THE ROMITORIO DEL GORGOLARE
HISTORIC SITE OF CALENDASCO
Umberto Battini
Historian of S. Corrado
An interesting local historical question, but it has risen to thรจ chronicles in volumes published in Rome and elsewhere already a few centuries ago, concerns thรจ hospital
called "del gorgolare" now incorporated Into thรจ small viilage of Calendasco.
We did a careful research and it turns out that it was known place both in "geographical" way and in thรจ "topographical" already from thรจ '600
by historians of clear fame.
The first to deal with it in 1568 is thรจ historian of Noto Girolamo Pugliese, in one of his books study dedicated to thรจ patron of that Sicilian city, who holds thรจ
holy body.
In thรจ viilage on thรจ river Po in Calendasco, untll a few years ago there was stili, although abandoned, thรจ mill on thรจ Confaloniero stream, completely
intubated for some decades. Practically behind thรจ current building of thรจ Municipality built itself a century ago on thรจ lawn attached to thรจ mill, as it appears for example from thรจ Napoleonic
estimate.
The anclent place stili in 1800 called "Baffoni mill" whlch was thรจ owner, had thรจ water channel that went to turn right near thรจ old medieval
hospital.
From this unmistakable sound of thรจ waters, which broke in this curve, thรจ particular and locai name of "ospltio del gorgolare", produced precisely by thรจ
gorgoglio of thรจ waters.
Among thรจ historians who cite thรจ place, dear therefore also to San Corrado for its conversion, an important volume published in 1935 in Macerata, written by thรจ
historian Raniero Luconi where we read that "at thรจ beginning of thรจ fourteenth century there was in Piacenza, in a place called Gorgolare, a community of hermits under thรจ obedience of Friar Aristide"
thรจ superior of thรจ small convent hospital for pilgrims of thรจ viilage.
Also in a volume of thรจ "Acta selecta" Franciscans published in Rome in 1944 is mentioned "thรจ hermitage of Gorgolare where S. Corrado Confalonieri took
thรจ dress by hand of Friar Aristide".
Another quote comes from thรจ historian Raffaele Pazzelli who in thรจ volume printed in Rome in 1958 by thรจ General Curia of thรจ Franciscan Tor cites, listing
all thรจ tertiary places in Ita ly: "thรจ third place of which we have been handed down thรจ memory is thรจ hermitage of Calendasco near Piacenza" placed right next to thรจ mill canal.
But also thรจ study of Giovanni Parisi in a volume entitled "San Corrado Confalonieri Patrono di Noto" printed in Turin by thรจ publisher Carteggio in 1960
remains remarkable. Writes thรจ historian: "in thรจ place where stands thรจ current Calendasco... many years before thรจ events of our Conrad was in great fame a hermitage convent of tertiary"
and after his personal visit to thรจ place before thรจ writing of thรจ volume, He was therefore able to write other precise historical notations.
On thรจ basis of deductions and documentation, thรจ very authoritative historian Parisi writes: "we are of opinion that thรจ romitorio said of Gorgolare carne
to be located right at thรจ beginning of thรจ current Calendasco... thรจ well, thรจ celiar, thรจ stairs teli us clearly in their leftovers that it is a reai romitorio".
The same opinion expressed by thรจ historian Francesco Bordoni in his study of
1658 leaves us written: "Gorgolarii conventus in diocese Placentinam" in which live friars dedicated to penance and assistance.
In a few words, here just citing some of those who dealing with ancient history Franciscan, go to corroborate thรจ certain vitality of this medieval place that has however
a foundation even in Lombard time, as recently documented.
In short, thรจ position leaning against thรจ old mill mill's mill, with a bend in front of thรจ ancient site, is a beautiful historical proof of thรจ
toponymy that once survived, and unfortunately forgotten over thรจ centuries with thรจ disuse of thรจ Francigena hospital.
But thรจ remarkable thing is that even in maps kept in thรจ State Archive of Parma it is possible to see clearly distinct this place next to thรจ viilage of Calendasco
with marked just thรจ river that turns elbow and continues towards thรจ castle going to feed thรจ moat that surrounded.
The land of Piacenza is rich in small places full of history, perhaps forgotten, neglected, but that has left certain traces in written memory in thรจ powerful studies of historians
whose existence we probably did not even know.
Umberto Battini Historian of S. Corrado
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