Groppo, Riolunato
Groppo | |
|---|---|
  Groppo Location of Groppo in Italy | |
| Coordinates: 44°14′09″N 10°38′32″E / 44.23583°N 10.64222°E | |
| Country |  Italy |
| Region | Emilia-Romagna |
| Province | Modena |
| Comune | Riolunato |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 41020 |
| Patron saint | St. Peter |
Groppo is a district (frazione) of the Riolunato municipality (comune), located in Modena province, Emilia-Romagna region, Italy.
Geography[edit]
Groppo is both an hamlet and a territory. The territory boundaries are: the Scoltenna creek (south-east); the Palagano territory, beyond the Giardini and Vandelli routes (north-west); the Pievepelago territory (south-west) and Roncombrellaro (north-east). As a territory, it includes Cabonargi and many other small inhabited areas and it is about 3 km2 wide.
History[edit]
During the 15th century, Groppo was already a municipality, endowed with its own statutes.[1] It became part of the municipality of Riolunato quite recently; in 1845 it was still part of the Pievepelago community, one of the five communities into which Frignano was divided (the others were Pavullo, Fanano, Sestola and Fiumalbo).[2] In 1786–1787, a great landslide affected the town, reaching as far as the Scoltenna creek.
Notable natives of Groppo include Father Claudio Fini, famous in the second half of the sixteenth century as a theologian and preacher, a witness to the holiness of St. Aloysius Gonzaga;[3] Saverio Cabonargi, a follower of Mazzini, who inspired the participation of the Frignanese mountain[clarification needed] in the 1831 Modena revolution and Luigi Cabonargi (died 1852), a doctor in Rome and a friend of Stendhal.[4]
During the final phase of the Second World War, the territory of Groppo was just north of the Gothic Line; during that time an American reconnaissance aircraft crashed in the heights near the village: the body of the pilot, Paul M. Thorngren, from Boone, Iowa, was temporarily buried near the parish church and now rests in the Florence American Cemetery.[5]
Operation Herring took place in the same era, in which the paratrooper Enea Cucchi participated and died on 22 April 1945. Enea was born there; he was awarded the silver medal for military valour and a street and a commemorative plaque are dedicated to him.
References[edit]
- ^ Frova, Piero (1974). "Groppo e i suoi statuti". Rassegna Frignanese. XIX, 20.
- ^ Zuccagni-Orlandini, Attilio (1845). Corografia fisica, storica e statistica dell'Italia e delle sue isole corredata di un atlante. Parte VI. Stati estensi. Firenze. p. 508.
- ^ Santi, V. (1902–1904). "Groppo". Lo Scoltenna. Atti e Memorie. I: 44–53.
- ^ Regarding Saverio and Luigi Cabonargi, see: L'Appennino modenese descritto e illustrato. Rocca S. Casciano. 1972 [1895]. p. 1037.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ See record on the Find a grave website.