Lodi Attractions
The town of Lodi, situated on the right bank of the Adda in the fertile Po plain, is some 20km/12mi southeast of Milan. It is a noted center of cheese manufacture, particularly Parmesan.
History
Lodi was founded by Frederick Barbarossa in 1158 after the destruction of Lodi Vecchio. Throughout the Middle Ages it was one of Milan's bitterest opponents. In 1311 it came under the sway of the Visconti family.
History
Lodi was founded by Frederick Barbarossa in 1158 after the destruction of Lodi Vecchio. Throughout the Middle Ages it was one of Milan's bitterest opponents. In 1311 it came under the sway of the Visconti family.
Cathedral
In the Piazza della Vittoria, in the center of Lodi, rises the Romanesque cathedral (12th century); it has a beautiful pillared doorway with figures of Adam and Eve and Romanesque reliefs in the crypt, together with the tomb of St Bassianus.
Church of the Incoronata
A little way northwest of the Piazza della Vittoria in Lodi stands the Church of the Incoronata, a fine building (1488-94) on a centralized plan, with four panels by Bergognone ("The Childhood of Christ") on the second side altar to the right, an organ gallery of 1507 and richly carved choir- stalls (c. 1700).
San Francesco
To the northeast of the cathedral in Lodi, in Piazza Ospedale, we find the beautiful church of San Francesco, in Lombard Gothic style (13th century), with frescoes on the pillars in the interior. To the right of the church the Ospedale Maggiore has an Early Renaissance fine pillared courtyard.
Lodi Surroundings
Crema, Italy
Northeast of Lodi is situated the busy little town of Crema (79m/261ft; pop. 35,000), with a Romanesque cathedral (13th century), a 16th century Town Hall, the Palazzo Vescovile (paintings) and the Augustinian monastery of S Agostino with the Museo Civico and the Palazzo Terni de Gregory.
Crema - Santa Maria della Croce
(In Crema, Italy)
1km/0.5 mi north of Crema on the Bergamo road is the church of Santa Maria della Croce, built 1490 onwards under the influence of Bramante. Inside, note the ceiling frescoes and figures of saints.
Lodi Vecchio, Italy
West of Lodi is Lodi Vecchio (82m/271ft; pop. 5,000), the Roman Laus Pompeia, destroyed by the Milanese in 1111 and 1158, after which it declined into an unimportant little country town. There are two interesting churches - San Bassiano (11th century), restored in Gothic style in 1322, with 15th century frescoes, and the Badia di San Pietro.
