Atlas of Monferrato

Avolasca: sights, history and trails

Alessandria

Elevation: 425 m above sea level
Area: 12.24 km²
Demonym: avolaschesi
Patron saint: San Nicola di Bari

A closer look

Discovering Avolasca

Avolasca (I'm sorry. in the dialect of the city) is an Italian municipality of 242 inhabitants^[2] from the province of Alessandria in the Piemonte. Agricultural centre located in the valley of Scrivia, occupies the slope along the ridge, which, leaving from Mount San Vito 684 m s.l.m. is a watershed at the valleys crossed by the streams Grue and Ossona and ending with the spur of Tortona. The cuisine is similar to the Ligurian one, as is the ending -asca.

History of Avolasca

SymbolsExplore this chapter

In the Middle Ages Avolasca belonged first to the committee and then to the episcopate of Tortona. Only later was it enfeoffed to several Genoese families and followed the events of the Grue valley. In 1635 it became an independent parish from that of the hamlet of Palenzona.

Symbols

The coat of arms of the municipality of Avolasca was granted by decree of the President of the Republic of 11 May 2004.^[5]

«Azure, in the golden sun, loaded by the eagle of black, crowned with the same, anaumata and tongued red. Exterior ornaments from the Municipality.»

(Presidential Decree 11.05.2004 granting of coat of arms and banner)

The gonfalone is a yellow drape with blue edge.^[5]

What to see in Avolasca

Once the site of a castle, probably dating back to the 10th century, retains very few traces (a wall of the foundation). The parish church of...Explore this chapter

Once home to a castle, probably dating back to the 10th century, it retains very few traces (a wall of the foundation). Today the parish church of San Nicola is built in the castle, probably extending a pre-existing feudal chapel around 972. Also worth mentioning is the building that housed the asylum, now privately owned, designed by the architect Gino Coppedè dedicated to Marina and Caterina Cerruti and which was donated to the town by Alessandro Cerruti in 1926.

In Palenzona, on the top of the hill, there is the parish church of fractions, which is dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul, and the National Temple of Remembrance dedicated to the Falls, where annually the provincial gathering of the National Association Bersaglieri takes place.

In the hamlet of Oliva there is the oak of Avolasca, a monumental tree with an age of more than 250 years.^[6]

Society

Demographic evolutionExplore this chapter

Demographic evolution

Inhabitants registered^[7]

Ex asilo Marina and Caterina Cerruti di Avolasca, work of the architect Gino Coppedè

Economy

The main resource of the place is agriculture. In the territory, in addition to living areas, there are different cultures of wheat, corn, vegetables, fruit and fodder . The...Explore this chapter

The main resource of the place is agriculture. In the territory, in addition to living areas, there are different cultures of wheat, corn, vegetables, fruit and fodder. The country has suffered heavily the consequences of the escape to the neighboring industries Tortona. The population decline brought the inhabitants from 880 in 1931 to 281 in 2001.

Anthropic geography

Its fractions are Casa Borella, Costa Giuliana, Mereta, Montebello, Oliva, Pissine and Tassare. It was part of the community Montana Valli Curone Grue and Ossona . Also to...Explore this chapter

Its fractions are Casa Borella, Costa Giuliana, Mereta, Montebello, Oliva, Pissine and Tassare. It was part of the Community Montana Valli Curone Grue and Ossona. Furthermore, a few kilometers away is Castellania Coppi.

Administration

Other administrative informationExplore this chapter

Below is a table relating to the administrations that have succeeded one another in this municipality.

Period		First citizen	Match	Load	Notes
5 June 1985	May 31, 1990	Valter Raimondi	Italian Socialist Party	Mayor	^[8]
May 31, 1990	April 24, 1995	Valter Raimondi	Italian Socialist Party	Mayor	^[8]
April 24, 1995	June 14, 1999	Franco Gragnolati	center	Mayor	^[8]
June 14, 1999	June 14, 2004	Michele Gragno	civic list	Mayor	^[8]
June 14, 2004	June 8, 2009	Michele Gragno	civic list	Mayor	^[8]
June 8, 2009	May 26, 2014	Valter Raimondi	civic list	Mayor	^[8]
May 26, 2014	May 27, 2019	Valter Raimondi	civic list Noi with people	Mayor	^[8]
May 27, 2019	June 9, 2024	Michele Gragno	Civic list Michele Gragnolati mayor	Mayor	^[8]
June 9, 2024	in office	Michele Gragno	Civic list Michele Gragnolati mayor	Mayor	^[8]

Other administrative information

The commune was part of the Community Montana Valli Curone Grue and Ossona.

Notes

Explore this chapter

^ Municipality of Avolasca : Municipal Administration and Mayor - City of Avolasca and city, Alessandria, Piemonte, up www.comune-italia.it. URL consulted on 5 August 2026.
^ ^to ^b Monthly demographic balance for the year 2026 (provisional data), up demo.istat.it, ISTAT.
^ Seismic classification (XLS), up risks.protezionecivile.gov.it.
^ Table of degrees/day of Italian Municipalities grouped by Region and Province (PDF), in Law 26 August 1993, n. 412, annex A, National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, 1 March 2011, p. 151. URL consulted on 25 April 2012 (archived fromoriginal url on 1 January 2017).
^ ^to ^b Avolasca (Alessandria) 11.05.2004 granting of coat of arms and gonfalone, up Italian Government, Office of Honors and Araldic, 2004. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
^ IPLA, Institute for wood plants and the environment IPLA spa and University of Turin (edited by), Monumental trees of the Piemonte, Savigliano, L'artistica, 2004, p. 192, ISBN 9788873201977.
^
Data taken from:
- Resident population of the municipalities. Censuses from 1861 to 1991 (PDF), up ebiblio.istat.it, ISTAT.
- Resident population - Time series, up exploredati.istat.it.
  Please note: 2021 data refers to permanent census data as of December 31 of that year.
^ ^to ^b ^c ^d ^And ^f ^g ^h ^the https://amministratori.interno.it/

Bibliography

Explore this chapter

A.A.V.V. - The Piemonte country by country - Ed. Bonechi - 1993 - Florence

Where to stay · Avolasca

Find stays on Booking.com