Atlas of Monferrato

Bistagno: sights, history and trails

Alessandria

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Image: Cornaglia · Public domain

Elevation: 175 m above sea level
Area: 17.59 km²
Demonym: bistagnesi
Patron saint: Saint John the Baptist

A closer look

Discovering Bistagno

Bistagno in a xilography of the end of the nineteenth century

Bistagno (Bistag in Piedmont) is an Italian municipality of 1 706 inhabitants^[2] from the province of Alessandria, in Piemonte.

Origins of the name

Despite the most common etymology of the toponym is connected with the confluence of two branches of the Bormida river (the Bormida di Spigno and the Bormida di Millesimo) in the territory of Bistagno (Bistagno < bi + tin, where "pond" would not only indicate a body of still water, but would be connected to the root *agn- Latin > amnis, in the meaning of "river", "watercourse", '"stream", "stream"), a new etymology, based on linguistic evidence, connects Bistagno with *bĭst-ăgnŏ-s (proto-Indo-European ~ Celtic), which would mean "small pheasant", and would allude to the presence of this specific bird in the territory of the village in the Neolithic or, in any case, in prehistoric times^[5].

History of Bistagno

SymbolsExplore this chapter

Symbols

The coat of arms and gonfalone of the municipality of Bistagno were granted by the decree of the President of the Republic of 23 February 1952.^[6]

"From silver, to the blue band, crossed by a towering castle of a piece, red, open and windowed of the field. Exterior ornaments from the Municipality.»

The banner is a blue cloth.^[7]

What to see in Bistagno

The medieval old town has the form of an almost perfect equilateral triangle, once surrounded by walls, at whose southern summit was the...Explore this chapter

The medieval old town has the form of an almost perfect equilateral triangle, once surrounded by walls, at whose southern summit was the castle of which remains nowadays a characteristic square tower embedded in a modern building.

The triangular shape of the village is shared by other settlements on the territory once belonging to Marchesato del Monferrato, including those of Nizza Monferrato And Montemagno d'Asti. ^[8].

Culture

In the center of the village is the gipsoteca Giulio Monteverde which houses the original plaster models of the sculptor, originally from Bistagno.Explore this chapter

In the center of the village is the gipsoteca Giulio Monteverde which houses the original plaster models of the sculptor, originally from Bistagno.

Society

Demographic evolutionExplore this chapter

Demographic evolution

Inhabitants registered^[9]

Infrastructure and transport

Roads · RailwaysExplore this chapter

Roads

Bistagno is located along the Provincial Road 30 of Valle Bormida. It is connected to province of Asti from the SP 228 - Strada Provinciale Acqui-Alba per Cortemilia.

Railways

Bistagno is equipped with a railway station, of category bronze post on the railway line Alessandria- Saint Joseph of Cairo. The railway service is managed by Trenitalia

Administration

Twinning · 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
July 10, 1985	May 21, 1990	Arturo Giovanni Voglino	Italian Communist Party	Mayor	^[10]
May 21, 1990	April 24, 1995	Arturo Giovanni Voglino	Democratic Party of the Left, Italian Communist Party	Mayor	^[10]
April 24, 1995	June 14, 1999	Arturo Giovanni Voglino	centre-left	Mayor	^[10]
June 14, 1999	June 14, 2004	Bruno Giuseppe Barosio	civic list	Mayor	^[10]
June 14, 2004	June 8, 2009	Bruno Giuseppe Barosio	civic list	Mayor	^[10]
June 8, 2009	May 26, 2014	Claudio Zola	civic list	Mayor	^[10]
May 26, 2014	May 27, 2019	Celestial Malerba	list of cities: united for Bistagno	Mayor	^[10]
May 27, 2019	June 9, 2024	Roberto Vallegra	civic list	Mayor	^[10]
June 9, 2024	in office	Roberto Vallegra	civic list	Mayor	^[10]