Atlas of Monferrato

Montemagno: sights, history and trails

Asti

Elevation: 260 m above sea level
Area: 16.1 km²
Demonym: Montemagnesi
Patron saint: San Martino di Tours

A closer look

Discovering Montemagno

Montemagno Monferrato (Montmagn in Piedmontese, Montemagno until 2023) is an Italian municipality of 1 033 inhabitants^[1] from the province of Asti in the Piemonte, on the hills of the area Monferrato.

Founded around the year 1000, Montemagno Monferrato has an ancient nucleus consisting of a triangular village crossed by twelve alleys marked by Roman numerals that connote its identity, and is inserted in the circuit of "Open Castles" of Basso Piemonte. It has been officially named since 2 November 2023.

History of Montemagno

Origins and XII century · 13th century: a disputed border · The sale to Asti (1269)Explore this chapter

Origins and XII century

The oldest documentary evidence of a lord of Montemagno dates back to 1119, when a dominus Guglielmo di Montemagno appears as a witness in an act to protect the rights of the Church of Asti on San Salvatore Monferrato against the Marquis Oberto of Occimiano.

In 1173, the lords of Montemagno signed a pact with the municipality of Asti, however, reserving fidelity to the bishop of Asti and to the Marquis of Ponzone: a sign of the border position of the village, disputed among several powers.^[4]

13th century: a disputed border

By 1224 the Marquis William VI of Monferrato sold Montemagno as his own, and used it as a guarantee for a loan with Emperor Frederick II. Between 1237 and 1238 the village was built in a condo by four manor houses. Brolio, Zabaldani, Cocastello and Barge, and a military precept of the bishop of 1238 forced them to provide a knight with horses and weapons at the service of the emperor.

The sale to Asti (1269)

In 1269 the Brolio family sold a quarter of Montemagno Castle and its jurisdiction to the municipality of Asti for 3.325 Auctions, in an act that also describes the inner layout of the ceeded castle (the walls, the gate, the tower of the Brolios, the palace)^[5].

In 1279, the excommunication was revoked by Asti for the occupation of ecclesiastical lands, including Montemagno. In 1288, the Marquis of Monferrato asked again, without success, the return of the village, which was in fact part of the network of communities controlled by Asti on the border with the Marchesato.

Modern age: Turkish, Grisella, Paleologists, Gonzaga, Savoy

In 1343 the town of Asti transferred Montemagno, for thirty thousand small flowers, to the brothers Antonio and Turchetto, sons of Philip, founders of the Ghibelline line of the Turks in Montemagno, who maintained long the castle. The fief then passed to the Marquis Grisella of Rosignano.

At the end of the fifteenth century the village was formally incorporated into the Marquisate of Monferrato, with a ceremony of dedication to the presence of the marquis of Saluzzo, Scipione del Carretto and the counts of San Giorgio di Biandrate; for Montemagno signed the mayors Antonio Bacoseno and Rollino Lasagna, in front of the notary Giovanni Rinetti.

In 1536 the Monferrato, and with it Montemagno, passed to the Gonzaga of Mantua by marriage. In 1708, with the war of Spanish succession, he passed to the Savoy^[6].

Symbols

The coat of arms and gonfalone of the municipality of Montemagno Monferrato were granted by decree of the President of the Republic of 11 May 1951.^[7]

«Silver shield, circular tower, two floors, put to the guelfa, open and windowed. Exterior ornaments from the Municipality.»

The municipal gonfalone is a blue drape.^[8]

What to see in Montemagno

Explore this chapter

Castello di Montemagno Monferrato
"House on the door", the last remaining door of the city walls, and the baroque staircase in Cumiana stone
Church of San Vittore and Corona, Romanesque church, flanked by a high bell tower
Church of Santa Maria di Vallinò, a rural church dedicated to the Madonna di Vallinò, a place of frequent pilgrimages by the local population. In recent years the little church has become a place for picnics by tourists, thanks to its privileged position in the center of a basin among the hills of the village
Piazza della Chiesa Parish of Santi Martino e Stefano, cited by the daily The Press as one of the most beautiful squares Piemonte, as the staircase and the church that dominate it are very similar to those present in Piazza di Spagna in Rome^[9]
Belvedere that surrounds the castle from which you can enjoy the view on the surrounding hills

Monuments and sights
The parish church of Santi Martino e Stefano
The castle
La Casa sul Portone
The tower of San Vittore
The Church of the Brotherhood of San Michele Arcangelo
The Church of the Brotherhood of the Most Holy Trinity
The church of Santa Maria della Cava

Society

Demographic evolutionExplore this chapter

Demographic evolution

From 1911 to 2011 the population of the municipality has decreased by 64%:

Inhabitants registered^[10]

Infrastructure and transport

Between 1900 and 1935 Montemagno Monferrato was served by the Asti-Montemagno-Altavilla tramway.Explore this chapter

Between 1900 and 1935 Montemagno Monferrato was served by the Asti-Montemagno-Altavilla tranvia.

Economy

AgricultureExplore this chapter

Agriculture

Montemagno Monferrato is one of the seven municipalities of production of Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato wine.

Administration

Below is a table relating to the administrations that have succeeded one another in this municipality.Explore 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 11, 1985	May 29, 1987	Bruno Porta	Christian Democracy	Mayor	^[11]
May 29, 1987	May 24, 1990	Ernesto Pietrasanta	Christian Democracy	Mayor	^[11]
May 24, 1990	April 24, 1995	Ernesto Pietrasanta	Christian Democracy	Mayor	^[11]
April 24, 1995	June 14, 1999	Ernesto Pietrasanta	center	Mayor	^[11]
June 14, 1999	June 14, 2004	Claudio Gotta	civic list	Mayor	^[11]
June 14, 2004	June 8, 2009	Claudio Gotta	civic list	Mayor	^[11]
June 8, 2009	May 26, 2014	Paolo Porta	civic list	Mayor	^[11]
May 26, 2014	in office	Claudio Gotta	Civic list Your voice for the country	Mayor	^[11]