Atlas of Monferrato
Villalvernia: sights, history and trails
Alessandria
- Elevation
- 193 m above sea level
- Area
- 4.47 km²
- Demonym
- Villalvernisi
- Patron saint
- Madonna of the Rosary
A closer look
Discovering Villalvernia
Villalvernia (Vila Vèrnia in Piedmont) is an Italian municipality of 841 inhabitants[1] from the province of Alessandria in the Piemonte, located on the hillsides to the right of the lower course of the Scrivia stream.
History of Villalvernia
Symbols · HonorsExplore this chapter
Probably founded in the course of the 10th century, known simply as Villa, was partially granted in fief to bishops of Tortona by Pope Adrian IV. In 1413 Philip Maria Visconti granted him in fief to William of Auvergne. The Alvernia family held power in the country for 167 years, linking its name to that of the village. In 1580 the feud passed to the Spinola following the marriage of Francis with Antonia Alvernia. In 1652 the feudal lords of Villalvernia obtained the mark title from King Philip IV of Spain. In 1688 he was sold by the Royal Chamber of Milan to the field master Pietro Luigi Passalacqua.
On 1 December 1944, it was the subject of a heavy bombardment by American air forces, aimed at hitting the railway offices transferred here from Genoa. 114 civilians died and 235 were injured.[4]
In 1953 the hamlet of Bettole was detached from the municipality of Villalvernia and aggregated to the municipality of Pozzolo Formigaro.
Symbols
The municipal coat of arms was granted by royal decree of 14 October 1938.[5]
The coat of arms brings together elements of the blasons of families historically linked to Villalvernia: the Passalacqua (of silver, the band of red, to the natural river at the tip; the band crossing; with the head of blue) and the Marquises Gritta (chopped, to the silver band on the partition, loaded with red sea crab, placed in the verse of the same: above blue, to the golden comet placed in pole; under black with green countryside).[6] The gonfalone in use to the municipality is a blue drape.
Honors
— 5 October 2006[7]
What to see in Villalvernia
The village consists of a high part, the village, original nucleus and a lower part in the alluvial plain of the Scrivia, constituted after the construction of the road...Explore this chapter
The village consists of a high part, the village, original nucleus and a lower part in the alluvial plain of the Scrivia, constituted after the construction of the road Serravalle Scrivia-Tortona (1821).
The parish church of S. Maria Assunta, was built on a land belonging to the noble Valerio instead of the previous one, razed to the ground in 1600, but finished only in 1840, being the construction interrupted in 1630, following the plague epidemic that decimated the country (from 300 to about 90 inhabitants). The interior is wide in neoclassical style, with octagonal nave and large dome. Above the main altar, in a bezel, is painted the "Dinner in Emmaus" with Christ between two apostles.
In the church of Bettole di Villalvernia is preserved a large canvas by the painter Cesare Viazzi (Alessandria, 1857 - Predosa, 1943) depicting S. Anna teaching to read to Maria Vergine girl. The artist wanted to pay homage to his mother Maria Teresa Ricci of Villalvernia by portraying her effigy in the face of Saint Anne.
The main streets recall historical characters linked to Villalvernia. Among the main ones: the street dedicated to the noble lawyer Alberto Valerio, mayor; the street dedicated to the general Domenico Carbone, the square dedicated to the marquis Gian Alberto Gritta Tassorello, related to each other and linked to the historical noble family Valerio, owner locally of the ancient "fundi valeriani".
Society
Demographic evolutionExplore this chapter
Demographic evolution
Inhabitants registered[8]
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 29, 1985 | May 19, 1990 | Giovanni Carrea | Christian Democracy | Mayor | [9] |
| May 19, 1990 | April 24, 1995 | Giovanni Carrea | Christian Democracy | Mayor | [9] |
| April 24, 1995 | June 14, 1999 | Giovanni Carrea | center | Mayor | [9] |
| June 14, 1999 | June 14, 2004 | Giovanni Carrea | civic list | Mayor | [9] |
| June 14, 2004 | June 8, 2009 | Giampaolo Pepe | civic list | Mayor | [9] |
| June 8, 2009 | May 25, 2014 | Giampaolo Pepe | civic list | Mayor | [9] |
| 7 June 2014 | May 27, 2019 | Franco Persi | Civic list For a better tomorrow | Mayor | [9] |
| May 27, 2019 | June 9, 2024 | Franco Persi | Civic list For a better tomorrow | Mayor | [9] |
| June 9, 2024 | in office | Giampaolo Pepe | list civic Villavernia common good | Mayor | [9] |
Sport
Soccer · ChroniclesExplore this chapter
Soccer
The country's football team was founded in 1983 under the name of Associazione Calcio Villalvernia by some young people from the country including Marco Orsi, Giancarlo Chinello and his brothers Fabio and Fausto Cabella. The latter, moreover, was the first team's coach for twenty-five years or from the foundation until 2008 and was also awarded by the then Federal President Giancarlo Abete along with Carlo Tavecchio at the time president of the National Amateur League.
In the summer of 2015 the property changes its name in Football Tortona, moving definitively to the city of the same name.
There is no longer a football club in the country.
Chronicles
| Cronistoria del Villalvernia | |
|---|---|
| |
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).
- ^ G. D., Air bombing without history or a history without future?, in Seven days in Tortona, 28 November 1998, p. 9.
- ^ Villalvernia, decree 1938-10-14 RD, concession of coat of arms and gonfalone, up data.acs.beniculturali.it.
- ^ Villalvernia, up araldicacivica.it.
- ^ Municipality of Villalvernia, Silver Medal to Civil Merit, up quirinale.it.
- ^ 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.
- ^ to b c d And f g h the http://amministratori.interno.it/
Bibliography
Explore this chapter
- Carlo Felice Capello, Villalvernia. History, documents, news, Chieri, 1967.
- Gian Carlo Vaccari, History of Villalvernia, Ovada, 2018.
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