The Province of Lodi
was established on March 6, 1992, by the decree no. 251, as provided by the law no. 142 (section. 63) of June 8,1990, but the historical origin of the Lodigiano (the territory of the Province of Lodi) can be traced back to more than two thousand years ago.

The ethnic and economic characteristics of this land began to develop about five centuries B.C., from a Celtic- roman village, also mentioned by Plinio, the Old, located on a flat and homogeneous strip of ground between some important rivers. The legal recognition of Lodi can be traced back to 89 B.C., when Pompeus Strabo granted Lodi the Latin citizenship, naming it Laus Pompeia, then, in 49 B.C., Julius Cesar replaced this title with the Roman citizenship. This link with Rome became stronger from a cultural and religious point of view, with the establishment of a diocese in the city, in 374 B.C.The diocese and its bishop provided the land with a strong cohesion even during wartime.
These characteristics gave birth to a socio-economic development during the Middle Ages; actually this territory became one of the most fruitful lands of Europe, thanks to an extraordinary reclamation of some marshlands, by a work of hydraulic engineering, never seen before.

Lodi destruction in 1158 by Milan and its re-building by Federico Barbarossa didn’t imply the loss of these main features that continued to mark this land over the centuries. During these years the city and its territory reached a high cultural, artistic and social level, witnessed also by two great expressions of religious and civil values that developed from it: the summon of the Council of Costance, in 1413, that marked the end of the Great Schism, and the Peace of Lodi, in 1454, that marked the beginning of a 40 years peace for Italy.

These events portrait the qualities of an ancient population, endowed with civil values, strong identity, linked to a hard working, firm and solid world.

The people that submitted the city, after the Communes time, granted it a kind of freedom in administering itself, even though limited and subdued to them.
The coming of the Austrians during the 18th century marked the first complete recognition of the “Lodigiano”, which became a province in 1757; this title was definitively confirmed in 1789, by a Joseph II’s reform.
After the Napoleonic wars that several times modified the political aspect of the land, the province regained its previous title, also annexing the territory of Crema, from which the new title of Province of Lodi and Crema.


In September 1859 the govern of the Regno di Sardegna, three months after the conquest of Lombardy, deprived Lodi of its title. Several times after these events it was asked the govern to give it back to the city, and in particular and in1861-62 and in 1931-32, but unsuccessfully.

During the 20 years of Fascism the territory of Lodi saw a period of paralysis and decline; while in the post war years, once Lodi got a new freedom, it began to recover its traditions and its ethnic, moral and cultural values, but it had also to face a different reality: the agricultural transformation, the growth of commuting, the widespread small entrepreneurship, the growth of the resident population in the north part of the territory and the depopulation in its south part.
As a consequence of this at the end of the 40’s ATSIL, association for preservation and development of the Lodigiano, was founded.
The local mayors, helped by the town councils, independently from their political parties, struggled, through many meetings and debates, to get a partial self-government.
This attempt gave birth to the decision to create a union of the Communes of the Lodigiano, even though belonging to the Province of Milan. This Union “Lodigiano Consortium” was established by a prefectoral decree on May 4, 1965, after many legislative deepenings; also thanks to the help of the provincial Administration.

With the establishment of the other Italian regions, in 1970, Lodi saw a concrete chance to get a more authentic self-government. Between December and January 1975 the Communes of the territory asked, by a unanimous petition, the recognition of Lodi as a province; this request was followed, in 1975, by the establishment of Lodi district, by the Lombardy Region.
This meant that Lodi, according to this body, had already all the features to become a province.
This event re-opened the way to get the title of Province.
After the establishment of their districts, abolished in 1981, Lodi and Lecco, helped by the majority of their Communes, officially asked the Region, (April 5, 1982) to request the Parliament the establishment of their provinces. Some years later Rimini, Biella and Prato, after many meetings at several institutional levels, joined with Lodi and Lecco to press the Parliament for the approval of their request.
There was a delay in the parliamentary assent, due to the advanced closing of the Parliament and to the fact that the establishment of the new provinces was strictly linked to the approval of the local autonomy bill. The Parliament gave its approval on June 8,1990, when the law no. 142 passed; according to it the Govern had to establish the new provinces within two years

The Chamber of Deputies and the Senate approved the establishment of the Province of Lodi respectively on January 15 and 16. The Cabinet did the same on February 27,1992; the following day the Lombardy Region gave its consent.

On March 6,1992 the President of the Republic officially established the Province of Lodi with a legislative decree; on April 16, 1992 a new law came into force, 15 days after its publishing on the Official Gazette, with it Lodi got its natural title of Province.

On June 20, 1992 the Pope, Giovanni Paolo II, visited our city.

The first administrative elections of the new province took place during the spring 1995. Lorenzo Guerini was elected first President of the Province of Lodi on May 7,1995.

The first official session of the provincial Council took place in Broletto Palace, in Lodi, on May 25,1995.

After 4 years work, the provincial administration was renewed by the elections of June 13 and 27,1999.

In these elections Lorenzo Guerini was elected President again; his mandate expired during the spring 2004.

On April 2004 the Province moved from its previous seat, in the “skyscraper” called “Pirellino” at 6 Grandi Street in Lodi, to its new seat, the ex St’ Christopher’s monastery, at 14 Fanfulla Street. During its first 9 years life the skyscraper has been the Province temporary seat.
On May 31, 2004, Monday, the Province opened its new seat.

The administrative elections took place on June 2004; their aim was to appoint the new President of the Province and the President of the Provincial Council. The recount of votes on June, 27, Sunday, confirmed the left wing coalition and its leader, Lino Osvaldo Felissari, as the new President.

On December 7th, 2005 the President of the Italian Republic, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, came for the first time in history in the territory of the Lodigiano.