Ancient History
The Balboni family is one of the most ancient in the town of Cento, and belongs to the “municipal nobility” of the grand and hardworking Emilian town. Traces of the Balboni family can be found in the Cento community as far as 1209; indeed, the formal act (February 9th, 1209) with whom the Bologna bishop, Gerardo Ariosto, grants the ius piscandi in the Floriana Valley, or Floriana, to Cento population, quotes among the witnesses Michele de BALBONIS. From documents preserved in the Municipal Historic Archive, it can be understood that he was a consul in the same year.
Several professions were performed by the Balboni, but the most recurrent one – apart from agriculture – was leather industry. In fact, among the signatories of 1310 BELLEBONUS can be found, also rewarded with the title of magister and pillizarius; in Cento in the 16th century, a branch of the Balboni family practised the art of tanners and finally, in Ferrara, Ercole Balboni paid, on 20 September 1765 to the secretary of the municipality, the required fee for running a tannery. Among the Consuls, Giovanni Balboni can be found in 1326, who authorised an assembly in the municipal house to deal with common affairs with the nearby town of Pieve di Cento.
It is unknown if the importance of the Balboni family is related to its LONGOBARDIAN origin, i.e. an arimannia, or whether it was of BIZANTINE origin and therefore in dispute with other families for local supremacy. It is certain, however, that the bishop of Bologna, in antagonism with the Abbot of Nonantola (an ancient centre of Lombard power) and in competition with the Bolognese municipality, donated land for reclamation to the Arimanni and settlers, and among them, the Balboni family. Lastly, it seems appropriate to point out that the physical strength – among the characteristics of the Longobard type – was common to all the Balboni families, while their industriousness was a shared value of the Emilia-Romagna people; of these, CAVICCHI highlights ‘the economic thriftiness of the Ligurians and the technical-religious intuition of the Etruscan people’.
From ancient times to the present day, we can see how the Balboni families gave people of considerable value to the Church, societies and culture. Among the features that recall the nobiliary belonging of the family can be noted:
1) the clearness of the origin, proven by documents of undisputed historical value;
2) the ancient lineage, that can be traced 900 years old and widely documented, as is the case for very few families;
3) material riches, that allowed the Balboni family to build the S. Biagio bell tower (1118) and to satisfy French bounties, but above all moral riches that allowed many members to occupy distinct social positions;
4) conspicuous relatives, including the RUSPOLI, who gave illustrious prelates and valiant leaders.
Other members of this family continue to deserve this pride also today, from the ecclesiastical and religious, military and diplomatic, to the cultural and artistic as well as industrial and economic ranks, so that the noble motto ‘IN LABORE VIRTUS’ can be seen as a distinctive trait.
The Balboni coat of arms
This is how the coat of arms of the Balboni family is described at the beginning of the 18th century in the introduction to the list of names of the Balboni family, taken from the baptismal books of the Church of S. Biagio:
“Balboni. The Balboni weapon that can be seen painted on top of an inferiata of a terena room in the lower canton that turns to the path known as “Nome d’Iddio” in the house once owned by Giovanni Balboni, and before by Domenico Angelini, then a property of Giovanni Battista Vancini; it has three balls, one above the other two, placed in a triangle on a golden background”.
The same coat of arms can be seen in the Centese collection of nobiliar coat of arms, preserved in the historical Archive of the Cento municipality; the heraldic symbol is supported by this note:
“Balboni, ancient family in Cento, subsisting citizen in 1118, and now among the Council”.
In modern times…
Annibale, Giancarlo, Gabriele and Elio are the names of the four sons of Giovan Battista Balboni, founding fathers of F.B. S.p.A in 1960. Each brother, with his own professional background and a great spirit of sacrifice, willingness and courage, undertook this adventure. Even today, this allows us to be among the most sought-after manufacturing companies in Italy, especially in Emilia.
Sons of poor peasants, and born many years apart from one another, they experience their childhood and teenage years in the difficult period of the Second World War. It is a time of misery for them, but they managed to tackle it thanks to the Catholic education given by their parents. In fact, among the many difficulties they had to face day by day, they always gave their sons this as an essential in their growth.
During the second half of the 1950s Annibale, together with his brothers, had to deal with a job at the PRIOLO refinery in Sicily with the Mantuan BELLELI company. Combined with the experience gained at the MONTEDISON company in Ferrara at the beginning of the decade, it was during this time that the inspiration to pursue independent work grew in him. In fact, it was after the BELLELI experience at the ending of the 1950s, that, together with his brothers, he decided to face work in a “independent” way. His first works were the realisation of plumbing systems for industrial and private use, and, with the development of sugar factories, they began the realisation of baseplates, tanks, piping, and various ordinary and supplementary maintenance works in many Italian worksites.
At the end of the 1970s, the crisis of the sugar industry marked a new era for our company: pre-assembly and construction of nuclear plants piping, the construction of air-cooler structures, the first complete assemblies of motor- and compressor skids on a baseplate for companies such as NUOVO PIGNONE before, and after for DRESSER-RAND and SULZER-BURCKHARDT. Contrarily to the sugar industry, these new jobs for the energy branch had one main requirement: QUALITY.
One of the key elements of the company’s growth has always been their flexibility, in addition to their technical ability and the quality of their products, with which they have always experienced their customers’ problems: there was no Christmas, New Year or August bank holiday. For this reason, a special recognition for the success of this partnership certainly goes to their wives, who despite the hardships of the most difficult times, always encouraged them to develop their business without questions or hindering their personal relationships.
Today as then, under the careful guidance of Annibale, Giancarlo, Gabriele and Elio, our generation will try to carry on this adventure, which began and has come so far among many sacrifices and difficulties, always respecting others. This is, and will always be, the purpose of our generation, just as our parents taught us.
“IN LABORE VIRTUS”
Cotechino
During the last week of August and the first week of September, the traditional Sagra del Cotechino of Alberone takes place. In 1999, it achieved the world record — still unbeaten to this day — for the longest cotechino in the world (144 meters in length and 668 kg before cooking, and 137 meters after cooking).
Alberone
Located in the Municipality of Cento, on the border of the Province of Ferrara, Alberone is approximately 35 km away from the main cities of Emilia-Romagna: Bologna, Modena, and Ferrara.
The economic life of this small village has always been primarily tied to agriculture, complemented by high-quality commercial and artisanal activities.
Like the entire Cento area, Alberone is part of the *Partecipanza Agraria* lands. Opinions about the origin of its name vary. Some authors believe “Alberone” referred to a magnificent and gigantic oak tree that marked the boundary between the Bologna area and Finale Emilia. Others, perhaps more plausibly, suggest the toponym is derived from the Latin word *albaretum*, indicating a wooded area or small grove.
For the Church, Alberone is a place of spiritual significance where the Blessed Virgin Mary is said to have appeared on a weeping willow, which gave the name to the parish of the Blessed Virgin of the Willow (*Beata Vergine del Salice*).
The ancient church, dating back to the 16th century, was demolished to make way for a more modern structure. The new church was built a few meters south of the original site. Construction began in 1899 based on a distinctive neo-Gothic design by engineer Gualandi and was completed in stages: the central nave was finished in 1920, the façade in 1958, and the bell tower in 1960.
The church retains a unique charm that makes it especially captivating.