Budrione, Cantone di Gargallo, Cibeno Pile, Cortile,Fossoli, Gargallo, Lama di Quartirolo, Migliarina, Osteriola, San Marino, San Martino Secchia, Santa Croce[1]
Carpi (Italian:[ˈkarpi];Emilian:Chèrp) is an Italian town andcomune of about 73,000 inhabitants in theprovince of Modena,Emilia-Romagna.[3] It is a busy centre for industrial and craft activities and for cultural and commercial exchanges.
It located in the northern area of its province, at the borders withReggio Emilia and counts the hamlets (frazioni) of Budrione, Cantone di Gargallo, Cibeno Pile, Cortile,Fossoli, Gargallo, Lama di Quartirolo, Migliarina, Osteriola, San Marino, San Martino Secchia and Santa Croce.[1]
The nameCarpi is derived fromcarpinus 'hornbeam', a tree particularly widespread in medieval times in thePo Valley region. In prehistoric times it was a settlement of theVillanovan Culture.
The foundation by theLombard kingAistulf ofSt. Mary's Church in the castle (Castrum Carpi) in 752 was the first step in the current settlement of the city. From 1319 to 1525, it was ruled by thePio family, after whom it was acquired by theEste, as part of theDuchy of Modena.
The city received a Silver Medal for Military Valour in recognition of its participation in the resistance against theGerman occupation duringWorld War II.
The town has one of the largest squares in all Italy (3rd place), the heart of the city, Piazza dei Martiri. It is surrounded by the castle, the cathedral, the town hall, and a portico with 52 arches. Usually every Thursday and Saturday the square hosts the local market.
Carpi used to be the finishing point of the annualItalian Marathon, which begins in nearbyMaranello. Almost 1000 athletes enter the senior men's and women's race which has been held every year since 1988 in honor ofDorando Pietri, a long distance runner born in Carpi that lost his Olympic Gold Medal for being helped to stand up after a fall near the finish line.[4]The area was crippled in theearthquakes of May 2012.
Foreign citizens living in Carpi amount to 10,756 persons, making 14.8% of the town population.[5]The largest foreign community is that from Pakistan with 24.0% of all foreigners present in the town, followed by Romania and the People's Republic of China.[6]
Carpi is distinguished by its great Renaissance square (piazza), called Piazza Martiri[7][8] It is flanked by aportico with 52 columns.
Other notable landmarks include:
Town hall (Palazzo dei Pio) - formerly the castle of the Pio family. It includes parts from different ages, such as the merloned-tower ofPasserino Bonaccolsi, the Renaissance façade and the tower ofGalasso Pio, and the 17th century watch tower. It includes a chapel frescoed byBernardino Loschi andVincenzo Catena.
Carpi Cathedral - Originally designed byBaldassarre Peruzzi, drawings for it are located in the Gabinetto dei Disegni e Stampe in the Uffizi, Florence, and document Peruzzi's contact withLeonardo da Vinci.[9] Construction begun 1514, Baroque façade added in 1701 and cupola completed 1774).
The biggest football team in Carpi isCarpi FC 1909 who play in the 5510 capacityStadio Sandro Cabassi. Carpi FC 1909 played inSerie B during the 2013–14 season, achieving a 12th-place finish ensuring second tier football remained in the town for another season. On April 28, 2015, the club clinched promotion toSerie A for the first time in its history.On 2016 the Carpi-born world champion swimmerGregorio Paltrinieri won Gold Medal on 1 500 free style at Brazil Olympics.
^Parsons, "Between Typology and Geometry, Designs by Baldassarre Peruzzi for Carpi Cathedral,"Romisches Jahrbuch der Biblioteca Hertziana (Hirmer Verlag, Munich, 2005), band 35, pp. 287-326.
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