Alessandria

Alessandria sits where the Tanaro and Bormida rivers join, southeast of Turin. Founded in 1168 to resist Frederick Barbarossa, its streets hold Santa Maria di Castello, a church mixing Romanesque and Gothic styles, and the 18th-century Cittadella Militare fortress. Every summer, the Fraskettando SkaBluesJazz Festival fills the city with music. You’ll find the Borsalino hat factory here, operating since 1857, and the Sacro Monte di Crea, a UNESCO site with chapels built into hillsides. Walk past Baroque buildings like Palazzo Ghilini, visit museums explaining the Battle of Marengo, and cross bridges that have linked traders for hundreds of years. Alessandria moves at a calm pace, revealing its history as a meeting point for armies, merchants, and Piedmont’s traditions.

Medieval Defenses and City Foundations

Alessandria began as Civitas Nova, part of the Lombard League opposing imperial rule. Renamed after Pope Alexander III, its early role as a military hub remains visible at Palatium Vetus, a 12th-century government building in Piazza della Libertà. Santa Maria di Castello, rebuilt in the 1300s, mixes pointed Gothic arches with rounded Romanesque doorways, its walls covered in frescoes of saints and local legends. The Cittadella Militare, constructed in the 1700s, remains one of Europe’s largest surviving star-shaped forts, designed to withstand cannon fire. Sections of the original city walls still border the Bormida River, their brickwork marked by centuries of floods and sieges.

Napoleon’s Victory and Its Legacy

The Battle of Marengo in 1800, fought near Alessandria, secured Napoleon’s control over northern Italy. The Marengo Museum displays uniforms, weapons, and maps from the battle, with diagrams explaining how French forces outmaneuvered Austrian troops. Each June, Spinetta Marengo hosts reenactments where actors in period costumes demonstrate cavalry tactics and musket volleys. Nearby, the Antiquarium Forum Fulvii exhibits Roman coins and pottery found in the area, evidence of earlier conflicts. Napoleon ordered the old cathedral demolished to create a parade ground, part of his plan to reshape Alessandria into a French administrative center.

Churches, Palaces, and Factories

Baroque architecture dominates central Alessandria, seen in Palazzo Ghilini’s curved balconies and ceiling frescoes of mythological scenes. The building now hosts regional government offices, open to visitors on weekdays. Across Piazza della Libertà, the neoclassical Town Hall towers over market stalls selling leather goods and seasonal produce. Galleria Guerci, a glass-roofed shopping arcade from the 1800s, connects to a store selling Borsalino hats in styles ranging from classic fedoras to modern designs. Along the Bormida River, red-brick factories from the 19th century have been converted into apartments, their chimneys still standing as reminders of the city’s industrial past.

Summer Festivals and Piedmontese Dishes

During July, the Fraskettando SkaBluesJazz Festival draws crowds to Piazza Garibaldi for live performances spanning blues guitar solos to jazz improvisation. Food stalls serve plates of agnolotti pasta stuffed with roast meat, alongside glasses of Barbera wine from nearby vineyards. At Pasticceria Bessi, try Krumiri cookies, their curved shape inspired by King Victor Emmanuel II’s mustache, dipped in espresso. In October, villages like Acqui Terme celebrate the grape harvest with festivals offering samples of Grignolino, a light red wine with hints of violet. For a shared appetizer, order bagna càuda—a hot dip of garlic, anchovies, and olive oil—with raw peppers, cardoons, and bread.

Wineries and Countryside Day Trips

East of Alessandria, the Monferrato hills produce Barbera and Freisa wines, with many vineyards offering tastings in stone cellars. Drive to Serralunga di Crea to walk the Sacro Monte di Crea’s steep paths, passing chapels filled with painted clay figures depicting Bible stories. The 12th-century castle in Giarole opens its gardens to visitors, where rose bushes and fountains line gravel paths. Closer to the city, bike trails follow the Tanaro River past fields of corn and sunflowers, with benches placed under willow trees for picnics. In winter, fog often blankets the plains, blurring the lines between vineyards and distant farmhouses.

Trains, Buses, and Walking Routes

Alessandria’s train station has direct routes to Milan, Genoa, and Turin, with regional services stopping at Casale Monferrato, known for its cathedral’s twisted spire. Buses run to Acqui Terme, where thermal baths date back to Roman times, and to Mombello Monferrato, where a hilltop castle overlooks the Po Valley. If driving, follow signs for the Monferrato Wine Road, passing family-owned wineries that age Cortese di Gavi in oak barrels. The city center is small enough to explore on foot: start at Piazza della Libertà, walk past the Civic Museum’s archaeological exhibits, and end at the Bormida River promenade in under half an hour.