land of good living
Alba is located in the heart of the Langhe, a beautiful area, and a strong character rural, in which the work of man co-exists in perfect balance with the natural environment. A beautiful "landscape medieval "made of huge vineyards, dotted with villages, farms, villas, towers and castles, and for its extraordinary is currently nominated for recognition by UNESCO as" World Heritage ". Gentle hills where they lived and worked - inspired by the beauty of - intellectuals, artists and writers such as Cesare Pavese and Beppe Fenoglio, and today continues to attract tourists looking for authentic landscapes, as well as good wine.
The remote origins, Roman rule and the barbarian invasions
With its austere and numerous towers, which soar over the area and has been known since far, Dawn appears to the visitor as a jewel of architecture set in the countryside of the Langhe. If the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Baroque have complied with the current appearance of this noble and aristocratic town of art, the most interesting of Piedmont, it, however, hides an ancient history dating back to Neolithic times. It was at that time settled in the remote Valley Tanaro previously nomadic population, perhaps of Celtic origin, which ended up in the following centuries diversify into various ethnic groups. Began to emerge, therefore, the people of Alba, which later in the fifth century. a. C., Galli joined a group of invaders. In the second century. a. C. was then Roman rule, which still leaves the municipium some administrative independence, the village took the name of Alba Pompeia, became bigger, it was fitted with strong walls and polygonal experienced a remarkable economic and trade development. With the fall of the Roman Empire, Alba was subjected to the harsh barbarian invasions of the Visigoths, Burgundians, Franks and Lombards, and at the turn of the fifth century. d. C., the city underwent a major renovation, with the destruction of pagan temples and the building of the first Christian churches. The revival and the creation of free city came only in the tenth century., when Alba began to grow and expand, and later was faithful to the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, who would have rewarded with substantial benefits: in this period was then a further general renewal of the urban fabric that was enriched by both civil and religious buildings.
From Middle Ages to the present day
The subsequent history of Alba, throughout the Middle Ages and up to dawn of the Modern Age, was marked by many disasters, including wars continue (It became a possession of the Savoy), earthquakes and plagues, until arriving at the time of the campaign in Italy by Napoleon Bonaparte, that here, April 28, 1796, made the first wave the Italian flag, composed of red, blue and orange, today adopted by the banner of the Piedmont Region. But it was a mere illusion, as the French domination, far from bringing freedom, meant a phase of economic harassment to Alba, where we have to add damage to monuments and the theft of works of art. More recently, during the Second World War Alba was at the center of military operations as well as a fierce partisan resistance. Since the war, the town of Alba has seen a considerable urban development, which has partly altered the balance between the old town and country, but overall the town has remained fairly compact, enclosed by rolling hills.
A treasure chest of art: the Duomo towers and
to read from his long history of the monuments Alba is best reflected in the art medieval, Renaissance and Baroque to the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries dating back to the towers that still dominate the town and in the past had to be much higher (the Tradition has it that there were 100!). Today we have preserved the winds, mostly down and adapted to home: among all the three most interesting are intact and visible from the Piazza Duomo: Sineo Tower, Tower and Tower Paruzzi Asti. The remainder of the old town, which impresses with elegance and composure and the inevitable red brick, is a refined and harmonious mosaic of arenas 5:00 to 6:00-and eighteenth-century Serbian and many fine churches, including first of all the beautiful and picturesque Cathedral of St. Lorenzo was probably built on the ruins of a Roman temple, the church saw two essential architectural alterations, the Romanesque and the other one in 1486, although in the seventeenth century, after a disastrous earthquake, it underwent a general restructuring of curiosity is the thirteenth-century bell tower, which has fully incorporated the existing tower; beautiful sixteenth-century choir stalls.
The Church of San Domenico
Other noteworthy monument is the Church of San Domenico, built by the Dominicans in the thirteenth century. and restructured between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, during the French invasion, the napoleonidi, as their impious custom, used it as a stable for horses and the church was reopened for worship only in 1827. The building still retains the strict dress original Gothic, with a portal that has a deep embrasure of columns in sandstone, while the bezel is a painting depicting the Madonna and Child with St. Dominic and St. Catherine of Siena. Remarkable then the apse semi-decagonal, and within, the capitals of the pillars, each different in shape and size.
Other gems
Last but not least, deserves a special mention at the Church of St. Joseph, located in village of San Lorenzo, erected in the seventeenth century and completed in the next century, it is a rather simple building with a massive but graceful Baroque facade. Characterized by numerous chapels and a valuable walnut choir of the twelfth century, the Church of St. Joseph is especially important because it preserves the traces of the past Sunrise: under the present church, in fact, you can make that an archaeological you forward in the remains of Roman structures. Among other religious buildings, also remember the former Convent of La Maddalena, with a large porch inside the Temple of Saint Paul and the Church of San Giovanni. Turning instead to civic monuments, should be mentioned at least the Teatro Sociale, the picturesque Palace Hall, the Bishop's Palace, the Palace of the Counts of Serralunga, the palace said the noble and austere House Porro oldest house Marro. Alba also offers a visit to the Museum of Archaeology and Natural Sciences, "Federico Eusebio", located in Via Vittorio Emanuele: the exhibition is divided into two sections, one the other archaeological nature, set on the documentation and study of the territory Alba area, with particular attention to pre-history.
Culinary High quality
Also on Via Vittorio Emanuele, the main street of Alba, is open features workshops with local products, primarily wine, chocolate and truffle. Moreover, Alba is a town so steeped in art and history, but at the same time is the epicenter of a most valuable agricultural production. In terms of food and wine, alongside the famous wines, stands a great local specialty, which is the white truffle, which is dedicated to a long fair, which has its heart in the parade of floats. Like all connoisseurs know, however, the DOCG Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero are the jewels of the local wine production, which has drawn time in the agricultural landscape of the most beautiful in Italy.
TRAVEL NOTES
Directions:
E74 towards Asti and Alba then
Events :
Agribiofiera (November)
Donkey Race (October)
Link:
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