Comacchio

Comacchio
—  Comune  —
Comune di Comacchio
Trepponti
Coat of arms
Comacchio Location of Comacchio in Italy
Coordinates: 44°42′N 12°11′E / 44.7°N 12.183°E / 44.7; 12.183Coordinates: 44°42′N 12°11′E / 44.7°N 12.183°E / 44.7; 12.183
Country	Italy
Region	Emilia-Romagna
Province	Ferrara (FE)
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
Government
- Mayor	Maria Cristina Cicognani (since April 2005)
Area
- Total	283 km2 (109.3 sq mi)
Elevation	1 m (3 ft)
Population (30 April 2009)
- Total	23,072
- Density	81.5/km2 (211.2/sq mi)
Demonym	Comacchiesi
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	44022
Dialing code	0533
Patron saint	San Cassiano
Website	Official website

Comacchio is a town and comune of Emilia Romagna, Italy, in the province of Ferrara, 48 km from the provincial capital Ferrara.

Geography

Comacchio is situated in a lagoon just north of the present mouth of the Reno. It is built on more than thirteen different islets, joined by bridges. The most important wealths of these wetlands are the fish farming and the salt ponds. The seaport of Porto Garibaldi lies 7 km to the east. The wetlands south of the town, the Valli di Comacchio, are classified as a Site of Community Importance and a Special Protection Area in Italy.^[1] They are also rated internationally important by the Ramsar Convention for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands.^[2]

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.

In the 13th century, Emperor Rudolph 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.

References

1. ^ "Siti di importanza comunitaria e zone di protezione speciale" (in Italian). Emilia-Romagna regional administration. September 2010. http://www.regione.emilia-romagna.it/wcm/natura2000/pagine/dati/pdf/formulari/IT4060002.pdf. Retrieved 2011-04-29. 
2. ^ "The List of Wetlands of International Importance". The Secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands. 21 April 2011. p. 21. http://www.ramsar.org/pdf/sitelist.pdf. 

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.