Frascaro: sights, history and trails

It is very difficult, because of the lack of documents, to establish the date of birth of Frascaro. It is perhaps easier to explain the etymology of his name: according to the most accredited hypothesis, the word _ It would come from “frasca” and this because the first nucleus of houses would have arisen close or inside a wooded area, probably the forest of the “Cerreta” or “Cerveta”.

The presence of a barbaric village, dating back to the period between the middle of the V and the middle of the VI century. d.c. is almost certain on the basis of what came to light in the region “Isola Grande”, following works for the construction of the variant of S.S.30 “Valle Bormida”. It would be a barbaric village inhabited by a population of Germanic origin, as it would seem to prove the discovery of skeletons, male, which presented skull deformations spread in the tribes of East Germany.

In the Middle Ages, Frascaro, was probably part of the territory of the “Scamelaria”, along with Gamalero. Following some imperial diplomas (**), the said territory passed under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Acqui Terme. According to the Ghilini, the foundation of Frascaro was even before that of Alessandria, as it was part of the ancient territory of Gamondio, along with other countries (Bleep). This thesis is obsteated by other historians, in particular the Canon G. Buzzi (author of the “History of Gamondio”) criticized Ghilini’s argument claiming that the foundation of Frascaro was back to that of Alessandria, as its name was not mentioned in the 1300's and 1350's Alessandrini Statutes and was first appointed in 1393 in the Matricole Register.

The first safe mention of Frascaro is found in two notary documents of 1192, cited by the historian F. Gasparolo. In the first (February 1192) William of Frascaro was granted a loan in cash from Rolando di Canneto and Grillo; in the second (September 1192) a certain Bonizzone da Frascaro granted Bongiovanni da Pena a free mortgage of eight liras (probably it was a dovetailed lire) with the obligation to return it within the following year. All this suggests, that Frascaro, if not as a political entity, existed as a physical entity.

Frascaro and its territory were not completely alien to the struggles between Guelphs and Ghibellines. The latter, in 1315, with the help of Marco Visconti Signore di Milano, took possession of the city of AlessandriaBut without ending the war between the two factions. Gamalero and Frascaro, returned to the Guelphs, they suffered a severe punishment from Marco Visconti, who, as the historian Ghilini says, “he took them to great strength by comparing all the country and in great confusion”. In the same year Alessandria and his suburbs became part of the Duchy of Milan, under the Lordship of the Visconti, and remained there, despite alternating events, until 1595. In 1402, at the death of Gian Galeazzo Visconti, the farmhouse Facino Cane (*) took place Alessandria. Just a year later, the Alessandrini, led by Guido del Pozzo, the Obizo brothers and Tommaso Trotti, gave rise to an uprising against Facino Cane, absent from the city because he committed himself in the siege of the city of Piacenza. Informed of rebellion, he abandoned the siege and headed up Alessandria to regain control. The Trotti brothers, to escape the vengeance of the farmhouse, took refuge Frascaro in the castle of property (the area was close to the current communal building descending towards Via Mazzini), but it was useless. The Gilini says: “He returned, took them with deceit, justified them and confiscated the goods.” The ferocity of Facino Cane also happened against the castle that was destroyed completely. The confiscated property, probably, passed to the Ghibelline family of Angeleri, who took advantage of the opportunity to establish a " Parish Benediction" with the title of S. Nicolao, with the right to appoint “Prevosto”. This right came, then ceded to the Guasco family.

Imitating the decisions taken, some years before, by the inhabitants of the Marengo district, those of Gamondio, with an act undersigned in Santa Maria della Corte on 9 April 1486, agreed to share the Cerreta Forest among the following families: Merlani, Frascaria, Portaber, Boidi, Martina, Granari, Spandonari, Baratta, Angeleri, Falaneri, Lanzavildi, Milanesi Lerma, Felizzani, Gamaleri, Cacciaguerra, Ardizzone, Ottobelli, Macia, Fornari, Boschi, Cermelli, Rossi, Ratti, Tempia, Cappelli, Pettinari, Trotti, Aulari.

On 13 July 1534, Frascaro joined the “Corpi Santi” of the city of Alessandria. The stay in “Corpi Santi” lasted (according to the historians Buzzi, Guasco and Casalis) until 1658, when Frascaro decided to disengage due to the obligations assumed by the city of Alessandria.

The 10 May 1674 Count Carlo Guasco of Bisio acquired by King Charles II, through the Royal Chamber of Milan, the fief of Frascaro, at the price of £ 2.332 (imperial lire), with the aim of joining it to the lands of the farm “Aymonetta”. According to the Chenna, the territory of Alessandria was divided into various areas: the city, surrounded by walls, the farm, which represented the rural area, and the separate lands, which enjoyed a certain autonomy, but were still subject to the city.

• Parish church of San Nicolao

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