On the crag of Martirano, in 1242, Henry VII of Hohenstaufen died, the rebel son of Frederick II and his father's prisoner: he threw himself from his horse. On the same road, a little later, Isabella of Aragon, queen of France, fell from her horse and died on her way back from the eighth crusade. The village was the seat of a diocese until 1818.
The earthquake of 8 September 1905 brought down the cathedral and the bishop's palace. A committee from Milan had a new village built a short way off, but nothing to repair the old one, which by the plan was to be abandoned: only part of the people moved. In 1929 the new one took the name Martirano Lombardo, and those who had stayed burned the town hall with the municipal archive inside. Martirano became a municipality again in 1957.
Straight-line distances from the town centre. Tap a point to open its page.
Near Martirano
The closest destinations covered by our editors, with straight-line distance.
Places to see within 25 km
Outside Martirano, but an easy day trip away.