Gattatico is a town in the province of Reggio Emilia, which takes its name from one its most important districts, however, not seat of the town hall. The first settlement in the area was built by the Gauls Cenomani that, along the river Enza, founded the fortified center of Tanneto. In 218 B.C. these sites were the scenario of a historic battle, documented by Tito Livio, between the Roman troops guided by the magistrate Lucius Manlio, allied to the Cenomani, against the Boi Gauls. The presence in the area of a large Gallic-Roman community is evidenced by a plaque of the V century, today preserved in the Museum of Reggio Emilia, on which is engraved the name of a young Christian "Mavarta", that in the Gallic dialect means "Great Bear" . The town's name is of Lombard origins, from "gastium", which means fortified village. The Lombard rule was followed by the Carolingians, until in 895, the town was ceded to the Bishops of Parma. The subsequent history of Gattatico is linked to the fate of the city of Parma, except for short periods of domain under the rule of the Sforza, the Papal State, the French and the Austrians. It was proclaimed municipality with its own council only in 1808 and included in the one of Reggio Emilia in 1853.
Sites of Interest:
- the Church of St. Thomas of Canterbury, in Romanesque style, which inside still preserves a painting on a large brick that dates back to the XI-XII century;
- the Church of St. Matthew, built between 1690 and 1703, with a distinctive Bell Tower, which leans by about 30cm to one side;
- the Church of San Vitale, built in 1891;
- the Church of San Francesco in the village of Taneto, inside which is preserved a golden cup of 1605 and a silver monstrance of 1776;
- the Museum of the Resistance, entitled to the seven brothers Cervi, partisans shot by fascists in 1943;
- the two XVI century Villas of Pantaro di Sotto and Pantaro di Sopra, hunting lodges of the Farnese family.