Vercelli
Vercelli
Vërsèj (Piedmontese) | |
---|---|
Città di Vercelli | |
UTC+2 (CEST) | |
Postal code | 13100 |
Dialing code | 0161 |
Patron saint | Eusebius of Vercelli |
Saint day | August 1 |
Website | Official website |
Vercelli (Italian pronunciation: [verˈtʃɛlli] ⓘ; Piedmontese: Vërsèj [vərˈsɛj]), is a city and comune of 46,552 inhabitants (January 1, 2017) in the Province of Vercelli, Piedmont, northern Italy. One of the oldest urban sites in northern Italy, it was founded, according to most historians, around 600 BC.
The city is situated on the
The languages spoken in Vercelli are Italian and Piedmontese; the variety of Piedmontese native to the city is called Varsleis.
The world's first university funded by public money was established in Vercelli in 1228 (the seventh university founded in Italy), but was closed in 1372. Today it has a university of literature and philosophy as a part of the
History
Vercellae (or Vercelum) was the capital of the Libici or Lebecili, a
The imperial
It became an independent commune in 1120 and joined the first and second Lombard leagues. Its statutes are among the most interesting of those of the medieval republics. In 1197 they abolished the
In 1307, Fra Dolcino, the leader of the Dulcinians was tortured and burned at the stake.
During the troubles of the 13th century, it fell into the power of the
In 1499 and 1553 Vercelli was captured by the French, and in 1616 and 1678 by the Spaniards. In 1704 it sustained an energetic siege by the French, who failed to destroy the fortress, after which it shared the fortunes of Savoy. In 1821 Vercelli rose in favour of the Constitution.
Government
Main sights
Vercelli is home to numerous relics of the Roman period, e.g. an amphitheatre, hippodrome, sarcophagi, and many important inscriptions, some of which are Christian.
There are seven noteworthy towers in the town, the most important are the Torre dell’Angelo, which rears up over the old market square, and the Torre di Città in Via Gioberti.
The cathedral's Capitulary Library contains valuable manuscripts. Its religious texts include the
The
Vercelli's synagogue, an example of Moorish Revival architecture, is located at Via Foà 70 and the city's Jewish cemetery at Corso Randaccio 24.[3] On 23 November 2013, after what was believed to be an antisemitic act, two swastikas were found sprayed on its walls.[4]
The Institute of the Beaux-Arts contains paintings by Vercellese artists.
Ancient charitable institutions continue, such as the hospital founded by Cardinal Guala Bicchieri (1224), which has an annual revenue of more than 600,000 lire ($117,000); and the hospices for orphan girls (1553) and for boys (1542), and mendicant homes.
Vercelli is the seat of the Viotti International Music Competition.
Demographics
In 2007, 44,475 people were recorded as residing in Vercelli, of whom 47.3% were male and 52.7% were female. Minors (children aged 18 and younger) totalled 14.41% of the population and pensioners 25.83%; the overall national averages are, respectively, 18.06% and 19.94%. The average age of a Vercelli resident was 47 (five years more than the national average of 42) and the birth rate was 8.69 births per 1,000 inhabitants (national average of 9.45 births per 1,000 inhabitants). In the five years between 2002 and 2007, the population of Vercelli declined by 1.31% while the national population grew by 3.56%.[5]
As of 2006[update], 92.38% of the population was
Museums
Notable people
- Eusebius of Vercelli (ca.283 – 371) first bishop in Vercelli (mid 340's) and counts as a saint.
- Atto II of Vercelli (ca.885–961), a Lombard, became bishop of Vercelli in 924.
- William of Montevergine (1085–1142), a wanderer, ascetic and founder of a number of monastic houses.
- Guala Bicchieri (ca.1150 – 1227) diplomat, papal official and cardinal.
- Order of Preachers
- Dulcinianreformist movement, burned at the stake.
- Francesco Antonio Vallotti (1697–1780) composer, music theorist and organist.
- Giacomo Abbondo (1720–1788), Roman Catholic priest, beatified in 2015.
- Eusebio Bava (1790–1854) army general who fought in the First Italian War of Independence.
- Edoardo Arborio Mella (1808–1884), architect, restorer and scholar.
- Angelo Agostini (1843–1910), illustrator, journalist and the first Brazilian cartoonist.
- Luigi Galleani (1861–1931), anarchist in the US; advocated propaganda of the deed
- Lucia Contini Anselmi (1876-after 1913), pianist and composer.
- Ennio Baiardi (1928–2014) politician, Mayor of Vercelli, 1975 to 1983
- Fiorenza Cossotto (born 1935), operatic mezzo-soprano.
- Angelo Gilardino (1941–2022), composer and classical guitarist.
- Anita Caprioli (born 1973), theatre and film actress.
Sport
- Marcello Bertinetti (1885–1967), fencer, team gold medallist at the 1908, 1924 and 1928 Summer Olympics
- Virginio Rosetta (1902–1975) footballer with 423 club caps and 52 for Italy
- Pietro Ferraris (1912–1991), footballer with 533 club caps and 14 for Italy
- Silvio Piola (1913–1996), footballer with 619 club caps and 34 for Italy
- Teobaldo Depetrini (1914–1996), footballer with over 450 club caps and 12 for Italy
- Franco Bertinetti (1923–1995), fencer, team gold medallist at the 1952 & 1956 Summer Olympics
- Elisabetta Perrone (born 1968) race walker and multiple medallist
- Giovanni Pellielo (born 1970) sport shooter and four-time Olympic medallist in the trap
- Vittorio Mero (1974–2002), footballer with over 200 club caps
- Moise Kean (born 2000), footballer with over 100 club caps so far and 12 for Italy
Cuisine
The typical dish is rice with beans, called panissa (made with Arborio, Baldo or Maratelli rice), the tartufata (cake) and the bicciolani a type of biscuit. The typical wine is Gattinara DOCG, a classic red wine of Piedmont made principally from the nebbiolo grape (known locally as spanna) from the comune of Gattinara, where there is archaeological evidence of vines being grown in Roman times.
Sport
Twin towns
See also
- Communes of the Province of Vercelli
References
- ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- ^ "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- ^ "Jewish Cemeteries". Chabad Travel Guide. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
- ^ "Vercelli, svastiche sul cimitero ebraico L'incursione è stata compiuta nella notte". L'UNIONE SARDA.it. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
- ^ "Statistiche demografiche ISTAT (2002)". demo.istat.it.
"Statistiche demografiche ISTAT (2007)". demo.istat.it. - ^ "Statistiche demografiche ISTAT (2006)". demo.istat.it. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
- ^ "Museo Leone Vercelli | Home". www.museoleone.it.
- ^ Rossetti, William Michael (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 25 (11th ed.). p. 343.
Further reading
- Vercelli Archived 2012-02-05 at the Wayback Machine is a short article in English on the history and archaeology of the town from archeovercelli.it, the site of the Gruppo Archeologico Vercellese.
- dumsinandi.com presents the Divine Comedy in English, Italian and vercellese, the local Piedmontese dialect.
Sources and external links
- Vercelli
- Macadam, Alta (1997). Blue Guide. Northern Italy: from the Alps to Bologna. London: A & C Black. ISBN 0-7136-4294-7.
- Benigni, Umberto (1912). . Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 15.
- Museo Borgogna
- Museo del Tesoro del Duomo
- Museo Camillo Leone
- Vini Italiani DOCG: Gattinara DOCG
- Riso Maratelli