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Pizzighettone 1706 Pizzighettone, November 3rd-12th, 2006
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What: history of the Modern Ages. |
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Cavacurta (Lodi, Italy). |
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Tackling the study of an historical period means observing and knowing much more than wars, dinasties, revolutions, treaties and discoveries. In facts, it’s made up also of ‘minor’ courses, of the every-day lived, of what changes and what stays: «continuities» and «discontinuities» – this way they’re called – which bind «great history» and «little history», making them more complex and richer to our attention, even if this link isn’t sometime perceivable with clarity. But there’re courses in which this relation can be more perceived, as the one illustred by the manifestation Pizzighettone 1706. Between Spain and Austria [Pizzighettone 1706. Fra Spagna ed Austria], carried out from November 3rd to 12th, 2006, in Pizzighettone (Cremona) for the third centenary from the siege of 1706: episode, this last, which represented a relevant turn in the history of the cremonese town, at that time strategical place of the State of Milan, placed on the two sides of the Adda River. In that year’s October, during the Spanish Succession War (1701-1714), Pizzighettone was besieged and conquered by Habsburg and Savoy armies led by Prince Eugene of Savoy-Carignano, which removed it from the sovereignty of the Bourbon House of Spain: a moment which marked the passage of Pizzighettone from the so-called ‘Spanish’ period to the ‘Austrian’. The anniversary has provided the occasion to propose to the public the result of a conspicuous historical research on the topic, through the organization of a documentary exhibition and of a conference concerning not only war and political courses which involved Pizzighettone and Lombardy, but also more or less known aspects of the period included between XVII Century’s end and the beginning of the XVIII. Davide Tansini, conceiver and organizer of the event, occupied himself to find the original documentations kept in the State Archives of Milan [Archivio di Stato di Milano] (Greppi Gridario [Gridario Greppi] and Military [Militare] files), in the State Archives of Turin [Archivio di Stato di Torino] (Topographical Maps by A and B [Carte Topografiche per A e B] file) and in the Communal Historical Archives of Pizzighettone [Archivio Storico Comunale di Pizzighettone] (Libri Ordinationum or Resolutions Registers [Registri delle Delibere] file): gride, letters, maps, messages, decrees, minutes, and other evidences (above all historiographical and iconographical). The documentary corpus has been divided into 16 sections, everyone titled according to the tackled topic: Pizzighettone in the Spanish Succession War [Pizzighettone nella Guerra di Successione Spagnola], Past’s ‘vip’ [‘Vip’ del passato], Annals of Italy [Annali d’Italia, War lies [Bugie di guerra], Pizzighettone and environs [Pizzighettone e dintorni], Notes of history [Appunti di storia], Gunners [Artiglieri], «Gun on your back, your nose exposed…» [«Schioppo in spalla, muso franco…»], Civilian and military men [Civili e militari], ‘Local’ people and ‘foreigners’ [‘Locali’ e ‘forestieri’], Frontier land [Terra di frontiera], The mill of discord [Il mulino della discordia], The embrasure [La cannoniera], The Fort of Saint Peter [Il Forte di San Pietro], Building and maintaining [Costruire e mantenere], Disputed ovens [Forni contesi and A viceroy prisoner in Pizzighettone [Un viceré prigioniero a Pizzighettone]. The thematic boards have been prepared inside the so-called Casematte of Pizzighettone’s wall, which was itself involved in the siege of 1706. In the exhibition they’ve taken space the origins of the same conflict, the battle of Turin (September 7th, 1706), the invasion of country of Milan by the Habsburg and Savoy armies, the escape of the last ‘Spanish’ Governor of Milan and the progressive recall of the Two Crowns troops towards Pizzighettone, Cremona and Mantua. To these prior events it has continued the description of the regular siege (from October 4th to 29th): the arrival of Eugene of Savoy-Carignano in Castiglione d’Adda and then in Cavacurta, the preliminary engagements, the occupation of the Fort of Saint Peter and the conquer of the place of Gera on the West side of the Adda River, finally the surrender of Pizzighettone. But – as already written – the exhibition hasn’t concerned only the war. On the contrary, a lot of the event has been devoted to society, to economy, to environment, to culture and to curiosities, too: to sum up, the contextx in which the personages of the course lived and acted. Notables of the period, as sovereigns, rulers and generals: Philip of Anjou; and Charles of Habsburg (the two rivals for the throne of Spain), Louis of Bourbon (Louis XIV, the «Sun King»), the same Eugene of Savoy-Carignano (the «Great Capitain», as he was called), Victor Amadeus of Savoy, Charles Henry of Vaudémont-Lorraine; but also the less known, as the Spanish castellans of Pizzighettone Juan de Marquina and Felipe de Eleyzalde; or inhabitants, soldiers, travellers of whom the history didn’t keep even names, but who – in their own way – ‘did’ the history. Just the reproduced documents have allowed to reconstruct and tell – also visually – an articulate scenery which was not only background, but also an integral part the course. Very relevant it has been the production of some maps never exhibited previously. As well significant it has been the show of documents concerning the smuggling phenomenon in the frontier zones of the State of Milan, just like it was Pizzighettone. Above all, it has had a considerable place the graphic restitution of the Fort of Saint Peter at the period of the siege: accomplished by Cristian Mareschi with the direction of Davide Tansini, it has recontructed both in paper and digital format the look of this fortalice placed among Pizzighettone, Maleo and Cavacurta, not far from the place of Gera. Supporting element of the manifestation has been to create a direct contact between documents and users, between history and public. With similar criterion it has been set up also the opening conference, titled like the same exhibition and carried on November 3rd still inside the Casematte. Close has been the correlation with the expositive display, because the contributions of the three lecturers have had the function to introduce the spectators to the exhibition theme. Davide Tansini has informed with Pizzighettone «war town» in the State of Milan [Pizzighettone «città da guerra» nello Stato di Milano] about formation, structure and characteristics of the military Pizzighettone, understood not only as fortified work, but as organic whole within which well definited human componenti acted. Then, it has been the time of Anna Maria Benetollo with Evidences from the past: the archives documents [Testimonianze dal passato: i documenti d’archivio], who has dealt with nature and consistency of archives documentations kept in Pizzighettone. Finally, Francesca Gaido with Lombard economy between Seicento and Settecento [Economia lombarda fra Seicento e Settecento], who has illustrated the transformations worked in agricolture, manifacture, politics, fiscality and finance ambit in the second half of the Settecento, begun just from the changes occurred at the beginning of the XVIII Century. So, Pizzighettone 1706. Between Spain and Austria has offered itself like event of several approach and comprehension levels, addressed not only to matter-lover, but enjoyble also by a wider public, according various interests: nearly a ‘window’ through which watching a past episode in its multiform aspects. |
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Giovan Battista Sesti, Maps of the Cities, Castles and Places of this State of Milan [Piante delle Città, Castelli, e Piazze di questo Stato di Milano]. |
Download the release (PDF format) |
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Pizzighettone 1706. Between Spain and Austria [Pizzighettone 1706. Fra Spagna ed Austria]. |
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Davide Tansini’s contacts:
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