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Reggio Emilia

geography Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Reggio Emilia is a large city located in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. It sits on a flat plain where a small stream called the Crostolo flows through the land. The city is quite big, with 172,518 people living there today. This makes it the 4th-largest city in its region and the 22nd-largest in all of Italy. People who live in Reggio Emilia are called Reggiani.

Reggio emilia piazza san prospero sera
Reggio emilia piazza san prospero sera

The old part of the city has a unique shape. It looks like a hexagon because of its ancient walls. Many of the main buildings were built during the 16th and 17th centuries.

The history of the city began a very long time ago. In 187 BC, a man named Marcus Aemilius Lepidus built a road called the Via Aemilia. This road went from Piacenza to Rimini. Reggio became an important center for law and justice along this path. During the Roman age, it was a busy place with its own laws and art colleges. Later, the city saw many changes as different groups moved through the area. This included the Lombards in 569 and the Franks in 773.

Palazzo ducale reggio emilia
Palazzo ducale reggio emilia

For many years, different powerful families fought to rule the city. One famous group was the House of Este, who ruled for a long time. During the 12th and 13th centuries, the city was a free commune. This meant the people had more say in how things worked. However, there were also many fights between different local groups. Some groups were called the nobles, while others were called the plebeians. Even the path of the Crostolo stream was changed to make more room for the city.

BattagliaLegnano
BattagliaLegnano

Reggio Emilia played a big part in making the modern Italian flag. In 1797, women in the city sewed the first Italian tricolour flag. This flag has three colors and was made during the Napoleonic age. The city also saw many people come and go, including a Jewish community that arrived in the 1400s. Many scholars lived in the city during those years. Today, the city is known as a European Capital of Inclusion and Diversity.

Sala tricolore reggio
Sala tricolore reggio

The weather in Reggio Emilia changes quite a bit throughout the year. It has a temperate continental climate. This means the summers are hot and can feel moist. Sometimes the temperature goes above 35 °C. The winters can be very cold with lots of frost. It often snows, but the snow does not stay on the ground for long. In the autumn and winter, you might see very thick fog covering the area.

Tempio della Beata Vergine della Ghiara
Tempio della Beata Vergine della Ghiara
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🖼️ Images & Media (8)
File:BattagliaLegnano.jpg
BattagliaLegnano.jpg
File:Sala tricolore reggio.jpg
Sala tricolore reggio.jpg
File:Reggio emilia coviolo villa levi 2.jpg
Reggio emilia coviolo villa levi 2.jpg
File:Reggio emilia piazza san prospero sera.jpg
Reggio emilia piazza san prospero sera.jpg
File:Tempio della Beata Vergine della Ghiara.JPG
Tempio della Beata Vergine della Ghiara.JPG
File:San giorgio torre cupola reggio emilia.jpg
San giorgio torre cupola reggio emilia.jpg
File:CHIOSTRI_SAN_PIETRO_RE.JPG
CHIOSTRI_SAN_PIETRO_RE.JPG
File:Palazzo ducale reggio emilia.jpg
Palazzo ducale reggio emilia.jpg
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