Province of Alessandria

It is possible to share the constituency Alessandria in four areas, identified according to territorial and urban characteristics and on the basis of analysis of the ability to attract and the radius of influence of its main centres:

• the Alexandrian, which develops mainly on the plain of Marengo.
• the Monferrato, divided into Lower Monferrato (including the Casalese and Valenzano areas) and Upper Monferrato (Acquese, Ovadese and part of Ninety-six).
• the Ninety-six, also part of the Upper Monferrato with the hills of Gavi. It also includes the first offshoots of the Ligurian Apennines (Val Borbera and Val Lemme). This territory is historically linked to Liguria and was once part of province of Novi.
• the Tortonese, located on the border with Lombardy, is an area characterized by rolling hills with a purely agricultural vocation.^[2]

The territory of the province is for 3/4 mountainous or hilly. To the north, Monferrato is characterized by an immense stretch of hills of Monferrato and valleys where the river Po and the Tanaro. In the center there is a fertile plain crossed by the Tanaro, from the Bormida and their tributaries. To the south-west still the hills of Val Bormida, Val d'Erro and Val d'Orba, and Val Lemme which join with the mountains of the Ligurian Apennines. To the south-east the hilly areas of Ninety-six and of the dovenese, with the valleys of Scrivia and its tributaries, firstly the Borbera valley and the Spinti valley constitute the extreme propaggini of the Ligurian Apennines, on which the province borders that of Genoa. Not far from the border with Lombardy flows the Curone that divides the Tortonese plain from Oltrepò Pavese; moreover it is briefly bounded by Staffora. The highest point is Mount Ebro, which reaches 1,701 m, the least elevated the municipality of Molino dei Torti located at 76 m of height.

The southernmost part of the territory, in particular aqueous, ovadese and ninety, is sometimes exposed to more or less intense winds from nearby Ligurian Sea. This wind, which in summer brings fresh and in winter mitigates the temperatures causing a rapid dissolution of any snow present, is called by the inhabitants of the place "the sea".

Mountains over 1 000 meters, most of which are located in the Borbera valley.

Valico di San Fermo 1.129 m

Bocchetta pass 772 m

Passo della Castagnola 578 m

Eremites 559 m

In this list are collected all the rivers and streams flowing in the province of Alessandria.

In the province there are five lakes of considerable tourist importance, but above all useful for water resources of the city of Genoa since they are all artificial and were built for the same purpose.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted by King Vittorio Emanuele III of 24 March 1912.^[10]

In the shield are represented the emblems of the chiefs of the surrounding area included in the province of Alessandria at the time of the decree of concession, and is still present Asti. The whole thing is surrounded by a wreath of bay leaves to the natural, tied with red and silver, at the ends ambe ending in a pine, bound to a cross stick on the top of the shield, all golden. From 1933 to 1943, the coat of arms were decorated with the head of the Littorio.

Banner

The gonfalone, granted with Regio Decreto di re Vittorio Emanuele III of 26 December 1936, is a blue drape.

Flag

Of blue, loaded with the coat of arms, crowned, without greenhouse of frondes. There is a variant, blue with the full coat of arms of ornaments and the name of the province in white characters like those of the logo.^[11]

Due to the centuries-old historical division of the province, dialects that are spoken there may be considered as belonging to languages:

• Piedmontese, spoken in Alexandria, in Casalese, inAcquese and part of the Ovadese. The alessandrino has some peculiarities of pronunciation (for which the Alexandrians have always been recognizable among the Piedmontese). Many words of French derivation, arpitana and occitan which are an integral part of the Piedmontese of Cuneo and Turin, are less in use in the province of Alessandria because of the Lombard influence that attenuated its recurrence. In any case the particularities of Alexandrian do not hinder mutual comprehensibility with the balloons and the rest of the Piedmontese. The Alexandrian also contributed to the historical formation of Koin Piedmontese.
• Emilian with a strong^{[without source]} Lumbar influence (also considered as a Lombard-Emilian crossroads^{[without source]}), widespread in Tortonese as, according to standard classifications, the Emilian dialect continuum would extend in part of the Alexandrian^[16] until the river Scrivia^{[17][18][19][20][21][22][23]}.
• Ligurian, with strong Piedmont influence, spoken in Ninety-six and part of the Ovadese.

The province of Alessandria is divided between ecclesiastical regions Piemonte and Liguria.

Under the ecclesiastical region Piemonte you will find diocese of Alessandria and the diocese of Casale Monferrato that are part of the ecclesiastical province of Vercelli. The diocese of Asti and the diocese of Acqui are part of the ecclesiastical province of Turin.

Under the ecclesiastical region Liguria is located diocese of Tortona that is part of the ecclesiastical province of Genoa. In addition, the municipality of Mongiardino Ligure in Val Borbera, Rigoroso di Arquata Scrivia and the municipalities of Bosio, Gavi, Fraconalto, Parodi Ligure And Voltaggio of the upper Lemme valley belong directly to the archdiocese of Genoa.

The typical dishes of the province of Alessandria are those mainly attributable to Piedmontese cuisine, but with increasing influences from neighbouring regions as from the capital we proceed towards the main historical directions of exit towards Liguria, Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna.

The Ninety-six, the Ovadese and partly theAcquese They are very influenced by Ligurian cuisine: in fact proceeding towards the southern and hilly part of the province, increase significantly the Mediterranean influences in the gastronomic panorama. Examples of this type are the focaccias including the famous focaccia novese, close to preparation and tasting at the Genoese focaccia, flour, pansotti, corzetti, ravioli with touch and sweets like health cookies Ovada, very similar to the biscuits of Lagaccio in Genoa.

The areas of Casalese and Valenzano have culinary similarities with the Lomellina and in general with the western plain of Lombardy, where there is great diffusion of rice and condiments "in carpion".

Spiccate analogies instead combine the gastronomic tradition of Tortonese to that lombarda of Oltrepò pavese and the Piacenza cuisine, especially in meats, cheeses and other peraparations such as ceci soup, tagliatelle with theAjá (walnut sauce), la panada and the far (typical pancakes for the feast of Saint Joseph). By Tortona are originating Dama kisses, hazelnut and chocolate-based sweets.

Among the most famous dishes of the territory^[24], in addition to those already mentioned, we recall:

• the risotto with barol
• the rabaton, first course similar to large gnocchi (similar to Piacenza malfatti), which are obtained by mixing ricotta, chard or spinach, butter, Grana Padano cheese, eggs and nutmeg;
• chicken Marengo, present in numerous variants, which combines chicken meat with eggs and sometimes river shrimp.

In line with the Piedmontese tradition are:

• The wet cedar
• the agnolotti
• mixed boiled
• The bonet

In the gastronomic field, the province of Alessandria distinguishes between the other ones Piemonte for greater external contamination.

Wines of excellence are Cortese di Gavi, Dolcetto and Barbera.

The following 187 municipalities belong to the province of Alessandria:

The province of Alessandria is divided into 187 municipalities, the most populous of which are:

Location	Coat of arms	Cities	Population (ab)	Elevation (m a.s.l.)	Area (km²)	Population density (inhabitant/km²)
1st		Alessandria	90 952	95	203,97	446
2nd		Casale Monferrato	32 226	116	86,32	373
3rd		Novi Ligure	28 230	197	54,22	527
4th		Tortona	26 464	122	99,29	265
5.		Acqui Terme	18 957	156	33,42	569
6th		Valenza	18 040	125	50,05	372
7th		Ovada	10 875	186	35,33	306
8.		Arquata Scrivia	6 298	248	30,36	215
9th		Serravalle Scrivia	5 868	225	16,02	368
10th		Castelnuovo Scrivia	5 151	85	45,42	121

Castellania Coppi and Carrega Ligure with their 85 inhabitants are the municipalities with the lowest population.

Location	Coat of arms	Cities	Population (ab)	Elevation (m a.s.l.)	Area (km²)	Population density (inhabitant/km²)
187º		Castellania Coppi	85	400	7,66	11,1
187º		Carrega Ligure	85	958	56,67	1,5

• Mountain union Terre Alte
• Mountain union Val Lemme
• Mountain union Alto Monferrato Aleramico
• Mountain Union Suol d'Aleramo
• Mountain union between Langa and Alto Monferrato
• Mountain union Valli Curone Grue and Ossona
• Mountain union from Tobbio to Colma
• Mountain union Valli Borbera and Spinti
• Mountain union Valle Orba
• Lands of Vineyards and Stone from Cantoni
• Lower Grue-Curone hilly community
• Hilly Community of Gavi
• The Union of the municipalities Terre di Po e Colline del Monferrato
• The Union of Municipalities Terre di Fiume
• Union of municipalities Bassa Valle Scrivia
• Union Cinque Terre of Monferrato
• The Union of Municipalities in Valcerrina
• Union of municipalities the Monferrato degli Infernot
• Union of Municipal Lands of the Truffle

The vast central plain is mainly devoted to cereal crops: wheat, barley, corn, soybean, sunflower. It spreads the cultivation of sugar beet, intended for industrial production. In the flat areas of the farmhouse, the landscape is characterized by the presence of extensive rice fields. In the nineties, the few flat areas are largely used for cereal farming and the fields are characterized by the presence of rows of mulberry trees, introduced in the 17th-XIX century, for bachiculture. In the hilly areas of the nineteenth, farmhouses, waterfalls, turtledoves and ovadese the vine dominates undisputed and remarkable is the production of wine.

Val Curone is a typical fruit production area. Diffuses meadow crops in the bottom of the aqueous valley. Along the rivers (the Bormida in particular) extends the populate.

The main industrial poles are located around Alessandria (Spinetta Marengo, Quargnento, Solero Valenza, Quattordio), Tortona (Castelnuovo Scrivia And Pontecurone), Novi Ligure (Arquata Scrivia, Serravalle Scrivia, Cassano Spinola,Pozzolo Formigaro), Ovada (Tagliolo Monferrato, Belforte Monferrato, Silvano d'Orba,Capriata d'Orba/Predosa) ,Casale Monferrato (Villanova Monferrato, Occimiano). The main production sectors are metalworking and goldsmithing (a Valenza). Followed by the food sector (a Novi Ligure), chemical products and plastic materials (a Novi Ligure, Spinetta Marengo, Cassano Spinola, Serravalle Scrivia). There are numerous artisan businesses in the manufacturing, construction and transport sectors. Trade is significant both as traditional shops and large-scale distribution (81 businesses in 1998).

Alessandria promotes a series of tourist attractions. These routes touch places that focus on the artistic heritage and food and wine skills of the various localities in the province. The Casale Monferrato, rich in monuments in its capital and castles on the hills, also offers a rich gastronomy, as well as the pleasure of tasting pure or refined wines. There is a rich presence in the area of buildings of faith of notable artistic value: from the Trinità da Lungi to Castellazzo Bormida at the complex of Santa Croce a Bosco Marengo, from the abbey of Santa Giustina a Sezzadio at Sacro Monte di Crea, near Serralunga di Crea, now a UNESCO world heritage site and with medieval remains such as the tower of Masio with the museum inside. The hills of Alto Monferrato contain picturesque villages some of pre-Roman origin. Centres as Acqui Terme, Novi Ligure And Ovada are at the center of food and wine trails that touch picturesque villages as well Gavi, Cremolino, Carpeneto, Tagliolo Monferrato, Gavazzana, Bosio And Rocca Grimalda with its southern plant and the ancient carnival of Lachera. Of considerable interest are the remains (anphitheatre, theater, two blocks) of the Roman city of Libarna, located in the territory of the municipality of Libarna Serravalle Scrivia. But the real engine of tourism in the area is the Serravalle Outlet, a huge shopping center built in the early 2000s in the plain of Serravalle Scrivia, in Ninety-six. The city of Acqui Terme is notable for its spas, wellness centers and its wealth of monuments and remains dating back to Roman times. The Novese areas are also a destination for hiking, in Val Borbera and in the Capanne di Marcarolo Natural Park.

The province is run by 4 motorway routes (3 highways and 1 branch):

• A21 Turin - Brescia;
• A26 Genoa - Gravellona Toce (VB);
• A26/A7 Predosa-Bettole branch (AL);
• A7 Milano-Genova;

• Turin – Genoa;
• branch railway of the Giovi;
• Alessandria – Cavallermaggiore;
• Alessandria – Ovada;
• Alessandria – Pavia;
• Alessandria – Saint Joseph of Cairo;
• Alessandria – Piacenza;
• Asti – Genoa;
• Chestnuts – Asti – Mortar;
• Chivasso-Alessandria;
• Tortona – Novi Ligure.

In the province there are three small airports for tourist use, locati in Alessandria, Casale Monferrato and Novi Ligure.

• Province of Pistoia, since 2003