Olevano di Lomellina
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| Olevano di Lomellina | |
|---|---|
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| Country |  Italy |
| Region | Lombardy |
| Province | Province of Pavia (PV) |
| Mayor | Ing. Roberto Spairani |
| Elevation | 105 m (344 ft) |
| Area | 15.4 km² (6 sq mi) |
| Population (as of Dec. 2004) | |
| - Total | 803 |
| - Density | 52/km² (135/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET, UTC+1 |
| Coordinates | |
| Gentilic | olevanesi |
| Dialing code | 0384 |
| Postal code | 27020 |
| Frazioni | Cascine Vallazza, Cascina Melegnana, Cascina Battaglia, Cascina Bianca, Cascina Paronina |
| Website: www.olevanolomellina.it/ | |
Olevano di Lomellina is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Pavia in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 45 km southwest of Milan and about 35 km west of Pavia. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 803 and an area of 15.4 km².[1]
The municipality of Olevano di Lomellina contains the frazioni (subdivisions, mainly villages and hamlets) Cascina Vallazza, Cascina Melegnana, Cascina Battaglia, Cascina Bianca, and Cascina Paronina.
Olevano di Lomellina borders the following municipalities: Castello d'Agogna, Cergnago, Mortara, Velezzo Lomellina, Zeme.
Located centrally in Lomellina, near the right bank of a stream (the Agogna), the village belonged to the Counts of Lomello. Some of them took up residence here and therefore received a title from the place. The feudal vassals, named thus Counts of Olevano, settled in an imposing, multi-towered castle probably built in the twelfth century, as we know that it was destroyed for the first time by Frederick I, also called the "Barbarossa". A second fortress was razed to the ground in 1404 by Facino Cane, therefore a third reconstruction was finished in 1420. Part of the feud was given to the Attendolo-Bologninis, by Frederick III, in 1469.In 1551 it passed down to the Beccarias for a short time. In 1557 the castle was once more nearly destroyed by the French troops, but a new fortified building sprang up from those ruins and was attacked for the last time in 1745 by Austrian troops.The first drastic changes followed and the edifice was transformed in appearance and lay-out. More alterations from the following century, and the first decades of the present one, have given the building its final appearance, which can be observed nowadays. We can recognize very little as belonging to the original medieval castle. The eritrance to the edifice is through a vestibule held up by a mullion and built during the eighteenth century renovation work. On the right-hand side of the entrance is the tall tower, which stands outside the perimeter of the whole group of buildings but is joined to it; its Ghibelline merlons (now covered up by a roof) constitute the only remains of the original construction. On the right-hand side of the tower is the carriage gateway and just above this is a mullioned window with two lights, added during restoration in 1912 together with the one opening window on the left side of the tower itself. These two windows come from another castle in Lomellina which has not been identified yet. Despite all the superimposing of different styles, the Olevano castle is a remarkable monument for its high architectural worth and its intricate historical events. Contiguous to the rich residence, westward, is a farm built between 1911 and 1912 adopting the same sryle as in the restoration of the castle. Two typical small towers mark the entrance to the farm on its northerrl end, towards the castle of Agogna Together with the medieval castle you may see the Country Arts Museum, lodged in an old cowshed with hay-loft. The Museum collection is constituted by farm implements and craft tools used in the Lomellina region until 1950. They are exhibited in reconstructed cowshed, dairy and other workshops.
[edit] Demographic evolution
