Mezzocorona

Mezzocorona
Mezzocorona
Comune
	Comune di Mezzocorona
	Mezzocorona from Castel San Gottardo
	Coat of arms
	Location of Mezzocorona
	Saint Gothard
Website	Official website

Mezzocorona (Italian pronunciation:

comune (municipality) in Trentino in the northern Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 15 kilometres (9 mi) north of the city of Trento and within 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) of the Südtirol

border.

Toponymy

The name is thought to derive from the

Adige River moved further downstream, near Zambana

.

In 1194 the

Welsch in German stands for speakers of a Latin language.^[3]

On 29 February 1902 the Viennese Ministry of the Interior allowed the name change from Mezzotedesco to Mezocorona, in the corresponding German form of "Kronmetz".[4] The current name dates back to 1924.^[5]

The inhabitants are called Mezzocoronesi or rarely Brusacristi. Behind the latter demonym there is a bizarre story: its inhabitants were nicknamed Brusacristi (literally "Christburners") for burning a cross placed by the inhabitants of Mezzolombardo to mark the banks of the Noce River.^[6]

Geography

Mezzocorona is located in the Rotaliana Plain, an alluvial plain situated at the confluence of the

Adige River

and the Noce River.

The Teroldego grape variety is native to this area.

Mezzocorona borders the following municipalities:

Roverè della Luna, San Michele all'Adige and Nave San Rocco

.

History

The Rotaliana plain has been continually inhabited since prehistorical times with documented evidence, such as the remains of an ancient woman dating back to the Mesolithic period. This finding sparked interest among the citizens, who refer to this skeleton as Nonna di Mezzocorona (= "Grandma of Mezzocorona").^[7]

Thanks to the

Adige River and the Claudia Augusta Imperial Road, the area of Mezzocorona has served as a strategic road junction between the valleys of the Adige, Noce and Avisio Rivers ever since the times of the Romans. But the first written evidence goes back to 1199^[5]

and refers to the church, the venue of the ancient Parish of Santa Maria, which also comprised some nearby villages.

Similarly to other realities in

Roverè della Luna

and Grumo and consisted of many fuochi (entitled families) or masi (farmsteads): 50 in Mezzocorona, 18 in Roverè della Luna and 10 in Grumo. Everyday life was regulated by a set of rules called Carta di Regola or Vicinia Statute by which everyone had to abide. The seat of the community was the Palazzo della Vicinia, today the public library.

In the first half of the 14th century, following the expansion policy of the

Counts of Tyrol, the jurisdiction passed to their domain and the Tyrol Statute was implemented along with the Vicinia Statute. This represented the basic laws in force until the early 19th century.^[5]

Historical noble families of Mezzocorona were the Mez family and after them, the Firmian family.[8] The Mez dynasty built their first manor in a crack of the mountain above the village, making it hard to be conquered. This castle, now known as Castel San Gottardo, was later abandoned for a more comfortable dwelling at the foot of the mountain under the Firmian family.

Society

As of 31 December 2017, Mezzocorona had a population of 5477.^[9]

Demographic evolution

Transport

Motorway

Mezzocorona is connected to the motorway network A22-E45.

Rail

Mezzocorona has three railway stations:

One railway station connected to the Brenner Railway
Two railway stations (Mezzocorona Ferrovia and Mezzocorona Borgata) connected to the Trento–Malè–Mezzana railway

Cable car

The village is also served by a cablecar^[10] that connects the village to the top of the Monte di Mezzocorona. From here, Malga Kraun can be reached in an hour's walk on the marked forest path n°500.