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Ivrea (Ivréa in Piedmontese, Ivreja in the Canavese dialect, Eebri in the Töitschu variant of the Walser language, Ivrée in French) is an Italian town of 23 442 inhabitants (called eporedians) in the metropolitan city of Turin, in Piedmont. It is considered "the capital of the Canavese". On 1 July 2018 it became part of the UNESCO heritage (54th Italian site).
Cathedral of Santa Maria
The Cathedral of Ivrea stands on the
square of the same name on the north-west elevation of the historic
centre, and is connected to the Palazzo del Vescovado via a covered
connection. The discovery of Roman remains in the oldest parts of the
church, or found during the nineteenth-century excavations, lead us to
believe that there was already a temple in axis with the underlying
theater (of which some traces are still visible) since the first century
BC. The temple was then transformed into a Christian church, between the
end of the 4th and the beginning of the 5th century, when the Diocese
was established. Expanded around 1000 on the initiative of Bishop
Warmondo, two bell towers of the ancient Romanesque structure are
conserved today, the columns visible in the ambulatory behind the apse
and the frescoed crypt (containing an ancient Roman sarcophagus, which
tradition has it then preserved the remains of San Besso, co-patron of
Ivrea together with San Savino).
During the reconstruction that
took place in the 12th century, following a relatively important
earthquake in Northern Italy in 1117, the cathedral changed its
appearance, adopting a plan much more similar to today's. Then in 1516,
the bishop Bonifacio Ferrero had a new façade built, with a portico in
the Bramante style which replaced the ancient Romanesque façade. In 1854
it was in turn replaced by the current neoclassical facade, designed by
the architect Gaetano Bertolotti.
Church of San Nicola da
Tolentino
On the same Piazza del Duomo, next to it, there is also the
church of San Nicola da Tolentino, built in 1605 by the confraternity of
the same name, and which has many elements of historical and artistic
interest (façade, frescoes and wooden sculptures in the Baroque style ).
Church of San Gaudenzio
It is a small church of late Baroque
architecture built between 1716 and 1724, attributed to the Savoy
architect Luigi Andrea Guibert. The building stands on a small hill,
once outside the town of Ivrea, while today it is completely surrounded
(except for the facade) by urban development. Inside there is a
remarkable cycle of frescoes by Luca Rossetti da Orta with scenes
dedicated to the life of San Gaudenzio, a 4th-century saint believed to
be a native of Ivrea.
Church of Sant'Ulderico
The first church
was built in the years immediately following the canonization of Ulrich
of Augsburg. The interior of the building underwent a total makeover
according to the Baroque fashion in the eighteenth century.
Sanctuary of Monte Stella and Chapel of the Three Kings
The Sanctuary
of Monte Stella is a devotional place located on a hill that stands near
the market square, along which a Via Crucis winds. Continuing uphill
past the Sanctuary, we reach the Chapel of the Three Kings, in which
there is a recently restored fresco (Nativity and Saints Rocco and
Sebastiano) by the Spanzotti school. The sanctuary was built in 1627,
but today only the bell tower has remained intact. The rest of the
building, i.e. the circular temple, dates back to the 19th century. As
for the Chapel of the Three Kings, the year of construction dates back
to 1220: tradition has it that it was Saint Francis, passing through
Ivrea, who suggested its construction. The chapel has Romanesque
architecture.
Church of the Holy Cross
The church of Santa
Croce, located in via Arduino 9, was founded in 1622 as an oratory for
the confraternity of the Suffrage. Inside it contains an elegant altar
(1749), a wooden choir (1695) and especially an important cycle of
frescoes created in 1753 and 1751 by Luca Rossetti da Orta.
Church of San Bernardino
The church of San Bernardino is
decentralized with respect to the historical centre, in the Olivetti
industrial area of via Jervis. It is in Gothic style, of modest
proportions, built together with the adjoining convent in 1455 by the
Franciscan order of the minor friars. The building was then completed in
1457, with a quadrangular plan with cross vaults. In 1465 expansion
works took place, with the construction of a nave for public access and
two side chapels. The monastery began its decline towards the end of the
16th century and in the 18th century the complex suffered further
deterioration due to successive military occupations, until the
Napoleonic conquest and the abolition of ecclesiastical properties. In
1910 Camillo Olivetti bought the complex to transform it into his home,
while between 1955 and 1958 his son Adriano Olivetti transformed
everything into a headquarters for social services and after-work
activities for Olivetti employees. The church of San Bernardino houses a
cycle of frescoes on the Life and Passion of Christ, painted between
1485 and 1490 by Giovanni Martino Spanzotti and restored in the 1950s
thanks to the work of Adriano Olivetti.
The Synagogue
It was
built in 1870 following the expansion of the Jewish community. The
building is located in via Quattro Martiri in the historic center of the
city. After a period of abandonment, it was renovated in 1999 and also
used for various cultural activities.
Town Hall and National Square
The historic main square of Ivrea,
although it is one of the smallest, is located in the ancient historic
village and divides the central street, i.e. via Palestro-via Arduino,
into two parts. In ancient times, it was called Piazza Palazzo di Città
or, more simply, Piazza di Città, a name that still remains in today's
popular language. It housed some buildings, including an ancient
hospital, the De Burgo, decommissioned in 1750 and replaced by the
current Palazzo di Città, i.e. the Palazzo Civico, seat of the Town
Hall, designed by the architect Giovanni Battista Borra, and from which
the tall bell tower with clock. Opposite the Palazzo di Città stands the
Romanesque church of Sant'Ulderico and the Palazzo della Congregazione
di Carità. With the birth of Vittorio Emanuele I (1759), the square was
first named after the King, but was later renamed Piazza Ferruccio
Nazionale, in memory of the partisan hanged here in 1944.
The
Palace of Credence
Ancient Gothic building from the 14th century,
seat of the Town Council (made up of the so-called Credendari) at the
time of the free Municipality of Ivrea.
The Ponte Vecchio and the
Borghetto
The area of the city characterized by the Ponte Vecchio
refers to the Roman bridge built around the third century which crossed
the Dora Baltea and carried out the defensive walls, in the so-called
Borghetto, a fortress of ancient houses and craft shops, subsequently
enclosed by defensive walls with three accesses, respectively towards
Banchette, Pavone and Turin. In the following centuries, the bridge was
rebuilt in wood, while in the Middle Ages it was reinforced and equipped
with two turrets, of which the external one also had a drawbridge.
Around the 17th century the wooden bridge was replaced by a masonry
bridge, then reinforced again in the following century, and subsequently
enlarged in 1830.
Today the bridge is still fully functional,
constituting the beginning of the current via Gozzano road that crosses
the aforementioned Borghetto, but the adjacent bridge, of more recent
construction, the Ponte Adriano Olivetti, on corso Nigra, area of Art
Nouveau and late 19th century buildings which include, among others,
Villa Luisa, Villa Ravera and Palazzo Ravera. In front of it you enter
the romantic Lungo Dora, with a large and artistic fountain dedicated to
Camillo Olivetti, founder of the homonymous factory, the work of the
sculptor Emilio Greco in 1957.
Finally, there is a third parallel
iron bridge, the Ferrovia bridge, built in 1885, over which the
Chivasso-Aosta line passes.
The Borghetto is dominated by Mount
Ferroglietto, on which once stood a defensive fort known as the Citadel.
Today, in its place, stands Villa Chiampo, former residence of Giacomo
Chiampo, mayor of Ivrea from 1888 to 1895.
The Tower of Santo
Stefano
As already mentioned, the tower of Santo Stefano was the bell
tower of the homonymous Benedictine abbey from the 11th century, built
at the behest of Bishop Enrico. Little is known about the original
structure of the complex, as few historical remains remain today. The
tower (and therefore the abbey) was built with bricks of probable Roman
origin, while from an architectural point of view it appears to be an
example of Canavese Romanesque architecture. The abbey was partially
destroyed during French rule in 1558, by order of Marshal Charles I of
Cossé, Count of Brissac, and later in 1757 by the hand of Count Perrone.
The latter wanted to expand the garden of his palace (now known as
Palazzo Giusiana), which once overlooked the area. The result was the
complete destruction of the complex, except for the bell tower which is
still today in the public gardens of Ivrea. In the early 2000s, the
tower underwent a major restoration. In front of it, on the Dora, stands
the Palazzo dei Bagni.
The Tallianti Tower
Ancient Romanesque
tower built between the 12th and 13th centuries, it is located not far
from the Tower of Santo Stefano near the Giusiana Gardens.
Giacosa Theatre
It was built in 1829, based on a project by the
architect Maurizio Storero, who had been commissioned by the municipal
administration to build a new civic theatre. With a show, performed on
November 30, in 1922 the Civic Theater was named after Giuseppe Giacosa,
on the proposal of Salvator Gotta, a native of Montalto Dora, a town in
the Ivrea area.
Cinema Giuseppe Boaro
Built in 1910, it is one
of the first Italian cinemas. It is located almost at the entrance of
via Palestro, the main street of the historical centre. The cinema,
extensively renovated and modernized, is still active today and houses
the only 3D projection room in the city.
Villa Castilla
Villa
Castiglia, also known as La Castiglia, is a historic building in the
city of Ivrea.
Villa Casana
Villa Casana, formerly Villa
Carpenetto, was built as a holiday residence by the Marquises of
Carpenetto. Since 1987 it has housed the Olivetti Historical Archive.
Ferrando house
In the San Lorenzo district is the neo-Gothic Casa
Ferrando.
The Savoy Castle of Ivrea
Also celebrated by Carducci, in the
verse quoted at the top of this page, the castle of the three towers is
somewhat the emblem of the city. Built (1357) by Amedeo VI of Savoy;
made entirely of bricks, with a trapezoidal plan with four circular
towers placed at its vertices, it had been thought of as a defensive
fortification (a function which it then did not perform, proving to be
insufficient, with the introduction of gunpowder, to support artillery
shots).
Used as a shelter, lightning blew up one of the four towers
used as an ammunition depot in 1676: it was never rebuilt. Previously
used as a prison, today it is occasionally used for exhibitions and
events.
Via Palestro
Roman vestiges
Built around the middle of the 1st century AD. near
the road to Vercelli, it is thought that it could accommodate more than
ten thousand spectators. The archaeological area also includes a
pre-existing villa, some of whose walls were incorporated into the
amphitheater.
In the bed of the Dora, approximately at the height
of the Botta high school, are the vestiges of the ancient Pons Major,
built in the 1st century AD. in monumental forms.
Woods and marshes of Bellavista (SIC/ZSC), shared with Pavone Canavese.
By plane
Turin airport, about 45 minutes by car.
By car
From Turin: A5 Turin-Aosta motorway, Ivrea exit
From Milan: A4
Milan-Turin motorway, A4-A5 Santhià-Ivrea link road, A5 Aosta, Ivrea
exit
From Aosta: A5 Aosta-Turin motorway, Ivrea exit
From Genoa:
A26 Genova-Gravellona motorway, A26 Alessandria-Santhià, link road A4-A5
Santhià-Ivrea, A5 Aosta, Ivrea exit
On the train
Ivrea railway
station, Corso Nigra, 73.
By public transport
The urban transport service in Ivrea is
managed by GTT (Gruppo Torinese Trasporti).
Carnival of Ivrea, city streets. Carnival Sunday, Shrove Monday and
Shrove Tuesday. It is most famous for the "Battle of the Oranges".
Feast of S. Savino (July 7). edit
Instruction
The city's school system offers education up to
university level. In addition to nursery, elementary and middle schools,
there are technical and professional institutes and high schools,
including the historic Carlo Botta Classical High School and the Antonio
Gramsci Scientific High School.
In 1893 the "Card. Cagliero"
Salesian Institute was founded, from 1922 to 2003 a training school for
aspiring Salesian missionaries from all over Italy.
At the
university level there is a degree program in Nursing.
There is
also, on the initiative of some citizens, the "Popular University of the
Third Age and Permanent Education (UNI3Ivrea)" . Established for over 30
years, it has a remarkable range of courses and currently has about 1500
members and offers about 80 courses divided into several levels.
Libraries
There are several libraries in Ivrea. The main one is the
Civic Library which is part of the library system of Ivrea and Canavese.
The latter is a system of 76 public libraries born in 1978 with the aim
of facilitating services in the area whose catalog can be consulted
online. The Civic Library of Ivrea has 179,640 printed books and
brochures, 1,625 periodicals, 945 audiovisuals and Internet access.
Chapter Library
The Capitulary Library is located in the premises
of the Seminary, near the Cathedral, and holds an important collection
of "miniature codes" between the 7th and 15th centuries. Among them the
Sacramentarium Episcopi Warmundi of the year 1002, a parchment code of
444 pages, with multiple miniatures and golden initial letters.
Museums
The Civic Museum P.A. Garda
It preserves archaeological,
ethnographic and artistic finds (among them a wooden crib dating back to
around 1470, from the Chapel of the Three Kings). The museum is
important for the precious collection of Japanese lacquerware and other
oriental art objects (over 500 works) donated in 1874 to the city of
Ivrea by Pier Alessandro Garda. The museum also includes finds from the
collection of Palazzo Giusiana, the museum's first site. The Garda
collection includes objects from Japan, while from Palazzo Giusiana we
find several Chinese and Asian objects. The largest sector of the
collection is made up of metal objects, followed by those in lacquer,
porcelain and paintings.
Open Air Museum of Modern Architecture
(MAAM)
Inaugurated in 2001, with the aim of enhancing the "cultural
legacy" of Olivetti, which has stood out since the 1950s for its
avant-garde projects in the field of urban planning and industrial and
civil architecture (all developed by prestigious architects ). The
museum itinerary winds along via Guglielmo Jervis and other contiguous
sites. The buildings collected by the MAAM are: Palazzo Uffici 1 and 2
(Olivetti headquarters), the ICO workshops and heating plant, the
nursery school, the canteen, the study centre, the Crist residential
district, the West Residential Unit, called popularly Talponia
(consisting of a subterranean arched complex on one side and open bay
windows on the hillside on the other) and numerous other dwellings for
employees and managers. The municipality of Banchette begins near the
Palazzo Uffici 1, whose modern district essentially made up of small
buildings, was built in the 60s and 70s on behalf of Olivetti, in order
to guarantee a home for its employees close to the work site. A curious
building is the one called La Serra. It recalls the shape of a
typewriter, which initially contained a characteristic hotel inside,
where each "key to be typed" represented a hotel room; in the building
there was also a conference room and a swimming pool but over time the
hotel has been transformed into mini-apartments and the conference room
into a cinema.
Laboratory-Museum Tecnologic@mente
Inaugurated
in 2006 and managed by the Natale Capellaro Foundation, it is located in
Piazza San Francesco d'Assisi in the premises of the Opera Pia Moreno.
The stories of the technologies that have allowed Ivrea to achieve world
leadership in the mechanical and electronics sector are illustrated
within the exhibition. You can admire many typewriters including the
Olivetti M1 and the Valentine, various mechanical calculating machines,
such as the Divisumma 24 and the Tetractys, and electric and electronic
calculating machines such as the Olivetti P101. Finally you can also
find a mini history of the computer and a restoration laboratory. The
second wing of the museum is dedicated to educational workshops
dedicated to schools of all levels, which allow young people to discover
past technologies and explore current ones through ludic-educational
paths.
Twentieth century cake
The 900 cake was invented at the end of the
19th century by the Eporedian master pastry chef Ottavio Bertinotti, to
celebrate the arrival of the new century. However, the patent was filed
only in 1972 and was later taken over by the Balla pastry shop, which
still produces the cake with the secret recipe. This is therefore the
only place in the world where it is possible to taste the original
Novecento cake. The dessert consists of two layers of chocolate sponge
cake separated by a layer of chocolate cream, very delicate and
difficult to imitate. The surface is covered with icing sugar.
Eporediesi
The Eporedians are biscuits of unknown origin. They
therefore do not have a well-defined recipe, but there are numerous
variations. They have a flattened and rather large shape, with a cracked
appearance and a particular consistency: the outside is in fact crunchy,
while the heart is tender. The main ingredients are cocoa, hazelnuts and
almonds.
Polenta from Ivrea
It is a small cake created in 1922
by the Strobbia brothers, who later patented the recipe. It is usually
made with small single-portion shapes, the size of the palm of a hand.
The consistency is soft, while in appearance it is brownish in color,
but with a yellow heart. This is due to the use of cornmeal and starch,
while the external color is due to the thin coating made with honey,
orange juice and grains.
Faseuj grass
The Faseuj grass are not
exactly a typical dish of Ivrea, but of the entire Canavese area. During
the carnival it is sold to passers-by (both as a taster and to take
away) mainly by the Castellazzo and Monte Navale companies. Faseuj grass
is stewed beans cooked with pork rind and spiced salami. It is a
long-cooking dish, about 6 hours, which takes place inside suitable
large-capacity terracotta pots (tofeje) placed on wood-burning stoves.
The result is a soup with a creamy consistency, but with the beans still
whole, to be combined with mulled wine.
Carnival
The historic carnival of Ivrea known for the famous
"battle of the oranges" dates back to 1808, the year in which the
Napoleonic Empire ordered to unify the local carnivals into a single
party.
Other important elements are represented by the symbol of
the Jacobin revolt characterized by the Phrygian cap worn in 1792,
during the French revolution, a symbol of renewal and freedom, by the
uniforms of the Napoleonic army, by the fifes and ending with the scarlo
(pole covered with heather and juniper ) which is ceremonially burned as
a good omen.
The legend on which much of the carnival is built
has it that Violetta, the daughter of a miller betrothed to Toniotto,
rebels against the claims of the feudal lord who claims the right to jus
primae noctis. Pretending to accept her invitation after having gone to
the castle of San Maurizio, she kills the tyrant with a dagger that she
had hidden in her hair and gives the signal to the people who rise up
against the nobles. In fact, the people lived difficult moments also
because of the taxes on the ground and on marriage. The sword with the
orange placed at its top is meant to evoke the head of the slain tyrant.
The Historic Carnival of Ivrea is a unique event, recognized as an
Italian event of international importance, as per the communication of
the Presidency of the Council of Ministers of 09.27.1956.
San
Savino
The feast of the patron saint of Ivrea, or San Savino, is held
on 7 July. The major celebrations are linked to the horse fair and
include a parade of vintage carriages and equestrian exhibitions. This
equestrian tradition is strengthened by the carnival one as horses and
related crafts are used in the key moments of the Carnival.
During the celebrations of San Savino a fireworks display is carried out
(clearly visible from the Lungo Dora), numerous stalls and a small
amusement park are set up in the market area.
Christ's passion
During the Easter period, the Municipality, the Diocese and the Il
Diamante association organize a cultural itinerary that reactivates the
lost medieval tradition of popular entertainment on a religious theme,
culminating on the eve of Palm Sunday in the Sacred Medieval
Representation of the Passion of Christ. About 300 extras take part in
the event.
Location and Basic Parameters
Coordinates: 45°28′N 7°53′E
(approximately 45.467°N, 7.883°E).
Elevation: The town center sits at
roughly 253–267 meters (830–876 ft) above sea level; the broader comune
ranges from a minimum of about 222 m to a maximum of 354 m.
Area:
30.19 km² (11.66 sq mi).
Position: It straddles the Dora Baltea River
(a major tributary of the Po River) and occupies the transition zone
between the Alpine foothills and the Po Valley plain. The historic
center climbs a small hill (site of Ivrea Castle and the cathedral),
while the modern town spreads across the flat plain on both riverbanks.
Ivrea has long functioned as a road junction on ancient routes
(including the medieval Via Francigena), providing access westward to
Valchiusella, northward into the Aosta Valley, eastward toward Vercelli
and Milan, and northeast to Biella (about 20 km straight-line distance).
Topography and the Ivrea Morainic Amphitheatre
The defining
feature of Ivrea’s geography is the Ivrea Morainic Amphitheatre
(Anfiteatro Morenico di Ivrea or AMI), one of the world’s best-preserved
and most extensive glacial moraine systems (spanning over 500 km² across
parts of Turin, Biella, and Vercelli provinces). It ranks among Italy’s
finest examples, second only to the one around Lake Garda.
The
amphitheatre formed during the Pleistocene epoch (Quaternary period)
when the massive Balteo Glacier—originating in the Aosta Valley—advanced
southward onto the Po Plain. Successive glacial advances and retreats
(roughly corresponding to Mindel, Riss, and Würm glaciations, dated
~1.65 Ma, 0.73 Ma, and 0.13 Ma) deposited concentric arcs of moraine
debris in a fan-like pattern, creating an elliptical “amphitheatre”
shape visible on maps and satellite imagery.
Key landforms include:
Serra d’Ivrea — Europe’s largest lateral moraine, a prominent left
(eastern) ridge extending ~16–20 km southeast from the slopes of
Mombarone (2,371 m) nearly to Lake Viverone. It features sub-parallel
ridges reaching heights of up to 600 m near Andrate and tapering to ~250
m farther south.
Right (western) lateral moraines, less regular,
interrupted by gorges.
Frontal (southern) moraines, breached by the
Dora Baltea near Mazzè–Villareggia.
The interior of the
amphitheatre forms a relatively flat plain (elevations 210–270 m) where
Ivrea itself sits, contrasting with the surrounding hilly moraine rims.
Minor inner morainic features (e.g., the Small Morainic Amphitheatre
near Strambino) dot the plain. The entire system dramatically influences
local orography: the Po Plain interior is lower due to glacial erosion,
while the encircling moraines create a natural amphitheatre enclosure.
Hydrography
Ivrea lies directly on the Dora Baltea River, which
flows north-to-south through the town, carving the central plain and
providing both scenic and functional importance (historically for
industry and transport). A man-made canal, the Naviglio di Ivrea,
diverts water from the Dora for irrigation of the Vercelli rice fields
farther east.
The amphitheatre’s glacial legacy created dozens of
moraine-dammed and glacially-scoured lakes that still encircle the town:
Immediately nearby (the “Five Lakes” area north of Ivrea): Lake
Sirio (largest and most prominent, ~0.29 km², elevation 266 m), Lake San
Michele, Lake Pistono, Lake Nero, and Lake Campagna.
Slightly
farther: Lake Viverone (Piedmont’s third-largest natural lake, ~5.72
km², moraine-dammed) and Lake Candia (~1.35 km²).
These lakes,
formed after the last glacial retreat around 9,700 BC, add significant
hydrological and scenic value; many are used for recreation and support
local ecosystems.
Lake Sirio, one of the largest moraine lakes
near Ivrea, with the Alpine foothills and moraine hills in the
background—typical of the landscape shaped by the Ivrea Morainic
Amphitheatre.
Outer slopes of the amphitheatre drain westward to the
Orco River basin and eastward to the Elvo, while the Dora Baltea
collects tributaries such as the Chiusella.
Climate
Ivrea has
a temperate, mild, and relatively humid climate (Köppen-Geiger
classification generally described as Cfb — oceanic). Winters are cool
but rarely severe (average ~90 frost nights per year), and summers are
warm.
Typical averages (based on local data):
January: Mean
temperature around 1.2 °C (high ~44 °F / 7 °C, low ~29 °F / –2 °C).
July: Mean temperature around 23.1 °C (high ~82 °F / 28 °C, low ~64 °F /
18 °C).
Annual temperature range: Roughly 29 °F (–2 °C) to 83 °F (28
°C), with rare extremes below 21 °F or above 89 °F.
Precipitation:
~982–1,224 mm (39–48 inches) annually, distributed fairly evenly but
with peaks in spring (May wettest, ~125 mm) and autumn; January is
driest (~32 mm). Two drier seasons (summer/winter) and two wetter ones
(spring/autumn).
Recent decades have seen hotter summer
afternoons occasionally exceeding 35 °C. The proximity to the Alps
moderates extremes, while the morainic hills and river influence local
microclimates and humidity.
Geological Context
Beyond the
Quaternary glacial deposits that dominate the surface, Ivrea sits near
the Ivrea-Verbano Zone (or Ivrea Zone), a tectonically significant
exposure of the lower continental crust of the Adriatic (Apulian) plate.
This zone, part of the Southern Alps, features steeply dipping
metamorphic and plutonic rocks (granulites, peridotites, mafic
intrusions) that were exhumed along the Insubric Line and related
faults. The Canavese and Sesia-Lanzo zones nearby add further complexity
with mica schists and other metamorphic lithologies. The glacial
amphitheatre overlays these older basement rocks.
The ancient name is Eporedia, a name still often used to call the city. It was founded around the 5th century BC. by the Salassi, a people of Celtic origin who settled in the Canavese area. The toponym could therefore derive from the Celtic divinity Epona, in particular from the contraction of the Gallic terms epo, similar to the ancient Greek hippos, (horse), and reda, that is, four-wheeled chariot, indicating it as an already strategic road station for equestrian wagons for access cisalpini.
The Romans Latinized the name, which underwent variations, such
as Iporeia, then Ivreia, Ivrea. Starting from the 1st century BC it
was in fact a Roman colony, located to guard the military road that
from the Piedmontese plain went into the valleys of the Dora Baltea.
Particularly relevant, among the archaeological remains of this
period, are the ruins of the amphitheater, located a short distance
from the current historic center. Later it changed its name to
Augusta Eporedia. In the Lombard period, however, Ivrea became the
seat of the duchy of the same name, between the sixth and seventh
centuries. At the beginning of the eighth century, Ivrea became a
county and a brand, under the Frankish reign, through the nascent
Anscarica dynasty. Here, after a period of conflict with Warmondo
(powerful bishop of the city), in the year 1000 it was acquired by
the Marquis Arduino da Pombia who, the following year, in Pavia, was
elected King by a diet of princes and lords against the at the
behest of Emperor Otto III of Saxony. The city Ivrea acquired great
importance within the Kingdom of Italy. King Arduino, in stark
contrast to both the church of Ivrea and that of Vercelli, was
excommunicated by Pope Sylvester II, and remained on the throne
until 1014, the year in which he abandoned the struggle by retiring
to the abbey of Fruttuaria where he died in 1018. At the end of the
11th century, after the period of the Arduinids, Ivrea returned to
be dominated by the episcopal lordship.
A reminder of this
period is the still existing Torre di Santo Stefano, at the end of
Corso Botta, strongly desired and subsidized by Pope Nicholas II to
reaffirm power over the city, at the time used as the bell tower of
the adjacent Benedictine monastery (now disappeared ), detachment of
the Fruttuaria di San Benigno Canavese abbey.
In the second
half of the 12th century he tried to assert himself the political
power of the Marquises of Monferrato, establishing the territory of
the "municipality of Ivrea and Canavese", but destined in any case
to succumb in the first decades of the following century.
In
1238, the emperor Frederick II placed the city under his dominion;
later on, the lordship of the city will again be disputed between
the bishop of Ivrea, the marquis of Monferrato and other potentates,
including the count of Savoy. In 1356, Ivrea therefore passed under
the dominion of the Conte Verde di Savoia and, in the second half of
the 14th century, the city witnessed the peasant revolt against the
abuses of the Canavese nobles which goes under the name of
"tuchinaggio".
With the exception of brief periods of Spanish and
then French occupation in the sixteenth century, Ivrea remained
under the dependence of the Savoy for practically the entire period
between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries.
On May 26,
1800, Napoleon was welcomed in Ivrea together with his victorious
troops. Under the Napoleonic dominion Ivrea was the capital of the
"Département de la Doire", one of the five into which Piedmont had
been divided; however, in 1814 the city, as well as the rest of
Piedmont, returned to the Savoy, with Vittorio Emanuele I, king of
Sardinia. From 1859 to 1927 Ivrea became the capital of the district
of the same name, one of the five into which the province of Turin
of the Kingdom of Sardinia was divided, until the unification of
Italy.
The twentieth century saw the city as the protagonist
of a new industrial center, with the foundation of the prestigious
Olivetti typewriter factory, starting in 1908.
In 1927 the
city, together with 112 other municipalities in the upper Canavese
area, was annexed to the Aosta Valley, to form a new Province of
Aosta. This annexation will be dissolved in 1945, to return under
the Province of Turin. At the end of the eighties, with the closure
of Olivetti, the city's economy suffered a severe blow; a few years
later, the city will become the headquarters of the mobile
telecommunications company Omnitel-Vodafone Italia.
The socio-economic development of Ivrea, especially after the Second
World War, was largely linked to the growth and social policy of the
Olivetti group, which has its administrative center and important
industrial settlements in Ivrea. With the decline of Olivetti since the
end of the nineties, Ivrea has experienced a painful reconversion of its
economic and employment structure, with a growth of small and
medium-sized industry and an increase in tertiary activities. Currently
in the surroundings of Ivrea there are numerous small companies, but of
considerable technological content.
The city was the protagonist
of an interesting experience of local government, centered on the ideals
of federalism and humanitarian socialism, an entirely unique experience
in Italy. The factory founded by Camillo Olivetti stood out from the
rest of the Italian industrial scene right from its inception, not only
pursuing profit, but also the social and cultural progress of its
employees. At the heart of the "Olivetti philosophy" was above all the
well-being of its employees. Olivetti granted "flexible hours" which
allowed employees, mainly fathers of families of peasant origin, to be
able to follow the seasonality of rural life, continuing their
activities. It provided scholarships and, for the families of the
workers, toys and Christmas gifts. The industrial district had a dense
network of medical clinics for all pathologies, nursery schools, summer
camps, a canteen and a library. It also offered both sea and mountain
summer camps (Brusson, Marina di Massa, Donoratico); and everything was
available free of charge or at decidedly discounted prices for employees
and their families. The Olivetti "Gold Brooch" was a recognition to
older employees, who thus became part of a sort of club, which provided
them with various services, including the possibility of spending the
summer holidays in partnered hotels.
Ivrea, industrial city of
the 20th century
The industrial city of Ivrea was built between the
years 1930 and 1960 by Adriano Olivetti. The architectural heritage
covers 70% of the urbanized perimeter of Ivrea, and constitutes an
example of residential, industrial and social buildings. The city is the
result of multiple intellectual efforts to achieve Olivetti's
socio-cultural idea, which he called the best urban planners and
architects of the time to collaborate with him. Since 2008, the Adriano
Olivetti Foundation has launched the enhancement of the modern
architectural heritage of the city of Ivrea, which culminated in 2012
with the inclusion of Ivrea, an industrial city of the 20th century, in
the nominations for the list of world heritage sites. The candidacy
dossier and the management plan were delivered in January 2016 to UNESCO
in Paris, on the recommendation of the Board of Directors of the Italian
National Commission of UNESCO. "Ivrea, industrial city of the 20th
century" was examined at the 42nd session of the World Heritage
Committee held in June 2018 in Bahrain and has therefore become the 54th
Italian UNESCO site.
Football at 11
FC Ivrea 1905 which plays in the promotion group B
U.S.D. San Grato Ivrea in Group A of the Third Category
Bellavista
Calcio in Group A of the Third Category
A.S.M. St. Bernard
Independiente Ivrea Women's Football which plays in the Serie C women's
football championship
5-a-side football
San Bernardo C5 in
group A of Serie D
Eporedia C5 in group A of series C1
German
football
San Bernardo d'Ivrea German Football
American Football
Mastiffs Ivrea
Volleyball
IBS Ivrea Canavese Volley which
plays in the Serie B2 championship plays its matches at the Antonicelli
gym. Winner of several youth championships.
Petanque
Gsro-Brb
Ivrea reigning champion of Italy and Europe.
basketball
Ivrea
Basket Team
Letter Basketball School 22
Eporedia Basketball
Rugby
Ivrea Rugby - http://www.ivrearugby.it/
Canoe
The
city has a Canoe stadium and has hosted several international level
competitions over time:
Canoe World Championship (downhill) 2008
Canoe World Championships (slalom) 2016 and 2017
It is also the
headquarters of the Ivrea Canoa Club.
Triathlon
Tree House
Triathlon Team
SIRIO TriRace: triathlon competition on the Olympic
distance of the national circuit of the Italian Triathlon Federation
Cycling
Ivrea has been crossed numerous times by the Giro
d'Italia. In the new millennium on the occasion of the 13th stage of the
2006 edition, Alessandria > La Thuile. On the occasion of the 2012
edition, the 14th stage, Cherasco > Cervinia. At the 2013 Giro, for the
first time Ivrea hosted a stage finish, the 16th stage, starting from
Valloire, a circuit was set up in the last kilometres. On the occasion
of the 2014 edition, the 14th stage Agliè > Oropa included a passage. In
the 2015 edition, the 20th stage Saint-Vincent > Sestrière passed
through Ivrea. Finally, in the 2019 edition, for the first time Ivrea
hosts a stage start, the 15th, with an expected arrival in Como.
Rally
Rally d'Ivrea, an automobile competition born in 1992 for the
Rallysprint and concluded in 1995 for the National Italian Cup.
Historic Rally Virgilio Conrero, rally competition with historic cars
such as Lancia Stratos and Porsche 911.
Fencing
Headquarters
of the "Giuseppe Delfino" club, which offers fencing courses for
children and adults. President the aforementioned Andrea Bermond.
Various
Eporediese Chess Society Bellavista.
Corsa
Ivrea-Mombarone: every year around mid-September and for more than
thirty years, an uphill race has been held which, starting from the
square in Ivrea at 271 m a.s.l., climbs along the slopes of Mombarone up
to its top at 2371 m (therefore with a total height difference of 2100
metres).