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Arzignano

Description

The town's name is uncertain: some historians believe that it derives from the Latin person's name "Argenius", to which adding the suffix"-anus" indicates ownership, while for others, it comes from "Arx Jani" (rock of Janus, due to the veneration of the ancient populations to god Janus); less reliable is the third theory that reports its source from "agger" (embankment). Municipality in the province of Vicenza, located in the Valley of the river Chiampo, , the area of Arzignano is a very fertile pre-alpine valley crossed by several rivers, surrounded by hills and further north, by the mountains of the Lessinia massif. The most important incoming the city economy is given from its tanning industries.
The first settlement was probably built in the VIII century B.C. by the Euganei, where the streams Chiampo and Agno converge. The Romans colonized the area and their presence is attested by the discovery of the remains of an aqueduct and a bridge. Other finds evidence the presence of the Lombards in the IV century A.D. The first documents, in which the town is reported, date back to year 1000 and since then, throughout the Middle Ages, the territories were ruled by different feudal families, such as: the Della Scala and the Visconti. In the XV century, for a certain period, the town belonged to the Venetian Serenissima Republic, until it was conquered by the troops of Napoleon. With the Congress of Vienna the area was assigned to Austria, until 1866, when it was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy.

Attractions:
- the Cathedral of All Saints, which was built and designed by the architect Bernardi in the early XIX century. The structure, completed only in 1960, features three naves and a bell tower built of brick and stone. The building houses numerous works of art, including a statue of Our Lady in marble of Carrara, a bronze altarpiece with scenes of Christ's life by the artist Ponente, a triptych of Pupin, as well as several valuable paintings and a XVI century wooden Madonna;
- the Church of San Rocco, built in 1530, presents a gable roof and an original two-tone band decoration. The entrance is preceded by an arch supported by four columns. Inside is preserved an altarpiece of the artist Maganza, which was originally placed in the cathedral;
- the Church of San Giovanni Battista;
- the Rocca Scaligera, which is a XIV century fortress built by the Della Scala. At the beginning of the XV century it was occupied Filippo Buondelmonte degli Scolari at the head of a Hungarian army, sent by Sigismund of Luxembourg, who was eager to assert his rights over the Dalmatia region. In the XVI century the castle was attacked and seriously damaged by German troops. When in more peaceful times, the building was dismantled of its battlements and became the Vicar's residence. An additional floor was built and the slots were converted into windows. The recent restoration has brought to light part of a fresco that features a lion of San Marco.

Map

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