Borgoratto Alessandrino: sights, history and trails

Borgoratto Alessandrino existed before the 13th century. Tradition wants the name to come from a group of families called Ratti or De' Ratti. Another hypothesis is that one could treat the ancient village Baldiratium of Lombard origin, but on this hypothesis sources are unreliable. The village is located on the shore of Bormida.

On 28 May 1438 Philip Maria Visconti, Lord of these lands, gives to Simonino Ghilini — his favorite secretary — the fief of Borgoratto together with that of Gamalero^[5]. On these fiefs he had full availability on castles, possessions, mills and duties relevant to them. The donation decreed that the fiefs were separated from the jurisdiction of the city of Alessandria in which Simonino was domiciled. Borgoratto and Gamalero Simonino Ghilini was already owner of the estate: a mill with adjacent lands near Vaprio to which were added those of Castelceriolo. A confiscation interrupts the possession of Borgoratto and Gamalero returned then in 1450. Following the Treaty of Utrecht of 1713 Borgoratto passed from the Duchy of Milan to the domains of Savoia and since then followed the history of the Saudi domains. Until the end of the years '80 the Burgracites gathered mainly at the Society of Mutuo Soccorso and Education and in the local tavern.

Borgoratto station connects the country to the railway network on the railway Alessandria- Saint Joseph of Cairo.

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

• Girolamo Ghilini, Annals of Alessandria, Milan, Gioseffo Marelli, 1666, SBN TO0E020076.
• Carlo A-Valle, History of Alessandria from origin to our days, vol. 4, Turin, 1855, SBN TO00994621.
• Francesco Guasco, I-IX, in Genealogic tables of noble families Alexandrian and Monferrine from the 9th to the 20th century, volume VI, Alessandria, 1930.
• Filippo Oddone (edited by), Borgoratto: my country, its history, Acqui Terme, Caesar publisher, 2006, SBN TO01610446.