Novara

Roman walls in Novara.

Novara was founded around 89 BC by the Romans, when the local Gauls obtained Roman citizenship. Its name is formed from Nov, meaning "new", and Aria, the name the Cisalpine Gauls used for the surrounding region.

Ancient Novaria, which dates to the time of the Ligures and the Celts, was a municipium and was situated on the road from Vercellae (Vercelli) to (Mediolanum) Milan. Its position on perpendicular roads (still intact today) dates to the time of the Romans. After the city was destroyed in 386 by Magnus Maximus for having supported his rival Valentinian II, it was rebuilt by Theodosius I. Subsequently, it was sacked by Radagaisus (in 405) and Attila (in 452).

Under the Lombards, Novara became a duchy; under Charles the Fat, a countship. Novara came to enjoy the rights of a free imperial city. In 1110, it was conquered by Henry V and destroyed, but in 1167 it joined the Lombard League. At the end of the 12th century, it accepted the protection of Milan and became practically a dominion of the Visconti and later of the Sforza. In the Battle of Novara in 1513, Swiss mercenaries defending Novara for the Sforzas of Milan routed the French troops besieging the city. This defeat ended the French invasion of Italy in the War of the League of Cambrai.

In 1706, Novara, which had long ago been promised by Filippo Maria Visconti to Amadeus VIII of Savoy, was occupied by Savoyard troops. With the Peace of Utrecht, the city, together with Milan, became part of the Habsburg Empire. After its occupation in 1734, Novara passed, in the following year, to the House of Savoy.

The Ossuary of Bicocca, in memory of the Battle of Novara

After Napoleon's campaign in Italy, Novara became the capital of the Department of the Agogna, but was then reassigned to the House of Savoy in 1814. In 1821, it was the site of a battle in which regular Sardinian troops defeated the Piedmontese constitutional liberals. In the even larger Battle of Novara in 1849, the Sardinian army was defeated by the Austrian army of Field Marshal Joseph Radetzky von Radetz. This defeat led to the abdication of Charles Albert of Sardinia and to the partial occupation of the city by the Austrians. The defeat of the Sardinians can be seen as the beginning of the Italian unification movement.

A decree in 1859 created the province of Novara, which then included the present-day provinces of Vercelli, Biella, and Verbano-Cusio-Ossola.

The city of Novara had a population of 25,144 in 1861. Industrialisation during the 20th century brought an increase in the city's population to 102,088 in 1981. The city's population has changed little in subsequent years.

Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, former president of Italy and Italian senator for life, was born in Novara in 1918.

View of Novara

Novara's sights can be divided into two groupings. The city's most important sights lie within its historic centre, the area once enclosed by the city walls. However, several important sights also lie outside the line of the former city walls.

Novara has numerous churches and historic buildings; some of these have been restored over the years. The most significant architectural element is the majestic dome, 121 metres high, designed by the architect-engineer Alessandro Antonelli. Now known as the Basilica of San Gaudenzio, it was built in 1888. It has now become a symbol of the city and a distinctive sign of its panorama, observable from all the roads that lead to the city. The bell tower is also of particular interest; it was designed by Benedetto Alfieri, uncle of the more famous Vittorio Alfieri.

Outside the Baluardi

Church of San Nazzaro della Costa

Places of interest situated outside the belt of the baluardi include the Church of San Nazzaro della Costa, with its attached abbey, restored in the 15th century by Bernardino of Siena, and the Ossuary of Bicocca, in pyramidal form, which stands in the neighbourhood of Bicocca, in memory of the fallen soldiers of the historic battle of 23 March 1849, between the Piedmontese (Sardinia) and Austrians. Worthy of note are the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie (Saints Martino and Gaudenzio), built beginning in 1477 by the Augustinians, whose interior consists of a single nave with lateral chapels and paintings attributed to artists of the 15th century, among them Daniele de Bosis.

• 22 January: Novara celebrates annually the Feast of San Gaudenzio (Saint Gaudentius of Novara), the patron saint of Novara. Throughout the day, it is possible to visit the tomb of the saint and to obtain the typical roasted chestnuts, also known as marroni di Cuneo (" Cuneo chestnuts").
• 23 March: Re-enactment of the 1849 Battle of Novara, with period uniforms and weapons.
• On 25 April, Liberation Day, as in many other Italian cities, the Novaresi organise numerous initiatives to commemorate the Italian resistance movement, and in particular, the partisans who fought around Novara and in the "Partisan Republic of the Ossola".
• Since 2001, Giovani Espressioni ("Young Expressions") has been held in Novara. This is a music festival for emerging young musicians, organised by Staff Millennium, a performance agency, of which Alessandro Marchetti is the artistic director. The "Espressioni Contest" is of special importance as a showcase for emerging bands that picks a winner every year. Among the noted artists who have participated are Negramaro, Caparezza, Finley, Vallanzaska, Extrema, and Blaze Bailey.
• Since 2005, Novara hosts the "Novara Gospel Festival", which is composed of workshops, local tours, and obviously gospel concerts in the main theatre of the city. It is probably one of the most important festivals of this music in Italy, also because the main event is a concert of the most appreciated gospel singers, such as Kirk Franklin, Donnie Mc Clurkin, etc.

In 2007, there were 102,862 people residing in Novara, of whom 49% were male and 51% were female. Minors (children ages 18 and younger) totalled 16.35% of the population compared to pensioners who number 21.6%. This compares with the Italian average of 18.06% (minors) and 19.94% (pensioners). The average age of Novara residents is 44 compared to the Italian average of 42. In the five years between 2002 and 2007, the population of Novara grew by 1.64%, while Italy as a whole grew by 3.85%.[9][10] The birth rate in Novara is 9.15 births per 1,000 inhabitants compared to the Italian average of 9.45 births.

In 2006, 92.37% of the population was Italian. The largest immigrant group comes from other European nations: 2.94%, North Africa: 2.23%, and Latin America: 0.71%.[11] Like most of Italy, Novara is predominantly Roman Catholic.

Rice fields around the city

Novara is a logistics and commercial centre in the northwestern part of the Padan plain and is the seat of the Centro Intermodale Merci (CIM: Goods Intermodal Centre). Economically, it is affected by the proximity of Milan, and in fact, many Milanese firms have offices in Novara.

The main economic products and services are:

• agriculture: rice and maize (American English: corn)
• food products
• metallurgical production
• chemicals and petrochemicals
• pharmaceuticals
• intermodal commerce and logistics
• rice products exchange
• banking and insurance services

Novara is home of the publishing company De Agostini, which has been active in geographic and other publishing since 1901.

The local public transport agency is the SUN.

Novara seen from the S11 trunk road

Novara FC is an association football club based in Novara. There is a professional women's Serie A1 volleyball team, Igor Novara Volley. There was an important baseball team and a very important Hockey team.[12]

The current mayor of Novara is Alessandro Canelli, elected in June 2016 and confirmed in October 2021, representing a coalition between traditional right-wing parties such as Forza Italia and the new far-right composed by Lega (political party) and Brothers of Italy.

• Alessandro Antonelli, architect
• Gianni Bettini (1860–1938), inventor
• Carlo Emanuele Buscaglia (1915–1944), aviator
• Gaspare Campari, inventor
• Felice Casorati (1883–1963), painter
• Marchesa Colombi, writer
• Enzo Emanuele (born 1977), medical researcher
• Gaudenzio Ferrari, painter
• Domenico Fioravanti (born 1977), swimmer
• Vittorio Gregotti (1927–2020), architect
• Isabella Leonarda (1620–1704), composer
• Matias Masucci, actor, director
• Mario Miltone, professional footballer
• Roberto Passarin (1934–1982), Italian professional football player
• Silvio Piola, football player
• Riccardo Rattazzi (born 1964), physicist
• Giuseppe Ravizza, inventor
• Oscar Luigi Scalfaro (1918–2012), former Italian President of the republic
• Sergio Tacchini, tennis player
• Tommaso Tommasina (1855-1935), painter

Novara is twinned with:[13]

• Chalon-sur-Saône, France, since 1970
• Koblenz, Germany, since 1991

• Battle of Novara (1513)
• Battle of Novara (1849)
• Battle of Bicocca
• Novara Calcio football club
• Province of Novara

• Comune di Novara, city government website (in Italian)
• Turismo Novara (tourist office) (in Italian and English)