Copparo

Copparo
Comune
Comune di Copparo
Piazza del Popolo
Copparo Location of Copparo in Italy
Coordinates: 44°54′N 11°50′E / 44.900°N 11.833°E / 44.900; 11.833Coordinates: 44°54′N 11°50′E / 44.900°N 11.833°E / 44.900; 11.833
Country	Italy
Region	Emilia-Romagna
Province / Metropolitan city	Ferrara (FE)
Frazioni	Ambrogio, Brazzolo, Coccanile-Cesta, Fossalta, Gradizza, Sabbioncello San Pietro, Sabbioncello San Vittore, Saletta - Cà Matte, Sant'Apollinare, Tamara, Ponte San Pietro
Government
• Mayor	Nicola Rossi
Area
• Total	157 km2 (61 sq mi)
Elevation	7 m (23 ft)
Population (30 April 2009)
• Total	17,452
• Density	110/km2 (290/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Copparesi
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	44034
Dialing code	0532
Patron saint	St. Peter and St. Paul
Saint day	29 June
Website	Official website

Copparo is a town and comune of Emilia Romagna, Italy, in the Province of Ferrara, located 50 kilometres (31 mi) northeast of the regional capital of Bologna and 17 kilometres (11 mi) east of the provincial capital of Ferrara, Copparo sits in the fertile Po River Delta—10 kilometres (6 mi) south of the river and 35 kilometres (22 mi) from the Adriatic coast. The territory of the municipality lies between 0 and 7 metres (0 and 23 ft) above sea level.

Copparo has a population of about 17,000 inhabitants (Copparesi) and a surface of 157 square kilometres (61 sq mi); thus the population density is 111.2 inhabitants per square kilometer.

The origins of Copparo date back to the early Middle Ages and are confirmed both by a formation prior to the year 1000 and by its belonging to the Church of Ferrara and Ravenna (955) under the name "Massa in Copario". From many historical documents it appears that Copparo was a rather large agricultural center within the territory of Ferrara. The 1431 census mentions it as the largest area sown with barley and wheat. Copparo was likewise mentioned in the Statuta Ferrariae dated 1287 under the name of "Coparius" (recalling the responsibility the citizens of Copparo had in digging the"de preta" channel). After the year 1251, the area fell under the title of the Dukes of Ferrara, the Estensi family. They used the area primarily for recreational purposes, developing one of their principle game preserves and hunting lodges, a turreted castle. It was destroyed during the war against Venice and rebuilt in 1540. It then became one of the most famous Estense Delights. Of the original structure and its five towers only a solitary one remains today, on the site of the current city hall.

Copparo's cuisine has both simple and sophisticated dishes, being a combination of the tastes of the Estense's noble cuisine and the farmers' traditional cuisine. It includes main courses such as "pasticcio di maccheroni" or the popular cappelletti and lasagne all made with fresh egg pasta. The ancient Ferrara bread, the renaissance “ciupèta", is widely available throughout the town, still prepared with the old recipe and protected as a European mark “IGP", with its unique and strange shape that recall in the same time the male and the female symbols.