Casale Monferrato

Casale Monferrato(Italian pronunciation:[kaˈzaːlemoɱferˈraːto]) is a town in thePiedmontregion ofnorthwestern Italy, in theprovince of Alessandria. It is situated about 60 km (37 mi) east ofTurinon the right bank of thePo, where the river runs at the foot of theMontferrathills. Beyond the river lies the vast plain of the Po valley.
An ancient Romanmunicipium, the town has been the most important trade and manufacturing centre of the area for centuries. After the fall of theRoman Empire, Casale became a free municipality and, in the 15th and early 16th centuries, served as the capital of theHouse of Palaiologos. Then in 1536, the town passed to theGonzagaswho fortified it with a large citadel. In the 17th century, Casale was heavily involved in theWar of the Mantuan Successionand besieged by French and Spanish troops. During the wars ofItalian unificationthe town was a defensive bulwark against theAustrian Empire.
In the 1900s Casale, in the middle of theTurin-Milan-Genoaindustrial triangle, developed as an important industrial centre, especially known for the production ofasbestos cement. A localEternitfactory has been at the centre of a massive environmental scandal, with subsequent high-profile litigation that often made international headlines.
The origins of the town are fairly obscure. It is known that theGaulishsettlement of Vardacate (fromvar= "water";ate= "populated place") existed on the Po in this area, and that it became a Romanmunicipium. By the beginning of the 8th century, there was a small town underLombardrule, probably called Sedula or Sedulia. It was here (according to late and unreliable accounts) that oneSaint Evasius, along with 146 followers, was decapitated on the orders of theArianDuke Attabulo.Liutprand, King of the Lombardsis said to have supported the construction of a church in honour of Evasius. Certainly, the martyr's cult flourished, and by 988 AD, the town had become known asCasale di Sant’Evasio.
At the time ofCharlemagne, the town came under the temporal and religious power of the bishops ofVercelli, from which it was freed byFrederick Barbarossa,Holy Roman EmperorandKing of Italy. It was sacked by the anti-imperial troops ofVercelli,AlessandriaandMilanin 1215, but rebuilt and fortified in 1220. It fell under the power of theMarquess of Montferratin 1292, (although it was conquered by theVisconti of Milanin 1370, it remained under their control until 1404) and later became the capital of the marquessate.
ThecondottiereFacino Cane was born in Casale Monferrato and he participated, financed by the Duke of MilanGian Galeazzo Visconti, in theBattle of Casalecchioin 1402, butTheodore II, Marquess of Montferrat, the son ofIsabella of Majorca, did not participate. Gian Galeazzo spent 300,000 golden florins attempting to turn from their courses the riverMinciofrom the city ofMantua, but Gian Galeazzo died.
In 1536 it passed to theGonzagasofMantua, who fortified it strongly. Thereafter it was of considerable importance as a fortressand was besieged during theMantuan War of Succession.
In 1745, following the defeat of the Piedmontese army at theBattle of Bassignanoduring theWar of the Austrian Succession, Casale was occupied by the victorious French and Spanish troops. Much damage was caused to the city's buildings. The subsequent renovation and rebuilding in theBaroquestyle made a substantial contribution to the urban texture.
During theWars of Italian Independence, it successfully resisted theAustriansin 1849 and was strengthened in 1852.
The vast limestone deposits in the hills nearby caused, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several concrete factories to open up in the town. Casale became known as the "cement capital of Italy".
Indeed, the city had the merit of being the first Italian city to develop industrial cement production, thanks to the richness and quality of the Monferrato marl suitable, without the addition of correctives, for the manufacture of natural cement.
Lo Spettatore del Monferrato(‘TheMonferratoSpectator’) was a regionally focused periodical published weekly from 1852 to 1855 in Casale Monferrato, north-westItaly, and printed by Tipografia Corrado.
From 1907 to 1986, Casale was the site of a largeEternitfactory, that produced the homonymousasbestos cement, whose operations resulted in a massiveenvironmental disaster, linked to the death of some 1,800 people frommesotheliomaand otherasbestos-related diseasesin the area: in spite of former Eternit ownerStephan Schmidheinyand his associate, Jean-Louis de Cartie, being convicted and ordered to pay tens of millions of euros in compensation by the Turin Appeal Court in 2012, the Italian Supreme Court in 2014 declared that thestatute of limitationshad expired in the case.
The historic centre of the town is itself centred on Piazza Mazzini, the site of the Romanforum.Named forGiuseppe Mazzini, a key republican figure of theRisorgimento, it is dominated by an 1843equestrian statuebyAbbondio Sangiorgioof KingCharles AlbertofPiedmont-Sardinia, dressed inRoman costume, specifically as a senator, with his knees uncovered. The statue was commissioned by the municipal authorities as a mark of gratitude to the king for having selected Casale as the seat of Piedmont's secondCourt of Appealand to celebrate the construction of Casale's first permanent bridge across the Po. Locally the square is called Piazza Cavallo (wiktionary:cavallobeing the Italian word for "horse").
A little to the east of the square is theLombardRomanesquecathedralofSant'Evasio, founded in 742, rebuilt in the early 12th century and consecrated on 7 January 1107 byPope Paschal II. It occupies a site where once was a Roman temple dedicated toJupiter. It underwent restoration in 1706 and again in the 19th century. The cathedral has an asymmetric façade, including a complexnarthexwith two galleries (matronaei) connected by a tribune and closed by round arches. The interior houses the relics of Saint Evasius and, near thepresbytery, fragments of 11th-century pavement mosaics with Biblical scenes (now remounted on the walls of the corridor from the apse to the sacristy).
In 1471, afterWilliam VIII, Marquess of Montferrathad chosen Casale as the permanent location of the marquisate court, construction began of the church of San Domenico, to the north of Piazza Mazzini. Work on the building ceased for some time, as a result of political instability; in the early 16th century a fine, if slightly incongruous,Renaissanceportal was imposed on the lateGothicfaçade.
Via Lanza, which runs northwards from the north-west corner of Piazza Mazzini, is known for the Krumiri Rossibakery, which indeed producesKrumiri: biscuits which have been a speciality of Casale since their legendary invention in 1870 by one Domenico Rossi after an evening spent with friends in Piazza Mazzini's Caffè della Concordia (now a bank). Also in Via Lanza is the 17th-century church of San Giuseppe, probably designed bySebastiano Guala; a painting attributed to theUrsulinenunLucrina Fetti(c.1614–1651,brother ofDomenico) shows Christ venerated by Sant’Evasio and includes a very accurate depiction of contemporary Casale with its civic tower. The church and convent of San Francesco, which housed the remains of many of the Marquises of Monferrato, was turned to other uses during the 18th century and demolished in the nineteenth. The high open tower which is a landmark of Via Lanza belongs to Palazzo Morelli di Popolo; it has been attributed toBernardo Vittone, and also to Magnocavalli—both are believed to have had a hand in the refurbishment of the building.
Running west from Piazza Mazzini to Piazza Castello is Via Saffi, which contains one of the town's most recognizable landmarks: the Torre Civica. This brick tower, square in plan and 60 metres high, dates from the 11th century but suffered severe fire damage in April 1504 when a festival to celebrate the peace between Holy Roman EmperorMaximillian Iand KingLouis XII of Francegot out of hand. The reconstruction, completed six years later by Matteo Sammicheli, produced a taller structure which included the current bell chamber. The balconies attached to the upper part of the tower were added during the period of Gonzaga rule. Subsequent restorations were carried out in 1779 (after a lightning strike which destroyed the 15th-century clock) and again in 1920.
Adjoining the tower is the church ofSanto Stefanowhich stands on the east side of a small square named after it. The church's origins date to the beginning of the second millennium, but it was largely rebuilt in the mid-17th century under a project attributed toSebastiano Guala; work on the current façade began in 1787 but was not completed until the late 19th century. Inside are paintings byGiovanni Francesco Caroto(1480–1555),Il Moncalvo(1568–1625), Giorgio Alberini (1575/6 – 1625/6), andFrancesco Cairo(1607–1665). Adorning both the walls and the vault are 15tondidepicting prophets, apostles and the Virgin painted byPietro Francesco Gualain 1757, the last year of his life.
The south side of Piazza Santo Stefano, facing back towards Via Saffi, is formed by theneo-classicalPalazzo Ricci di Cereseto. The imposing façade, marked by four massive brick columns, was built in 1806 to an earlier design by the local architectFrancesco Ottavio Magnocavalli.
Also in the square, there is a marble statue of the archaeologist and architectLuigi Caninaby Benedetto Cacciatore.
Piazza Castello is a large irregularly shaped open space used as a car park and as a market square; it is dominated by thecastleof thePaleologiwhich occupies most of its western side. The square arose in 1858 through the demolition of the castle's easternravelinand was extended in the late nineteenth/early 20th century when the remaining ravelins were removed.
The castle itself is an imposing 15th-century military construction, with a hexagonal plan, four round towers and an encircling moat.
At the southeast corner of the piazza is the elegantBaroquechurch ofSanta Maria delle Grazie, better known by its earlier designation ofSanta Caterina. A masterwork ofGiovanni Battista Scapitta, completed after his death byGiacomo Zanetti, it is marked by an ellipticalcupola, and a façade curvilinear both in plan and elevation.
The theatre, which stands at the north-eastern corner of the piazza at the end of Via Saffi, opened in 1791 with a performance of theLa moglie capricciosa, anopera buffabyVincenzo Fabrizi. Its construction, to a design by Abbot Agostino Vitoli ofSpoleto, had taken six years. However, it fell into disuse during the period ofNapoleonicrule and remained closed for several decades. After extensive internal embellishment, the theatre reopened in 1840 with a performance ofVincenzo Bellini'sBeatrice di Tenda. In 1861 the theatre was sold by the Società dei Nobili to the local authority (thecomune) which made it more accessible to the general public. Nevertheless, it fell again into decline; during World War II it was used as a store. Major restoration work took place in the 1980s and the theatre finally reopened in 1990 with a performance byVittorio Gassman. Since then it has offered a mixture of theatre, music and dance, while the foyer is used for exhibitions, usually photographic.
The horseshoe-shaped auditorium with stalls, four tiers of boxes and a gallery (orloggione, i.e.the gods) is richly decorated withfrescoes,stucco,gildingandvelvet. The curtains of the royal box hang from a structure supported on stuccocaryatidsbyAbbondio Sangiorgiowho also designed the equestrian statue in Piazza Mazzini.
The stage curtain, showing Apollo in His Sun Chariot, was designed by the scenographerBernardino Galliari(1707–1794). A sketch for the curtain is preserved at the Galleria Sabauda in Turin.
From the side of the theatre, Via Garibaldi leads northwards to the 16th-century church of Sant'Ilario, founded in 380 in honour ofHilary of Poitiers. It was completely rebuilt in 1566 and was largely restructured towards the end of the 19th century. The church's polychrome façade is of interest and it contains two important works byNiccolò Musso: theMadonna del Carmine(‘Our Lady of Mount Carmel’) andSan Francesco ai piedi del Crocefisso(‘Saint Francisat the foot of theCrucifix’) originally from the church of San Francesco.
Behind the shops on the west side of Via Roma, which runs southwards from Piazza Mazzini, lay theghettowhich persisted until the emancipation of the Jews in Piedmont following Charles Albert's concession of a constitution, theStatuto Albertino, under the revolutionary pressures of 1848. TheSynagogue of Casale Monferratois inside a building at Vicolo Olper 44 that offers no hint from its nondescript exterior that it is asynagogue, built in 1595, and recognized as one of the most beautiful in Europe. The women's galleries now host an important Jewish museum. Of particular interest are theTablets of the Lawin gilded wood, dating from the 18th century, numerousrimonim(Torah finials) andatarot(crowns for theTorah scrolls) carved and with silverfiligree.
The public gardens which front the railway station extend westwards, dissected by various streets, almost to the southern end of Via Roma. They contain a range of monuments to figures of local and national renown includingGiovanni Lanza(sculpted byOdoardo Tabacchi, 1887), Giuseppe Antonio Ottavi (Leonardo Bistolfi, 1890), Filippo Mellana (Giacomo Ginotti, 1887), andGiuseppe Garibaldi(Primo Giudici, 1884).
The most important, however, is Bistolfi's war memorial of 1928 (pictured left). A marbleexedrawith fourcaryatidsin the form ofwinged victoriesis raised on a dias fronted with steps. The bronze sculptureIl Fante Crociato, a foot soldier in crusader-period costume, takes centre stage; a second bronze a lightly robedPrimavera Italica(Italic Spring) steps down from the platform and out of the ensemble.
Other public sculptures of note in Casale include the monument to King Charles Albert in Piazza Mazzini mentioned above, Bistolfi's 1887 monument toUrbano Rattazziin Piazza Rattazzi, Benedetto Cacciatori'sLuigi Caninain Piazza Santo Stefano. TheMonumento alla difesa di Casale(Francesco Porzio, 1897; pictured right), situated to the north of the castle, commemorates the vigorous action which took place during theFirst Italian War of Independencein 1849 to defend the city against Austrian troops who had just taken part in the defeat of the Piedmontese army. In the Priocco district, to the south of the historic centre, in Viale Ottavio Marchino, there is a monument by Virgilio Audagna to the cement industrialist Ottavio Marchino, son of the founder of Cementi Marchino, which is now part ofBuzzi Unicem.
The historic centre is marked by manypalazziwhich are often Baroque in appearance (though the substance is often earlier), reflecting the urban renewal which took place in the early decades of the 18th century. Among the best-known are:
The civic museum is located in the ancientconventof Santa Croce, whose cloister is decorated withfrescosbyil Moncalvo.
Casale was an important centre for Italian music from the 13th through the 17th centuries. During theAlbigensian Crusade, Casale was a refuge for troubadours fleeing regions to the west; the music of such troubadours may have been decisive in the formation of secular Italian musical styles in the14th century. In the 16th century, the town was incorporated into the holdings of the Gonzaga family, who were patrons of music throughout the Renaissance.
The cathedral there has in its archives polyphonic music byJean Mouton,Andreas de Silva, andFrancesco Cellavenia, as well as important prints byGiovanni Pierluigi da Palestrinaand other major composers of the period. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Casale was the site for premieres ofoperasbyGiulio Cesare Monteverdi,Pietro Guglielmi, andPasquale Anfossi, and was the birthplace of the Swiss-Italian composerCarlo Evasio Soliva. Currently, the city's musical centre is the Teatro Municipale.
Casale is situated in a plain wherericecultivation is predominant and in an area of cement-bearing hills andwineries. Casale is also well known for being the district of refrigeration, one of the main of Italy.
Casale Monferrato was an important centre of quarries of limestone and the production of lime (since the Roman times the strength of the lime produced in the Monferrato area was well known by designers and architects). Since the XIX century Casale Monferrato became the Italian capital for binders production: Lime Putty, Hydraulic Lime and Cement.Indeed, the city had the merit of being the first Italian city to develop industrial cement production, thanks to the richness and quality of the Monferrato marl suitable, without the addition of correctives, for the manufacture of natural cement. Among the many testimonies present in the city and symbols of the history of cement production in Casale Monferrato are the Paraboloide and the Furnasetta.
Since the early 1900s Casale has been known above all forcementproduction;Buzzi Unicem, one of the largest cement producers in the world, is headquartered in the town.
After WW2 Casale become also an important manufacturing centre for the production ofrefrigerators, with the first company called Franger Frigor s.r.l. being established in the town in 1945.
New companies started in 1957 Mondial Frigori s.r.l. and many more after.
Only to name few Carma S.p.A., Cofi S.p.A., Framec S.p.A., all of them connected in some way with Franger Frigor.
In 1965 Vendo Italy S.p.A. which sells bottle coolers and vending machines.
Late '60 Cold Car started a new production in refrigerated vehicles using eutectic plates.
Other companies started production in the following years: Industra Apparecchiature Refrigerate IAR, PastorFrigor, GeneralFilter, Unifrigor, IARP.
"Dena" is another company working on refrigeration filters and capillary tubes.
Around 13 manufacturing companies work now in this field.
Most of the production in Casale is about Vending machines, Bottle Coolers, Vertical and Horizontal Cabinet, Refrigerated trucks.
In this field, many are the technological innovations driven by environmental and energy efficiencies aspects which are used by those companies.
Casale is also known for the training facilities in refrigeration and air conditioning organised by Centro Studi Galileo since 1975.
Casale Monferrato istwinnedwith:
The town'sfootballclub,A.S. Casale Calcio, was founded in 1909. Within five years it achieved the twin peaks of its success: in 1913 it became the first Italian club to beat an English professional team (Reading F.C.), and in the 1913–14 season it won the Italian Championship. The team dropped out ofSerie Ain 1934, however, and since the 2006–7 season, it has been playing inSerie D/A.
During the 1970s, an annual under-21 football tournament took place in Casale Monferrato. It was named the "Caligaris" International Tournament, afterUmberto Caligaris.
The localbasketballteam,A.S. Junior Libertas Pallacanestro Casale Monferrato, was founded in 1956 and today competes inLega Basket Serie A, the first tier of the sport in Italy.
Notable people born in Casale, or with close connections to the town, include:
A siege of the town plays a significant off-stage role inAlessandro Manzoni's novelThe Betrothed, and is the centre of Chapter 2 of the novelThe Island of the Day BeforebyUmberto Eco, who was born in neighbouringAlessandria. Casale also appears in a best-selling historical yarnBellarion the Fortunateby the Anglo-Italian writerRafael Sabatini. A real 13th-century personality,Ubertino of Casale, is a character in Eco's historical novelThe Name of the Rose(1980). The town features in the popular French 1960s TV serialThe Flashing Blade.