Penango: sights, history and trails

The origin of the name Penango, as well as all those ending in –ngo, is of obvious Lombard origin. In favor of the Lombard origin there are some findings of small necropolis, the most important of which in Santo Stefano Lunario (Santa Maria), described in 1899.

According to some authors, however, similar names would be of Cimbric derivation, since these populations, defeated by Mario at the Camp Raudii near Vercelli in 101 BC, would then disperse to the right of the Po, on the highest hills of Monferrato.

The first time that the name Penango appears in a document is 961, date of donation by Aleramo to the monastery of Grazzano of various goods, including two rustic "on site et fundo Penengi".

A few years later, in 998, it will be cited as “Peningum”.

Property, like Moncalvo, of the Bishop of Asti, then passed to the Paleologists, who in 1479 gave it in fief to Giacomo Boetto together with Cioccaro (with Santa Maria) and Patro. The Gonzaga, who took over to the Paleologists, granted him to the Boveri family in 1559.

What dependence of the most populous Moncalvo, during the 17th century also Penango suffered the damage of wars for succession in Monferrato: in 1691 he had to endure the passage of allied troops of Prince Eugene of Savoy, engaged in war against the king of France.

In 1704 Duke Ferdinando Carlo di Gonzaga, short of money to finance the military campaigns, sold in fief the three cantons of Penango, Cioccaro and Patro to the Marquis Giovanni Gualberto of Campistron: thus the administratively autonomous community was born, separated from the nearby Moncalvo, who on 8 November 1704 during the assembly of the "heads of houses" designated his representatives in the Council.

On 25 August 1708 the Community of the three cantons swore allegiance to King Vittorio Amedeo II of Savoy, to whom the Emperor of Austria had granted Monferrato after the deposition of the Duke of Gonzaga.

With the Treaty of Utrecht (1713), Monferrato is definitively confirmed to the Savoy.

In 1717 the Campistron sold its feud to the farmhouse Francesco Giovanni Tommaso Mossi, despite that the right of prelation of Moncalvo.

This infeudation was confirmed in 1769 by Tommaso Ottavio Mossi, who succeeded, last Marquis of Penango, Cioccaro and Patro, his brother, Monsignor Vincenzo Maria, archbishop of Sida.

From 1802 to 1814 he was part, with all the Piemonte, of the 27th Military Division, Department of Marengo, canton of Moncalvo. With the Restoration was still part of the province of Casale, sending Moncalvo.

Since 1859, the province of Alessandria was abolished, and it was detached in 1935 with the establishment of the new province of Asti.

In 1908, on the premises of the Moncalvese Municipal Council, the fractions of Santa Maria and Patro were segregated by Penango and aggregated to the Municipality of Moncalvo.^[4]

From 1923 to 1945 it was Podestà Giovanni Zanello, replaced by liberation from socialist^[5] Pietro Firato, already mayor from 1909 to 1922.^[6]

From 1880 to 1966, Penango was based in an important Salesian College^[7], since 1924 with missionary aspirantate functions.

The second part of the nineteenth century saw a remarkable depopulation, due to the abandonment of the fields and emigration towards Turin.

• Church of San Grato, parish church of the village, built in the eighteenth century.

The economy of Penango^[10] It is mainly based on agriculture, mostly with family-run companies, and mostly wine-making.

As early as 1765, 60% of agricultural land was occupied by vineyards. 18.6% consisted of fields (grain crops), 15.4% in meadows and only 1% in gerbides.

The wine productions of the territory of Pharaoh are mainly the barbera d'Asti (more than half of the production), the barbera del Monferrato and the grignolino.

Recently began to play a certain role tourism: the municipal territory sees the presence of two hotels and some farms^[11].

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

The Penango stop is located along the Castagnole-Asti-Mortara railway, whose traffic has been suspended since 2012.