Rio Saliceto

Information

Altitude: 24 m
Inhabitants: 6.146 (updated to December 31, 2018)
Postal code: 42010
Weekly market day: Friday
Patron Saint: San Giorgio the Martyr (April 23)
Events and initiatives: Village Festival (second Sunday of May)
Hamlets: San Lodovico

CONTACTS

0039 0522 647811 - Municipality
Municipality of Rio Saliceto

How to get there

Rio Saliceto

By car
From Reggio Emilia: follow SS468 direction Correggio, then SP5 to Campagnola Emilia-Novellara.

By bus
From Reggio Emilia, Piazzale Europa: bus No. 43 route Reggio Emilia-Rolo.

Historical notes

Rio Saliceto is characterized by XVIII and XIX-century artistic features, despite it having been already mentioned in documents dating back to the X century.

For centuries known as Villa di Correggio, Rio Saliceto only obtained administrative autonomy in 1860. Initially named Rio, from the name of the canal - today Tresinaro - which flows along the border with Carpi, it later became San Giorgio in Rio; the name of Rio Saliceto was made official in 1864 because of the marsh willows (salice in Italian) that grow in the area.

The area was partially reclaimed by the Romans. Some archaeological remains from that time have been found in the area: a tomb, of which a marble lion remains, kept in the courtyard of the Palazzo dei Principi in Correggio; a brick with a recess on the surface, making it easier to handle, was found in via Ca' de' Frati in 1969 during the digging of a well and is now kept in the Municipal Library; the remains of a lithostratum (floor mosaic) was found in the same area in 1912.

Not to be missed

The San Giorgio Church is of ancient origin and was rebuilt in 1879 in neoclassical style.
The façade has three doors and the windows are round. The bell tower is 36 metres high.
The Town Hall, a building in neoclassical style dating back to the late XIX century, and the Palazzo dei Diamanti, built in the early XX century.

Entertainment

The small and pretty Municipal Theatre, dating back to the early XX century, is the venue of an important theatrical season.

Events

May Festival - Second weekend of May
Craft, agricultural, industrial and commercial festival.

Historical study

In a document signed in 772 A.D. by Lombardic King Desiderius, the area including the spot where the current town lies is described as being made up of "earth, blind alleys, and meadows", with very few inhabitants.
In 907 A.D., part of the same territory belonged to the Church of Reggio Emilia, later becoming the property of Boniface of Canossa, father of Matilda, Countess of Canossa, who gave the land back to the Church.
In 1093, the name of the town appeared for the first time in a papal bull signed by Antipope Gilbert. Between the XII and XIII centuries, Rio was registered in the "Book of Hearth Fires" from the district of Reggio Emilia as having 20 families of independent farmers and 7 sharecroppers.

Rio was subject to the Da Correggio family, and the mint belonging to their principality was located in Villa Caprì, a locality in the territory of Rio. In 1635 the territory came under the rule of the Duke of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Francesco d'Este I.
In 1859, a plebiscite sanctioned an independent government for the town of Rio Saliceto, taking effect January 1, 1860. April 18, 1881, following the example set by Reggio Emilia and Novellara, the Workers' Mutual Aid Society was set up, with the objective of lending assistance to workers experiencing hardship.

A building was erected in 1913 in Piazza Carducci, next to the school buildings, to house the society. With the same objective, Alfredo Ansaloni founded the analogous Military Brotherhood Society while on leave in 1899. The first cooperative company was set up August 23, 1901.
Called "L'Enologica", it combined the sale and production of local wines with the goal of raising the importance of the area's special types of wines and increasing sales.

The rapid demographic and economic growth of Rio Saliceto in the past few decades has allowed the town to improve its municipal, social and educational services, in which various sports, cultural, and volunteer groups and associations are actively involved, contributing to complete the picture of a lively, hardworking community.

Useful links

• Churches in Rio Saliceto
• Where to stay in Rio Saliceto
• Where to eat in Rio Saliceto
• All files of Rio Saliceto