Palazzolo sull'Oglio

Palazzolo sull'Oglio
Comune
Città di Palazzolo sull'Oglio
View of the city centre.
Coat of arms
Location of Palazzolo sull'Oglio
Palazzolo sull'Oglio Location of Palazzolo sull'Oglio in Italy Palazzolo sull'Oglio Palazzolo sull'Oglio (Lombardy)
Coordinates: 45°36′N 9°53′E
Country	Italy
Region	Lombardy
Province	Brescia (BS)
Frazioni	San Pancrazio
Government
• Mayor	Gabriele Zanni (PD)
Area
• Total	23 km2 (9 sq mi)
Elevation	170 m (560 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	20,066
• Density	870/km2 (2,300/sq mi)
Demonym	Palazzolesi
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	25036
Dialing code	030
Patron saint	San Fedele
Saint day	14 May
Website	Official website

Palazzolo sull'Oglio (Brescian and Bergamasque: Palasöl; locally Palahöl) is a city and comune in the Province of Brescia, in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. It is located south of Lake Iseo, bordering the Province of Bergamo, and has a population of 20,208. It is the fifth largest city in the Province, after Brescia, Desenzano del Garda, Montichiari and Lumezzane.

History

The town was founded on the banks of the river Oglio. The first references to the name "Palazzolo" date to 830 AD. Palazzolo was a fundamental industrial centre of Italy at the end of the 19th century (Marzoli, Lanfranchi, Italcementi, Ferrari) and the city was known as the small Italian Manchester. On 24 August 1954, the town was celebrated as a city with a presidential decree. The Tower of the People, the symbol of the city, was built between 1813 and 1830 and today is the highest round tower in Italy, with its 85 meters and 7 meters of statue on top. The Roman bridge, in the city centre, is the oldest building of Palazzolo, dating back to the 4th century.

Main sights

• The Tower of the People (Torre del Popolo).
• The Castle.
• The Roman Bridge.
• The Ancient Pieve (Antica Pieve).
• The Cathedral (Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta).
• The three Kupfer villas (Le ville Kupfer).

Municipal government

The Mayor of Palazzolo is directly elected every five years by the population since 1995. The City Council has 16 members (last election, June 2017).

The current Mayor of Palazzolo is Gabriele Zanni (PD) elected on 21 May 2012, re-elected on 26 June 2017 on the second round with the 53.6% of the votes.

Mayor	Term start	Term end		Party
Marino Gamba	1995	1998	bgcolor=Template:Italian People's Party (1994)/meta/color|	PPI
Gianpietro Metelli	1998	2003	bgcolor=Template:Forza Italia/meta/color|	FI
Giuliano Metelli	2003	2009	bgcolor=Template:Forza Italia/meta/color|	FI
Alessandro Sala	2009	2012	bgcolor=Template:The People of Freedom/meta/color|	PdL
Gabriele Zanni	2012	incumbent	bgcolor=Template:Democratic Party (Italy)/meta/color|	PD

Transport

From Palazzolo it is very easy to get to the main cities and towns throughout Italy. The train station is not far from the centre and operates on the Lecco–Brescia railway. Milan and Venice can be reached by train changing in Bergamo or in Brescia. The A4 highway, the most important Italian route, has an exit called Palazzolo, that is actually in the north of the town. The nearest International Airport is Orio al Serio International Airport, just 15 minutes by car.

Sports

Founded in 1913, the soccer association for the town is Associazione Calcio Palazzolo (Palazzolo Soccer Association). They play in the local stadium, Stadio Comunale, which holds up to 4,500 people.

Notable residents

• Durante Duranti, cardinal and bishop (16th century)
• Paolo Gorini, scientist
• Maurizio Belpietro, journalist and television presenter
• Luisa Corna, singer and TV presenter
• Irene Fargo, singer
• Matteo Pedrali, painter
• Inisero Cremaschi, writer and journalist

External links

• Official website