Pozzol Groppo: sights, history and trails

The village is located on the watershed between the Curone valley and Staffora valley, dominated by Malaspina castle which is situated on a hill at 536 m above sea level. To the south of the castle there is a cliff impervius while to the north the land slopes along the watershed up to 386 m of Cà D'Andrino. To the east of the ridge you go down to Staffora, reaching the little less than 200 m in Osteria Nuova, on the border with Godiasco, while to the west you descend to Curone reaching about 220 m in Torrino resort, on the border with Godiasco. Montemarzino.^[4]

To the north-west, in Brienzone, it goes up to 479 m of Poggio di Brienzone, whose top however is territory of Volpedo.

Compare with the name Puzolum in 1176 and as Pozolio de Gropo in 1202, derived from Latin pute, well, with the diminutive suffix -olus, i.e. small well, probably referring to some spring or trough. The term Groppo refers to the hamlet of Biagasco, also known as Groppo, in the sense of high ground,^[5] that was distinct from Pozzolo del Groppo until 1928, the year when they become a single municipality^[6].

Documents prove that the two settlements of Pozzolo del Groppo and Groppo have been under the domain of Tortona since the 12th century^[7], so much so that they rushed to the aid of the latter when it was besieged by Frederick Barbarossa in 1155.

Both were fiefs of Spine Malaspina Fiorito, the first as part of Godiasco^[8] and the second as an autonomous feud that passed in 1275 to Francesco Malaspina, branch of the Malaspina of Olivola, nephew of the copostipite Obizzino, and in 1413, when the branch of Francis is extinguished, to the descendants of Alberto Malaspina (son of Opizzino), branch of the Malaspina of Godiasco.^[9]

In 1449 the area passed under control of the Sforza of Milan which in 1480 sent an expedition of 500 infants to punish Pozzolo, accused of being a covo of bandits.^[10]

Between 1525 and 1528, due to wars and plagues, the area was almost completely uninhabited, so much so that it was possible to take possession of abandoned goods. He took advantage of the Marquis of Godiasco Cesare Malaspina to take control in 1530.^[11] and rebuild the castle, then came the marquises of Gavi and finally, in 1595, the Spinola on behalf of the Duchy of Milan.

In 1743, according to the Treaty of Worms, he joined the province of Bobbio. In 1801 the territory is annexed to Napoleonic France until 1814. In 1818 he passed to the province of Voghera and in 1859 to province of Pavia.

In 1928 the municipality of Groppo was aggregated to Pozzolo del Groppo, forming the present Pozzol Groppo and being inserted in province of Alessandria^[6].

During the Resistance it was the scene of struggles between partisans and fascists. On 31 January 1945, in the hamlet of Biagasco, the "Sicherai" surprised and killed in the night, probably thanks to a spy, some members of the 3rd Division "Aliotta": the commander of the brigade Cornaggia, Alberto Piumati "Staffora", the commissioner of the Brigade Carlo Covini "Oscar", the relay Anna Maria Mascherini, the student and political manager of PCI Lucio Martinelli, Fulvio Sala and Giovanni Torlaschi.^[12]

The castle Malaspina, a powerful and noble feudal family and lord of the lands of Pozzol Groppo for centuries, was built on the site where a Roman-era watchtower once stood. The imposing building preserves inside a beautiful courtyard with a medieval well and sumptuous rooms with fireplaces, wooden ceilings and fresco decorations, keeping alive the prestige of an illustrious past.

The parish church, dedicated to Saint Lawrence, is first documented in the 16th century.

In the hamlet of Biagasco there is the oldest church in the village, mentioned in documents from the 12th century^[14], with a Romanesque style bell tower^[15]. A shrine was erected near the church which commemorates the 1945 massacre, created by the architect Giampiero Codebue.

This country is part of the culturally homogeneous territory of Four Provinces (Alessandria, Genoa, Pavia, Piacenza), characterized by common habits and customs and by an important repertoire of music and dance very ancient. A prince instrument of this area is the Apennine piffer that accompanied by accordion, and once from the müsa (apennine clomuse), guides dances and animates parties.

The Pozzol Groppo stop, in the Costiola area, stood along the Voghera-Varzi railway, active between 1931 and 1966.

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

• Italo Cammarata, When the story passed from here, Varzi, Guardamagna, 2011, ISBN 978-88-95193-44-1.
• Site of the Municipality, up common.pozzolgroppo.al.it.
• Vivitortona website, up vivitortona.it.
• Community website Montana Curone Grue Ossona, up vallicuronegruoossona.it.
• ANPI Voghera: The winter rake of 1944-1945, up lombardia.anpi.it.
• ISRAL website (PDF), up isral.it. Retrieved 13 October 2009 (archived fromoriginal url on 15 December 2013).