Comacchio
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| Comune di Comacchio | |
|---|---|
 Municipal coat of arms |
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| Country |  Italy |
| Region | Emilia-Romagna |
| Province | Ferrara (FE) |
| Mayor | Maria Cristina Cicognani (since April 2005) |
| Elevation | 1 m (3 ft) |
| Area | 283 km² (109 sq mi) |
| Population (as of December 31, 2004) | |
| - Total | 22,385 |
| - Density | 79/km² (205/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET, UTC+1 |
| Coordinates | |
| Gentilic | Comacchiesi |
| Dialing code | 0533 |
| Postal code | 44022 |
| Frazioni | Lido degli Estensi, Lido degli Scacchi, Lido di Pomposa, Lido di Spina, Porto Garibaldi, San Giuseppe, Lido delle Nazioni, Lido di Volano, Vaccolino, Volania |
| Patron | San Cassiano |
| Website: www.comune.comacchio.fe.it | |
Comacchio is a town of Emilia Romagna, Italy, in the province of Ferrara, 48 km by road from the town of Ferrara, in the centre of the lagoon of Valli di Comacchio, just north of the present mouth of the Reno. It is built on more than thirteen different islets, joined by bridges. Industries and include fishery, which belongs to the commune, and salt-works. The seaport of Porto Garibaldi lies 7 km to the east.
[edit] History
After its early occupation by the Etruscans and the Gauls, Comacchio was annexed by Rome. Under Emperor Augustus, who ruled Rome from 27 BCE to 14 CE, a canal was dug to deepen its lagoon.
Comacchio enjoyed prosperity under the Goths and the Lombards, and became the seat of a duchy. When the Franks descended into northern Italy in 756, their king, Pepin the Short, included Comacchio in his famous donation of land to Pope Stephen II, a grant later confirmed by Pepin's son and successor, Charlemagne. In 854 Comacchio was sacked by the Venetians, who destroyed it in 946. The Holy See later acquired the city and presented it to the archbishopric of Ravenna.
But Emperor Rudolf I conferred it on Obizzo IV d'Este of Ferrara. In 1508 it became Venetian, but in 1597 was claimed by Clement VIII as a vacant fief. In 1598 the Papal States again acquired Comacchio and retained it until 1866 when it became a part of the Kingdom of Italy.
Since then, most of the swamp land has disappeared, leaving ground for the expansion of agriculture, and creating new zones for dwellings. Comacchio was once home to a factory for sugar refining, which closed in 1988.
[edit] References
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
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