Corregio, Italy

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Visit Corregio

Corregio is a beautiful small town in Emilia Romagna with about 20,000 inhabitants and placed between two streams (the Crostolo and Tresinaro).

The source of the name of the town is interesting: at one time Correggio was characterized by marshes and canals and the only areas that could be explored on foot were the upper parts of the banks of these canals and ponds. These banks were called 'corrigiae' (from the Latin 'corrigium' which means 'a strip of leather') and for Correggio the word refers to the 'strips of land in the midst of the waters'.

Corregio history

The area of Correggio was inhabited by the Roman age, but there is no evidences of an urban centre with this name, so it is reasonable to assume that the first local populations were scattered settlements, probably of the Gallic race. By the Middle Ages documents begin to talk about a place called 'Corrigia', where the Lombards built a church dedicated to St. Michael. Towards the beginning of the 11th century a castle was built at Corrigia, owned by the Lords by Correggio.

The Correggio family constructed many important buildings during the Renaissance, such as the 'Palace of the Princes', the nunnery of the Sisters of Corpus Christi, the Collegiate of San Quirino and numerous fortifications to defend the city. This ancient feudal family retained control of the city and neighbouring regions for many centuries, until almost the end of the 17th century, constructing many buildings of interest both within the walls of the castle (palaces, churches and monasteries), and outside the walls where they encouraged the development of several villages including Borgovecchio (the 'Old Village').

During the first half of the seventeenth century the Dukes of Modena took over control of the city. Under the duchy of Modena, Correggio expanded, especially with new buildings in the neoclassical style throughout the 18th-19th centuries. In the nineteenth century profound changes were implemented in the city, especially with the demolition of the walls (to make way for wide tree-lined avenues ) and also of some very old buildings. However, the ancient Old Town has remained immune to major changes.

Correggio - a tour

A visit to Correggio can start from the the village of Borgovecchio, where you can admire the ancient church of Santa Maria della Misericordia (XV century), with a “portico” dating back to the seventeenth century.

After you can still see the house of the famous painter Antonio Allegri (1489-1534), called 'The Correggio', because he was born in this city, and of whom the monument dedicated to him can be seen in Piazza Quirino (by Vincenzo Vela (1880).

Along the Corso Mazzini are some 18th century palaces of great artistic value, such as the beautiful Cantarelli Palace, with the spacious courtyard and a staircase with columns. In Piazza Quirino the most beautiful palaces and churches are located, such as the Collegiate Church of Saints Michael and Quirino - it has a basilica plan, and in its Treasury is an ivory casket of the fifteenth century, and some paintings by local artists as Luigi Asioli (1817-1877) and Emilio Meulli (1869-1945). Further paintings by local artists - Luigi Asioli, Simone Cantarini, called the "Pesarese" and Andrea Capretti are visible in the 18th century Municipal Palace.

The Renaissance style Palace of the Princes stands near the church. Attributed to the great architect Biagio Rossetti (1447-1516), it was built by Frances from Brandenburg, the wife of Borso of Correggio in 1507. This is a great palace both outside (with the brick façade and an impressive gateway into a garden featuring a portico supported by columns of marble).

Along the Corso Cavour there are other palaces and churches worth visiting such as the Teatro Comunale (XVIII century) and the Rocchetta" (XV century), part of a complex that was unfortunately demolished in the nineteenth century. In the area you can still see the churches and monasteries built between the Middle Ages and the eighteenth century, including the church of San Francesco (Gothic style) and the church of Santa Chiara (XVIII century).

Corregio Civic Museum - tapestries and fine art

The Corregio Civic Museum is inside the Palace of Princes. It has a valuable collection of Brussels tapestries of the 16th century. In the Hall of Tapestries, there are evocative works by Cornelius Mattens (the 'Party People', 16th-17th c.): Francesco Madonnina ('St. Michael defeating the devil' and 'Our Lady of the Rosary', 16th c.) and many works by Girolamo Donnini (eg 'The Visitation' and 'St. Antonio Abate', 17th-18th c.).

In the Hall of Correggio there are many works by Antonio Allegri (The Face of Christ, Design Double Sided), as well as other artists such as Benedetto del Buono (the 'Portrait of Antonio Allegri'); 'The night' by an anonymous painter from Romagna, and 'The rest after the flight into Egypt' by Giovanni Boulanger (XVI century). In the Hall of Mantegna, is 'The Redeemer', by the same Andrea Mantegna (1431 ca.-1506), and some works by local artists such as the 'Sacred Family' by Bartholomeo Schedoni (1578-1615); 'San Giovanni Evangelista' by Fermo Ghisoni (1505-1575); while, in the Gallery, you can admire some works by Luigi Asioli ('Portrait of Boniface Asioli', 'Saint Jerome Penitent'), Malatesta and many other painters of Romagna.

Corregio cuisine

At Correggio there are good restaurants with typical local cuisine including dishes such as ‘lasagne with red chicory', blue cheese and walnuts, 'tenderloin with balsamic vinegar', the tart with amaretto, salt cod with potatoes and porcini, ravioli and Cappelletti, the tagliatelle with shaved parmesan and pine nuts, Among the main courses, I would recommend the sea bass and balsamic vinegar, while savouring an excellent Lambrusco wine.

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Corregio, Italy

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