Rottofreno

Rottofreno
Comune
Comune di Rottofreno
Location of Rottofreno
Rottofreno Location of Rottofreno in Italy Show map of Italy Rottofreno Rottofreno (Emilia-Romagna) Show map of Emilia-Romagna
Coordinates: 45°3′N 9°33′E
Country	Italy
Region	Emilia-Romagna
Province	Piacenza (PC)
Frazioni	San Nicolò a Trebbia, Santimento, Centora
Government
• Mayor	Paola Galvani (since 2021)[1] (Lista Civica)
Area [2]
• Total	34.5 km^2 (13.3 sq mi)
Elevation	65 m (213 ft)
Population  (12 May 2024)[3]
• Total	12,298
• Density	360/km^2 (920/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	29010
Dialing code	0523

Rottofreno (Piacentino: Altufrèi, Artufrèi, Ltufrèi or Rtufrèi) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Piacenza in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 160 kilometres (99 mi) northwest of Bologna and about 12 kilometres (7 mi) west of Piacenza.

Rottofreno borders the following municipalities: Borgonovo Val Tidone, Calendasco, Chignolo Po, Gragnano Trebbiense, Monticelli Pavese, Piacenza, and Sarmato.

The main settlement of the comune is San Nicolò, which has more inhabitants than Rottofreno proper.[4]

Name and history

According to a legend, the name (meaning "broken bit") derives from an event during the Carthaginian invasion of Italy (218–201 BC), when Hannibal allegedly broke here the bit of his horse.[5] The event is also remembered in the city's coat of arms. In reality the name is from the Lombard roth ("glory") and fridu ("friendship", "safeness").[6] The village was in fact called Rottofredo during the Middle Ages.[7]

On 10 August 1746, during the War of Austrian Succession, a battle was fought here between a French-Spanish army and an Austrian force.[8] This event is known as the Battle of Rottofredo (or Rottofreddo).

Main sights

• The great Baroque church of St. John the Baptist (1690) in the frazione of Santimento.

Demographic evolution

References

1. "Anagrafe degli Amministratori Locali e Regionali". amministratori.interno.gov.it. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
2. "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
3. "Bilancio demografico mensile". demo.istat.it. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
4. "SAN NICOLO'". 25 August 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-08-25. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
5. "Rottofreno". Via Francigena. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
6. "Turismo a Piacenza: comune di rottofreno, comune piacentino". Turismo Piacenza. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
7. La patria; geografia dell' Italia: pte. 1 Provincia di Roma. 1894. Provincia di Perugia. 1895. Provincie di Ancona, Ascoli Piceno, Macerata, Pesaro e Urbino. 1898. 3 v (in Italian). Unione tipografico-editrice. 1902. p. 210. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
8. Graffagnini, Ercole (1959). Emilia-Romagna (in Italian). B. Ghigi. p. 489. Retrieved 12 May 2024.