the personal A112 car of General Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa, killed by the Mafia in 1982, and the weapon that allegedly killed Benito Mussolini.

Transport

Voghera railway station, opened in 1858, forms part of the Alessandria–Piacenza railway, and is also an important node of the railway from Milan to Genoa. Due to its strategic position, the station is an important trading node, and one of the major railway stations in Italy's north-west.

Notable people

• Fashion designer Valentino Garavani, best known simply as Valentino.
• Mauro Nespoli, archer of the Italian National Team.
• Futurist painter Ambrogio Casati.
• Italian boxer world and Olimpyc champion Giovanni Parisi
• Computer art pioneer Aldo Giorgini.
• The housewife from Voghera (Italian: casalinga di Voghera) is a stereotypical figure representing the average housewife.
• Writers Alberto Arbasino, Carolina Invernizio, and Alessandro Maragliano.
• Watchmaker Giovanni Sordi
• The Maserati Brothers, automobile engineers
• Sandro Bolchi, cinema director
• Giovanni Plana, astronomer
• Armando Sgarella, boxer and naif painter (1921-1991)

Twin cities

• Manosque, France
• Leinfelden-Echterdingen, Germany

References

•  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Voghera". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.