Canossa

Canossa is a comune and castle town in the Province of Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. It is the site where Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV did penance in 1077, standing three days bare-headed in the snow, in order to reverse his excommunication by Pope Gregory VII. The Walk to Canossa is sometimes used as a symbol of the changing relationship between the medieval Church and State.

As of December 2014m Canossa has a population of 3,854, and borders the comuni of Casina, Castelnovo ne' Monti, Neviano degli Arduini (PR), San Polo d'Enza, Traversetolo (PR), Vetto, and Vezzano sul Crostolo. The town was formerly known as Ciano d'Enza, while Canossa was the name of only the castle, now in ruins, once belonging to Matilda of Tuscany, and nearby hamlet, which lie some 8 km east of the town. The new named was decided in 1992.

Main sights

Canossa Castle was built before the middle of the 10th century by Adalbert Atto, son of Sigifred of Lucca.

Adelaide of Italy, in the 10th century the daughter, daughter-in-law, and widow in turn of three kings, was hard pressed by a local nobleman, Berengar of Ivrea, who declared himself king of Italy, abducted Adelaide, and tried to legitimize his reign by forcing Adelaide to marry his son Adalbert; but she escaped to Canossa. From the rocca of Canossa she called for German intervention. Canossa was inherited by Matilda of Tuscany, the principal Italian supporter of Pope Gregory VII, in 1052. Matilda invited Pope Gregory VII to take refuge in Canossa Castle in 1076/77 during the dispute with Henry IV, the Holy Roman Emperor. In the end their joint fears proved groundless when Henry appeared in the guise of a penitent and begged for forgiveness and reinstatement in the church. After three days of waiting at the castle gates, Henry was admitted and forgiven. Matilda died in 1115 in Mantuan territory.

Enza

The Enza is a river in northern Italy, a right affluence of the Po River. Its source is at the Alpe di Succiso, in the northern Apennines (Tuscan-Emilian Apennines), at 1,406 metres (4,613 ft). The Enza is the current boundary of the provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia.

After the source, at 1,157 metres (3,796 ft) above sea level, it forms the Paduli or Lagastrello artificial lake, and flows for 93 kilometres (58 mi) in the aforementioned provinces. In its course in the Pianura Padana it becomes wider and flows into the Po near Brescello.

In ancient times it was known by its Latin name Incia.

Coordinates: 44°54′N 10°31′E / 44.900°N 10.517°E / 44.900; 10.517

Daedalus (yacht)

Daedalus is a maxi-catamaran, that participated in numerous open-ocean races under various owners and names.

History

Originally named Formule Tag, this maxi-catamaran was built by Canadair in Québec, Canada in 1983, under the supervision of Canadian skipper Mike Birch and British designer Nigel Irens. The yacht was built to compete in the inaugural Transat Québec-Saint-Malo—a trans-North Atlantic sailing race celebrating Jacques Cartier's 1534 voyage from Saint-Malo, France, to present day Québec City.

It was the largest sailing catamaran of its time, with a length of 85 feet, and participated in a number of races. In 1984 Birch and crew sailed her to a new record for Day's Run, sailing 512 nautical miles in 24 hours.

In 1993, Formule Tag was purchased by Robin Knox-Johnston and future two-time America's Cup winner Peter Blake. The two skippers renamed her ENZA New Zealand (Enza an acronym for Eat New Zealand Apples). The two launched a 1993 attempt (thwarted by damage) on the Jules Verne Trophy for the fastest sail circumnavigation of the world. They captured the Jules Verne Trophy in 1994, circling the globe in 74 days 22 hours 17 minutes and 22 seconds.