Called the City of Sciavatin, as it is home to the unique University of Shoemakers...#tuttitaly
Located in the Po Valley, Novara is an elegant and welcoming city, rich in art, culture, and history. It is called the city of the Sciavatin because it is the unique University of Shoemakers seat. That of the Shoemakers was a very important guild. They were not humble shoe repairers but highly sought-after artisans and wealthy leather traders. Thanks to their wealth, they also held power.
Consider that on one occasion, the Municipality, having a severe lack of funds, asked the "Sciavatin" for a loan.
Unable to return the money, the Podestà, in exchange, placed Piazza Cesare Battisti at their disposal. Here they could run their business. It is said that in 1230 the shoemakers' guild wanted to close the square to the public and transform it into a headquarters for manufacturing. The popular uprising prevented the project.
Not everyone loved "Sciavatin." Indeed, they were envied for their wealth and their comfort. For the days of the Carnival, the city mask was the Sciavatin.
This lent itself to representing pride and arrogance and was always flanked by Gugnin, a poor man who came from the countryside and was good and humble. In 1872 this mask was replaced by that of King Biscottino, wanted by three Novarese pastry chefs who wanted to advertise their product.
The city's symbol is the dome of the Basilica dedicated to Gaudenzio, the first bishop of Novara whose remains are preserved inside the building.
This was built in the nineteenth century by Antonelli, and on its top, there is the statue of the Savior, the work of the Milanese Pietro Zucchi.
An important monument of the city is the Castle, built towards the second half of the fourteenth century, under the dominion of Galeazzo Visconti. The most famous legend concerning the castle is that of a solid gold horse.
It is said that the horse designed by Leonardo da Vinci was made in miniature by melting gold by order of Ludovico il Moro, who was imprisoned in the very building.
One of the most beautiful and characteristic landscapes of Novara is that of the rice fields: large expanses of water bordered by long lines of poplars, with shades and colors that change considerably from one season to another.
