Predosa: sights, history and trails

Historical history

• 900 Castrum Ferries is included in the territory of Gamondio, current Castellazzo Bormida.
• 1168 participates, with other municipalities of the Lombard League in the construction of Alessandria, for defense against Barbarossa, and becomes part of the territory of this city despite having territorial discontinuity.
• 1576, although in precarious conditions, the church of S. Maria Vergine has already been mentioned.
• 1629 the plague reduces the population to just over 400 inhabitants, half of those already present in the area. Once the plague passed, the land began to be cultivated with vines and corn.
• 1682 the Confraternity of the Holy Trinity is established.
• 1683 Castelferro is enfeoffed to Count Luca Pertusati.
• 1702 renovation of the façade of the Parish Church.
• 1712 was established Mount of flour to fight wear.
• 1799 participation of the population in the peasant uprisings against the French.
• 1802 construction of the current bell tower.
• 1879 constitution of Relief loan company
• 1879 construction of the kindergarten.
• 1913 demolition of the old parish church, start of work on the new one after more than ten years of raising the necessary funds.
• 1921 opening for worship in the new parish church.

The news about Mantovana date back to 1500. Including in the territory of the Duchy of Monferrato and Mantua would be constituted by will of the Gonzaga as a settlement to defense of the borders, or as an extension of the Cascina Mantoana owned by the Gandini family exiled from Mantova.
The church, enlarged on several occasions, was built as a Chapel and blessed in 1776 and was erected in Parish in 1921.
The Winery was founded in 1955 and equipped with modern systems of storage and processing of grapes. Particularly appreciated its DOC production from red grapes.

The coat of arms and gonfalone of the municipality of Predosa were granted by decree of the President of the Republic of the Decree of 28 April 1971.

The Golden Museum consists of two rooms in the premises made available by the municipal administration. In the first room are illustrated the primary aurifers of all Italy, in the second the alluvial deposits of Val Padana. The history of individual deposits is illustrated by documents, some dating back to the 17th century, from topographic maps, from mineral titles of the 19th and 20th centuries, from a bibliographic collection, from booklets, newspapers, photos and tools used by gold seekers. Golden specimens found in the Orba stream and aurifer minerals are also displayed, as well as gold scales and powders collected in different rivers.

Terre d'Orba painted by Cesare Viazzi, photographed b/n by Elisabetta Goggi, is the exhibition - set up in the Palazzo Comunale in July 2011 - that shows how this landscape, after more than a century, despite the development, has remained uncontaminated^[4].

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  The road of the ox
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  Old Retorto ferry dock
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  Old vineyard

Inhabitants registered^[6]

• Feast of St. Sebastiano, co-patrono di Predosa, on the third Sunday of January (traditional agnolotti lunch in the parish premises).
• Strawberry festival, during June, curated by Pro Loco Predosa.
• Fair of S. Maria Maddalena, co-patron of Predosa, on the third Sunday of July, curated by Pro Loco Predosa.

• Culinary festival in Mantovana, on the second Sunday of August, for the patronal feast of S. Lorenzo.
• Sagra del Salamino d'asino in Castelferro, on the third Sunday of August, curated by Polisportiva M. Denegri for the patronal feast of the Assumption.
• Patronal feast of the Nativity of Mary (8 September), with figurative procession.