Codogno (Italian pronunciation:[koˈdoɲɲo]; Lodigiano: Cudògn) is a town and comune of 15,868 inhabitants in the province of Lodi, Lombardy, northern Italy. It is the main center of the plain known as Basso Lodigiano, which has about 90,000 inhabitants. It received the honorary title of city with a presidential decree on June 26, 1955.
History
There is evidence of a settlement dating back to Roman penetration of Gaul, where it is thought to have been used as a castrum. The Latin form of the name Codogna was "Cothoneum" and is believed to derive from the name of the consul Aurelius Cotta, conqueror of the Gauls, who inhabited these lands at that time. However, it is not until 997 C.E. that the name of the town is found in print. It is mentioned in a charter of Emperor Otto II. It has also been suggested that the name may be derived from the cydonia apple, or the melo cotogno, a variety of quince, both common in this region.
During this time, Codogno had developed a thriving commercial life, and having a fiercely autonomous spirit, they wished to be independent of Trivulzio. The Codognesi sought inclusion in the jurisdiction of Piacenza to have a wider and freer market. Thus, by an act ratified on April 21, 1492, they became citizens of Piacenza. To demonstrate their gratitude, they altered their coat-of-arms to show the Roman she-wolf (the symbol of Piacenza), tied to a quince tree (the symbol of Codogno) with a gold chain.[citation needed]
Codogno became the early centre of the COVID-19 pandemicin Italy when a 38-year-old Italian went to a local clinic reporting respiratory issues on 16 February 2020 and became the first Italian with no travel links to China to test positive for the virus. From Codogno, the virus spread quickly throughout Italy and the city was later quarantined on 22 February.[3] The outbreak in Italy was a key event in the global spread of COVID-19, which was officially recognised as a pandemic by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020.
