Lodi ( , ; Ludesan: ). is a city and comune (municipality), the capital of the province of the same name in the region of Lombardy in Italy.. With a population of 45,643, it is the 21st-largest city in Lombardy.
The city was founded on 3 August 1158 by Frederick Barbarossa., following the destruction of the ancient village of Laus Pompeia, a former Roman municipium, episcopal see, and free commune.. During the Renaissance, Lodi experienced a period of significant artistic and cultural splendor, notably after hosting the signing of the historic treaty between the pre-unification Italian states, known as the Treaty of Lodi, in 1454..
In the 21st century, Lodi has become a major industrial hub for cosmetics, crafts, and cheese production.. It also serves as a reference point for a region primarily dedicated to agriculture and livestock farming; due to this characteristic, Lodi was chosen as the location for the faculty of veterinary medicine at the University of Milan and the Parco Tecnologico Padano, one of the most qualified research institutes in Europe in the field of agri-food biotechnology.
The city also has a well-developed tertiary sector and tourism industry: Lodi is recognized as one of the art cities of the Po Valley and is notable for several important monuments, including the Cathedral, the Civic Temple of the Crowned Virgin, the Church of San Francesco, the Church of Sant'Agnese, and Palazzo Mozzanica.
History
Lodi traces its origins to the destruction of Laus Pompeia, an ancient village of the Boii. and later a Roman municipium., renamed in 89 BC in honor of the consul Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo. Located at the confluence of the roads from Placentia (Piacenza) and Acerrae (Pizzighettone) to Mediolanum (Milan), and at the intersection with the road from Ticinum (Pavia) to Brixia (Brescia), Laus was a key hub and became a thriving commercial and agricultural village.. After coming under the control of the Lombards (6th–8th centuries.) and later the Franks (8th–9th centuries.), on 24 May 1111, Laus Pompeia was razed by the Milanese following a period of siege.. The peace agreements prohibited the reconstruction of the destroyed buildings.
Nearly fifty years later, on 3 August 1158, the city was refounded by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa not on the ruins of Laus Pompeia (now Lodi Vecchio) but along the banks of the Adda, to ensure a more strategic position for territorial control.. The emperor granted Lodi extraordinary privileges, despite which the city grew with difficulty.: in 1167, it was forced by the Milanese to join the Lombard League. and participate in the Battle of Legnano in 1176..
In the 13th century, Lodi continued to develop under the protection of Frederick II.. From 1251, the city saw a succession of lordships under the Vistarini, Torriani, Visconti, Fissiraga, and Vignati, until in the 14th century, the County of Lodi became dependent on the Duchy of Milan, initially under the Visconti, who built the imposing Castle of Porta Regale (1355–1370)., and later under the Sforza, who, under Francesco Sforza, expanded and strengthened the defensive system by constructing two fortifications at the ends of the Adda bridge..
During the Renaissance, significant historical events took place in Lodi: in 1413, Antipope John XXIII and Emperor Sigismund convened the Council of Constance from the Lodi Cathedral., which later resolved the Western Schism. On 9 April 1454, the pre-unification Italian states signed the Treaty of Lodi., which ensured forty years of political stability.. This also marked one of the happiest periods in Lodi’s history from a cultural perspective, particularly under the episcopate of Carlo Pallavicino.
In subsequent eras, Lodi fell under Spanish., Austrian., and French. domination. This corresponded to a period of decline and slowed demographic growth, particularly during the Spanish era, when the city was reduced to a veritable fortress.. On 10 May 1796, Napoleon Bonaparte defeated the Austrians in the Battle of the Lodi Bridge, paving the way for the conquest of Milan..
In the second half of the 19th century, the city began to expand beyond the ancient medieval walls, particularly following the opening of the Milan-Piacenza railway in 1861 and the establishment of the first industries (including Polenghi Lombardo in 1870).. Toward the end of the century, the first social clashes occurred between emerging mass parties..
The people of Lodi played a significant role during the Resistance: the actions of the National Liberation Committee, formed in the city in October 1943, intensified in 1944, culminating in the fatal attack on a fascist party official.. The reprisal was severe, and by the end of the year, eleven partisans were executed at the shooting range.. Lodi was liberated by the CLN on 27 April 1945: when the Allies arrived from Piacenza, they found the city completely free...
Symbols
The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is described as follows:
The origins of the emblem are uncertain: some historians suggest it dates back to the time of the First Crusade (1095), although there is no evidence confirming the city’s participation in the enterprise. Most scholars identify an imperial origin, as the gold cross on a red field derives from the banner of Constantine I; the colors were later reversedLaus – Storia di un nome antico, Comune di Lodi Vecchio, p. 11.. According to this interpretation, the city’s banner was created even before the crusade to declare the city’s loyalty to the Ghibelline cause and to distinguish Lodi’s militias during wartime actions.
The gonfalon of the comune displays the heraldic iconography of the coat of arms on the front and two scenes on the back: the first is dedicated to the patron saint Bassianus, while the second depicts Barbarossa presenting the new city’s insignia to Lodi’s notables.
Honors Title of City The comune of Lodi holds the title of city, inherited from Laus Pompeia, an ancient Roman municipium; this status was formally recognized on 3 December 1158 by an imperial diploma issued by Frederick Barbarossa and confirmed by the Imperial Patent of 24 April 1815..
Geography The territory of Lodi, covering , is located in the central-southern part of Lombardy, in the area known as the "lower plain". The oldest core of the city is situated on the Eghezzone hill, an approximately trapezoidal elevation. on the right bank of the Adda River; the rest of the urban center lies partly on a morphological terrace shaped by the river’s erosion and partly in the floodplain area. The municipal territory ranges in elevation from 65 to above sea level.
Hamlets
Fontana. is located 3 km northeast of the city, in the portion of the territory on the left bank of the Adda. The locality, which is home to a sanctuary built between the 16th and 17th centuries., is crossed by the former Pavia-Brescia state road and has 304 residents. Olmo is a settlement of 197 inhabitants, located 4 km southeast of the city center, along the Via Emilia. Riolo, formerly a frazione of the suburban municipality of Vigadore, is a locality situated between Lodi and Dovera, in the Oltreadda Lodigiano. It is adjacent to the route of the Bergamina road and has a primary school; it is home to 120 people. San Grato is located in the northwestern sector of the municipal territory, approximately 4 km from the city center; with 692 inhabitants, it is the most populous of Lodi’s hamlets.
Other localities in the territory Bottedo is a rural locality located west of the city, near the Milan-Bologna railway line, about 5 km from the historic center. Until 1873, it was an autonomous municipality; today, it is a large farmstead inhabited by a few families. Torre de’ Dardanoni is a farmstead located on the banks of the Cassinetta ditch, near the border with the municipality of Lodi Vecchio, southwest of the capital. Until 1841, it was the seat of a municipality. Due to the depopulation of rural areas, the locality is uninhabited. Vigadore is a hamlet of ancient origins with 41 inhabitants. Located on the left bank of the Adda, along the road to Crema, it was an autonomous municipality until 1870.
Hydrology The municipal territory is crossed by the Adda River and several other waterways, including the Muzza Canal (which marks its western boundary), the Roggia Bertonica, and the Roggia Molina (whose urban section is now almost entirely underground).
In the Middle Ages, the city was bordered by the Gerundo Lake.: the territory was largely marshy and hazardous, but thanks to hydraulic engineering works and the efforts of Cistercian and Benedictine monks, it was reclaimed and transformed into one of the most fertile regions in Europe. Agricultural activity is also supported by the abundant irrigation waters from numerous springs present in the area.
Geology and morphology From a petrological perspective, the soil consists of glacial and fluvial depositsGeologia e conformazione dei suoli del Lodigiano, Comune di Cervignano d'Adda. that filled the Po Valley between the Upper Pleistocene and the Holocene, during the last glaciation. The lithotypes present are varied and irregularly distributed; they are generally rich in matrix. The soils are predominantly sandy and silty.
Seismology The seismic hazard is low and uniformly distributed across the territory: the comune has been classified by the Protezione Civile as "zone 3" (low seismicity).
Climate The climate of the Lodi territory, like the rest of the Po Valley, exhibits characteristics typical of a continental climate, specifically the Cfa subtype of the Köppen climate classification (warm-humid temperate climate with hot summers): summers are sweltering and characterized by the phenomenon of sultriness (based on data from the reference period 1961–1990, the average maximum summer temperature is +29.7 °CWeather station of Lodi: climate table, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development.); conversely, winters are often cold (the average minimum temperature is −0.8 °C) and snowfalls are common, though rarely heavy. A very frequent phenomenon during the winter semester is fog, which can sometimes persist for days due to the absence of synoptic winds at ground levelScientific insights on Po Valley winds, Lombardy Region.. Autumn and spring are the seasons with the highest precipitation.
The Italian climate classification. places Lodi in "zone E" with degree days.
Demographics
As of 2026, the population is 45,643, of which 48.9% are male, and 51.1% are female. Minors make up 14.5% of the population, and seniors make up 25.5%.
Immigration As of 2025, immigrants make up 16.4% of the total population. The 5 largest foreign countries of birth are Romania, Albania, Egypt, Peru, and Tunisia. +Foreign population by country of birth (2025)Country of birthPopulation1,420888678323246239232224192185184169132131118
Quality of life The following table shows the rankings of the municipality of Lodi in the annual report published by Legambiente as part of the "Ecosistema Urbano" survey on the environmental quality of provincial capital cities. Between the 18th and 20th editions of the survey, municipalities were evaluated separately based on population size; Lodi was placed in the group of "small cities".