From 89 BC the town was called Laus Pompeia, after Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, who that year granted Latin rights to the communities beyond the Po. The Gaulish name is lost: tradition derives Laus from Alauda, the lark, a bird sacred to the Gauls, and the lark did end up on the municipal arms. In the second half of the fourth century Ambrose made it a bishop's seat, with Bassianus as first bishop.
Then came Milan. In 1111, after a month of siege, the town was levelled and the imposed peace forbade rebuilding what had been destroyed; in 1158 the Milanese burned what was left, and Frederick Barbarossa refounded Lodi not far away, on a hill easier to defend. The ruins became the quarry for the new city, the scattered inhabitants drifted back, and the village took the name Lauda Veteris. Ciriaco d'Ancona wrote that nothing was left of old Laus but a few sacred buildings, some hovels and fields all around. The motto under the arms still reads LAVS POMPEIA FVI: I was Laus Pompeia.
Risotto alla Milanese
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Next up: Saint Peter the Apostle, patron of the Basilica of the Twelve Apostles, Sunday 25 October
Nearest airport: Milano Linate, 20 km away
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📅 Every year, on the fourth Sunday of October
Lodi Vecchio celebrates Saint Peter the Apostle on the fourth Sunday of October, in the church dedicated to him.
Straight-line distances from the town centre. Tap a point to open its page.
The closest destinations covered by our editors, with straight-line distance.
