Atlas of Monferrato

Castell'Alfero: sights, history and trails

Asti

Elevation: 235 m above sea level
Area: 20.09 km²
Demonym: castellalferesi
Patron saint: Saints Peter and Paul

A closer look

Discovering Castell'Alfero

Castell'Alfero (Castel Alfé in Piedmont) is an Italian municipality of 2 567 inhabitants^[1] from the province of Asti, in the historical territory ofAstesana in the Piemonte.

It is part of the hilly community Monferrato Valleversa.

History of Castell'Alfero

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The origins of Castell'Alfero date back to more ancient times than the Roman occupation, however the name of the present resort certainly dates back to the Middle Ages. The "Castrum Alferii" mentioned in Codex Astensis, a real castle, came under the dominion of Asti between 1159 and 1189 and remained so for centuries, despite ups and downs, among which the wars of succession for Monferrato stand out, which in 1616 led to the sacking and destruction of Castell'Alfero by the soldiers of the Duke of Mantua, at war against the Savoys who were trying to expand their dominions to the east.

The country suffered new looting in 1705 when, during the Spanish War of Succession, it was occupied by a French cavalry regiment.^[4]

Following the Treaty of Utrecht, the entire region returned to peace and around 1730, during the lordship of the Counts Friend, feudal lords of the Savoy, the castle was deeply modified and adapted to a noble dwelling on a project by the architect Regio Benedetto Alfieri, while the sumptuous pictorial decoration is due to Gerolamo Mengozzi, former collaborator of Giambattista Tiepolo.

Extinguished the Friend family in 1832, the property of the building passed to the Mella Arborios, then to the Ottolenghi di Asti and finally to the Municipality, which in 1905 bought it for 64,000 lire and made its own seat.

Today, the building houses, in addition to the municipal administration, the Museum "'The Ciar", a collection of testimonies from the past including objects, tools and toys from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.^[5]

Symbols

The coat of arms and gonfalone of the municipality of Castell'Alfero were granted by decree of the President of the Republic of 17 January 1991.^[6]

Coat of arms

"From silver, to the three black birds, badly ordered; with the head of blue, loaded of the ring bearing in the upper part the two woven hands, of silver. Exterior ornaments from Commune.^[7]^[8]»

The coat of arms comes from that of the Counts Friend of Castell'Alfero, feudal lords of the municipal territory for about 200 years, whose shield was accompanied by the motto Usque a cineres ("[Friend] until death").^[9]

Banner

"Delay party of white and blue richly decorated with silver embroidery and loaded with the coat of arms described above with the silver-centered inscription naming the municipality. The metal parts and the cords will be silvered. The vertical rod will be covered with velvet of the colors of the drapop with silvery bullets placed in spiral. In the arrow will be represented the coat of arms of the Municipality and on the stem engraved the name. Tricolored ribbon tie with national silver fringes.^[7]»

What to see in Castell'Alfero

As the common neighbors of Calliano and Portacomaro, the historic center is characterized by the presence of a fortified fence not limited to the only castle, but which includes...Explore this chapter

Parish Church of Saints Peter and Paul

Church of the Madonna della Neve
Ethnographic Museum 'The Ciar located inside the Castle^[10]

Like the common neighbors of Calliano and Portacomaro, the historic center is characterized by the presence of a fortified enclosure not limited to the castle alone, but which also includes some houses, similar to a shelter, typical of the architecture of the Middle Ages in Piemonte.

Society

Demographic evolution · Foreign ethnic groups and minoritiesExplore this chapter

Demographic evolution

Inhabitants registered^[11]

Foreign ethnic groups and minorities

According to ISTAT data at 31 December 2017 the resident foreign population was 146 people. The nationalities most represented by their percentage of the total population living were:

Albania 38 1,402%
Romania 47 1,735%

Culture

Events · Castell'Alfero al Palio di AstiExplore this chapter

Events

Gianduja al sò pais (gennaio-febbraio), start of the Piedmont Carnival with Gianduja and Giacometta della Famija Turineisa
Viviverde, agricultural review. It takes place every year on April 25th
On the footsteps of Gianduja (early July), theatrical festival in Piedmont
Flags and Fantasia, competition between bands and music organized in the summer period by the local Committee Palio
Patronal festival (week end of the first Sunday in September)
Open Castles, guided tours to the castle of Conti Amico and the Museum 'l Ciar (from May to October every 15 days)
Sagra del Fritto Misto, in Callianetto (June)
Music in the Feet, in the Romanesque church Madonna della Snow (first Sunday of August)
Bondì Tomà, Serata to remember Carlo Artuffo, great fantasist, actor of the Piedmontese theatre born in Asti in 1885 he died in Trofarello in 1958.
Strenne in Castello, Christmas markets.

Castell'Alfero al Palio di Asti

Castell'Alfero participates in Palio di Asti since 1989. It is a feast that sinks its roots in the Middle Ages to celebrate the patron saint of Astisan San Secondo and culminates with a race with horses mounted by fur (i.e. without saddle), which takes place every first Sunday of September in the central Alfieri square Asti. Castell'Alfero won the race consecutively in 1997 and 1998.

In 1997 the flags of Castell'Alfero won the Palio degli Sbandieratori di Asti (the so-called "Paliotto") setting a double record: for the first time a Municipality won the Paliotto and, in the same year, also the Palio.

Administration

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

Period		First citizen	Match	Load	Notes
June 12, 1985	June 18, 1990	Helio Calosso	Christian Democracy	Mayor	^[12]
June 18, 1990	April 24, 1995	Luciano Avidano	civic list	Mayor	^[12]
April 24, 1995	June 14, 1999	Luciano Avidano	civic list	Mayor	^[12]
June 14, 1999	June 14, 2004	Angelo Marengo	civic list	Mayor	^[12]
June 14, 2004	June 8, 2009	Angelo Marengo	civic list	Mayor	^[12]
June 8, 2009	May 26, 2014	Fernando Tognin	civic list	Mayor	^[12]
May 26, 2014	May 27, 2019	Angelo Marengo	Civic list On the way	Mayor	^[12]
May 27, 2019	8 June 2024	Elisa Amerio	Civic list On the way	Mayor	^[12]
June 9, 2024	in office	Giancarlo Fasano	Civic list Renewable	Mayor	^[12]

Twinning

Lafrançaise

Notes

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^ ^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).
^ History, up castellalfero.at.it.
^ Castell'Alfero, up AstiTurismo.it.
^ Castell'Alfero, decree 1991-01-17 DPR, concession of coat of arms and gonfalone, up Heraldic office - Municipal files, Central State Archives. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
^ ^to ^b Coat of arms and banner, up Municipality of Castell'Alfero. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
^ Piedmontese civic coat of arms, vol. I, Regional Council of Piemonte, 2016, p. 129, ISBN 978-88-96074-98-5.
^ Friend (of Asti) Counts of Castell'Alfero, Quarto and Portacomaro, up blasonariosubalpino.it.
"From silver, to three black birds; with the head of blue, loaded with a ring of faith, that is to say, made with two gold woven hands."
^ Guided visits to Castell'Alfero Castle 2020, up common.castellalfero.at.it. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
^
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 http://amministratori.interno.it/