Arona, Piedmont
Arona ( Piedmontese and Lombard Aruna ) is a northern Italian town with 14,215 inhabitants (as of 31 December 2012) in the Piedmont region, on the southwestern shore of Lake Maggiore. It is a tourist resort.
Borders the following municipalities: Angera (VA), Comignago, Dormelletto, Invorio, Meina, Oleggio and Paruzzaro.
History
In the era of Roman rule Arona was a military base. Since the 11th century the city belonged to the archbishops of Milan. After Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa in 1162 Milan was destroyed, many exiles fled to Arona. In the 12th century Arona fell to the family of the Torriani, 1277 at the Visconti. Beginning of the 14th century, the city became a free commune under the supremacy of the established in the 11th century and the Holy Gratianus and Felinus consecrated Benedictine abbey. Duke Filippo Maria Visconti of Milan handed Arona 1439 at Vitaliano Borromeo I. as a fief and raised these six years later the Count of Arona. In 1743, the city came to the Kingdom of Sardinia.
Attractions
North of Arona is located on a hill of Sancarlone, a built on a 14 meter high granite base and more than 23 feet high colossal statue of Charles Borromeo. The statue was given in 1614 by Cardinal Federico Borromeo commissioned and was from its completion in 1697 until construction of the Statue of Liberty in 1886 for nearly 200 years, the largest indoor statue in the world walk. Charles Borromeo was built Castle of Arona born in 984, which was destroyed by fire in 1674, and later by Napoleon's troops largely. Today, it can be seen above the city in ruins.
Additional points of interest include Aronas the Collegiate and the 1592 finished church of Santa Maria di Loreto.
Demographics
Twinning
- Compiègne in Picardy, France
- Arona in Tenerife, Spain
- Huy in Wallonia, Belgium
Sons and daughters of the town
- Carlo Boniforti (1818-1879), composer, organist and music teacher
- Charles Borromeo (1538-1584), Cardinal and saint of the Catholic Church
- Daniele Negroni (* 1995), American Idol participants