Atlas of Monferrato

Garbagna: sights, history and trails

Alessandria

Elevation: 287 m above sea level
Area: 20.72 km²
Demonym: garbagnoli

A closer look

Discovering Garbagna

Garbagna (Garbagna'd Lissändria in Piedmontese, Garbagna in Liguria) is an Italian municipality of 632 inhabitants^[1] from the province of Alessandria, in Piemonte.

Landscape and area

Region · ClimateExplore this chapter

Region

The municipal territory is placed on the hills Tortona right of the creek Scrivia. In 2015 the municipality was inserted in the circuit of the most beautiful villages in Italy. There are the remains of the Roman walls, built by Emperor Constantine III to stem barbaric incursions.

Climate

History of Garbagna

SymbolsExplore this chapter

Some sources would trace the foundation to Emperor Galba in the 1st century, from which the name^[4]^[5]. According to others, the name could derive from Low Latin garbus ‘cest’, in turn from the old German high warb-, with the addition of the suff. -anicus, in the sense of 'bushy place', with evidence also in the forms Garbanigus, Garbania, Garbanea. In particular, the first document attesting the toponym is a diploma from the King of Italy Hugh of Provence, dated 29 March 945, with which the king conferred some lands of the Tortona committee to Count Elisardo.^[6]^[7]

In the 9th century, the Carolingians gave it to the bishop of Tortona^[4].

Together with Grondona and Vargo of Stazzano was part of the "Seven imperial fiefs" granted by Emperor Charles V to Admiral Andrea Doria in 1548, after the failed conspiracy of Gian Luigi Fieschi and the consequent loss of their possessions.

Independent and immediate feudo, its actual autonomy is confirmed in 1575.

He remains together with Vargo and Torriglia under the government of the Marquis (then princes since 1760) Doria Landi until the abolition of feuds in Italy in 1797, although already placed under the protection of Savoy from 1738.

Symbols

The coat of arms and gonfalone of the municipality of Garbagna were granted by decree of the President of the Republic of 13 July 2004.^[8]

"From the blue, to the golden lion, a red laurel, with the locks, crowned with an ancient crown of three visible points, of gold, grabbing with the fore legs the pinned and truncated shield: in the first, of gold, to the eagle of black, haute and tongued of red; in the second, of blue with the silver border, with the silver cross. Exterior ornaments from the Municipality.»

The gonfalone is a red drape.

What to see in Garbagna

Sanctuary of Madonna del LagoExplore this chapter

Church of San Giovanni Battista (Garbagna)

Sanctuary of Madonna del Lago

Two kilometers from the town stands the sanctuary of Madonna del Lago where, according to tradition, in 1341 the Blessed Virgin would appear to a shepherd girl who was then miraculous^[9].

Society

Demographic evolution · Languages and dialectsExplore this chapter

Demographic evolution

In the last hundred years, due to the depopulation phase of the area, the population is halved.

Inhabitants registered^[10]

Languages and dialects

Recently the garbagnolo was revived thanks to the local theatre company. Under the direction of Fantone Nadia, this company has already presented six comedies all in Garbagnolo. The uniqueness of this dialect is the use of the Partitive or genitive Saxon. For example, the U garbagnola has such meaning to a little or part of it. In fact, they are absent from this grammatical aspect.

Culture

Typical productsExplore this chapter

Typical products

The Beautiful Cherry of Garbagna^[11] has been recognized as Slow Food presidio.

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
June 20, 1985	May 18, 1990	Mario Spazzarini	Italian Communist Party	Mayor	^[12]
May 18, 1990	April 24, 1995	Mario Spazzarini	Italian Communist Party	Mayor	^[12]
April 24, 1995	June 14, 1999	Mario Spazzarini	centre-left	Mayor	^[12]
June 14, 1999	June 14, 2004	Mario Spazzarini	civic list	Mayor	^[12]
June 14, 2004	June 8, 2009	Natalino Ormelli	civic list	Mayor	^[12]
June 8, 2009	May 26, 2014	Natalino Ormelli	Civic list Per Garbagna	Mayor	^[12]
May 26, 2014	May 27, 2019	Fabio Semino	civic list Crescere together	Mayor	^[12]
May 27, 2019	June 9, 2024	Fabio Semino	civic list Crescere together	Mayor	^[12]
June 9, 2024	in office	David Samuel Umberto Ravera	List of Civics Noi per Garbagna	Mayor	^[12]

Other administrative information

The commune was part of the Community Montana Valli Curone Grue and Ossona and, after his dissolution, he entered the Union Montana valleys Curone, Grue and Ossona.

Sport

SoccerExplore this chapter

Soccer

The country's main football team is the G.S. Garbagna Calcio that, after a couple of years in the Amateur category, in 1988 begins in the 3rd Piedmontese Category.^[13] From the 3rd he has often climbed to the upper categories, up to the 1st category in the 2000-01, 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2012-13 seasons.

Image gallery

Explore this chapter

The town hall
The oratory of San Rocco
Doria Palace
The sanctuary of the Madonna del Lago
Via XIV March house Fantone Arturo and Pierino
The contrada on the day of the festival
Panorama of Garbagna
The hippocastani
Square and Contrada

Notes

Explore this chapter

^ ^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 Gustavo Strafforello, First part - Alta Italia, in The Homeland. Geography of Italy, Volume III - Province of Alessandria, Turin, Unione typografico-editrice, 1890, pp. 228-229. Retrieved 28 December 2022. Hosted on Google Books.
^ Ferdinando Gabotto, The Roman municipalities of Western Italy at the death of Teodosio il Grande, Pinerolo, Chiantore, 1907.
^ History - Municipality of Garbagna, up www.comune.garbagna.al.it. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
^ Names of Italy, Novara, Istituto Geografico De Agostini, 2006, p. 292.
^ Garbagna (Alessandria) D.P.R. 13.07.2004 concession of coat of arms and gonfalone, up Presidency.governo.it.
^ Rino Cammilleri, Every day with Mary, calendar of apparitions, Ares Editions, 2020, p. 41 (Kindle format).
^
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.
^ card of the beautiful Cherry of Garbagna, up hialessandria.it (archived fromoriginal url on 4 April 2007).
^ ^to ^b ^c ^d ^And ^f ^g ^h ^the http://amministratori.interno.it/
^ The Garbagna in 3rd category, in Seven days in Tortona, 24 September 1988, p. 4.

Where to stay · Garbagna

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