Discovering history:
From Cornelio Nepote to Arnoldo Mondadori, passing by Ermanno, Marquis of Verona, Bernardo Tasso (Torquato Tasso’s father) and the Strinasacchi cousins: Ostiglia’s history is intertwined with the stories of great personalities, who have left a legacy that you can still discover today, by visiting the town’s museums and ancient palazzi.
Here is a brief summary of this history spanning the centuries.
Cornelius Nepot and
the Roman Empire
The earliest evidence of humans dates back to the Mesolithic period, but it is the Roman period that most characterises Ostiglia. The town was the birthplace of Cornelius Nepote, a famous Latin historian, and is also mentioned by Tacitus and Pliny the Elder.
In Roman times, Ostiglia was a port on the Po River and was the starting point of the Via Claudia Augusta, which connected the territories of the Empire between the Po Valley and the Danube.
With the fall of the Roman Empire, Ostiglia was ruled by the Goths, Lombards and the Franks of Charlemagne, while around the year 1000, the town was a disputed territory between Verona, Mantua and Ferrara.
To learn more, we recommend a stop at the Museo Civico Archeologico, housed in the Palazzo Foglia in Piazza Cornelio Nepote.
photo: Guido Ballista
From Marquis Ermanno
to Bernardo Tasso
In 1151 Ermanno, Marquis of Verona, built the Castle, an element of strategic importance and an object of contention. Today, only three towers have survived of the ancient Ostiglia Castle: the Campanaria, Orologio and delle Prigioni.
The first two, and the patrol walkway that connects them, house the Museo delle Torri, whose exhibits (ceramics, glass, architectural fragments, etc.) allow you to retrace Ostiglia’s past, from the Middle Ages to the 19th century.
It was in 1217 that Ostiglia came under the jurisdiction of Verona, while the second half of the century saw the succession of Scaligeri, Visconti and Gonzaga families, until 1569, when Bernardo Tasso, father of Torquato, was appointed podesta (town magistrate).
The Strinasacchi cousins
At the fall of the Gonzaga family, between 1600 and the first half of 1800, Landsknechts, Gonzaga of Nevers, Napoleon and Austrians alternated power in Ostiglia. It was during this period that the village developed agriculture, water-related activities and a flourishing trade, thanks to the numerous river routes.
In this climate of economic and building development and the spread of cultural awareness, the Strinasacchi cousins grew up: Regina, among the first female violinists to perform in public, for whom Mozart composed the sonata K454, and Teresa, a soprano who worked with the composers Paesiello and Cimarosa.
To find out more, don’t forget to stop by the ‘Giuseppe Greggiati’ Music Fund, housed in the Palazzo Foglia in Piazza Cornelio Nepote.
From the Risorgimento
to Arnoldo Mondadori
During the Risorgimento, Ostiglia distinguished itself thanks to the patriots Don Luigi Martini, parish priest of Ostiglia and author of Il Confortatorio (The Comfortatory); Ermogene Gnocchi, Officer of the Thousand; Antonio Arrivabene and Andrea Ghinosi, future deputies; and Osvaldo Gnocchi Viani, journalist and politician.
Annexed to the Kingdom of Italy in 1866, the early 1900s saw the birth of the Mondadori publishing house: here Arnoldo started his first printing house and intertwined his destiny with the family of Tomaso Monicelli, Mario’s father. For more information, visit the Palazzina Mondadori, in Via Gramsci. Built in typical
Art Nouveau style, it was the site of Arnoldo Mondadori’s first printing house and today houses the ‘Arnoldo Mondadori’ Fund, his private library, consisting of almost 1,000 volumes, many with dedications and/or autographs by the greatest personalities of the time.
Before concluding your tour to discover the history of Ostiglia, don’t forget to stop at Palazzo Cavriani-Bonazzi, an elegant 18th-century building that today houses the Town Hall.
