Comune Ozzano Monferrato

Since 2014, Ozzano has been among the 9 municipalities included in the Core Zone of the UNESCO site "I paesaggio Vitivincoli del Piemonte" (The Vineyard landscape of Piedmont) composing "The Monferrato degli Infernot" (The Monferrato of the Infernots). Thanks to these particularities, the panoramic position and the conservation of the ancient village, Ozzano Monferrato has been elected Orange Flag. The village, with the small historical centre with the houses perched on the hill and dominated by the church and the castle, develops between the plain and the hills of Monferrato cultivated with vineyards, and can be discovered with delightful walks, on foot or by bike. The history of Ozzano Monferrato is linked to the contrasts of power between the Bishops of Vercelli and of the Marquis of Monferrato. In 1521, the fiefdom was purchased by Mercurino Arborio Gattinara, Grand Chancellor of Emperor Charles V, and the remarkable frescoes of the Parish Church of San Salvatore, one of the largest Renaissance cycles in Piedmont, are probably linked to this commission. The historical centre of the village shows a medieval layout, with the exceptional casa Bonaria, a 15th century home that is still in use. The history of Ozzano Monferrato tells us very interesting chapters, even in the period closest to us: there are considerable emergences of industrial archaeology, linked to the lime mining and cement industry, enhanced in the exhibition space MiCeM – Miners and Mines of Cement of Monferrato Casalese. The wealth of industrial archaeological heritage in Ozzano can be discovered along the Valley of the Rio Fontanola, which is home to the highest concentration of important architectural and technical testimonies connected to the history of the lime and cement industry that developed here between the 19th and 20th century. The first testimony encountered is the Former Milanese e Azzi plant, built in 1894, with its six vertical masonry furnaces, divided into a set of four and a set of two. Continuing, you meet the former plant of the Italian union Cementi Marchino, then the homes of the workers from Bergamo who had arrived in Monferrato to replace the local workers on strike.

To enjoy the most beautiful views of the surrounding hills, we recommend the 19th century gardens of Villa Barbano and of the Castle, with a centuries-old cedar tree from the Lebanon. They are now private, but open when there are guided tours of the village.