Mezzano

Mezzano is a toponym used in Italy to designate several places. The name is derived from the Italian mezzo, meaning middle or halfway, and it is thought to reflect a location that stood at a midpoint along a valley, road, or route, or the position between geographical features. As a place name, Mezzano can refer to a comune (municipality) or to a smaller settlement within a larger municipality (frazione). The distribution of places named Mezzano is mainly in northern Italy, a region characterized by mountainous terrain and extensive valley networks.

In addition to its geographic use, Mezzano appears as a surname in Italian-speaking communities. Individuals with the surname may be found in Italy and among diaspora populations abroad.

In Italian architectural vocabulary, the term for a mezzanine level between floors is mezzanino; mezzano is not standard architectural terminology and appears largely in proper names rather than common nouns.

See also: Mezzanino, a separate Italian municipality in Lombardy.