Popolo, Pozzo Sant'Evasio, Roncaglia, San Germano, Santa Maria Del Tempio, Terranova, Cantone Bassotti, Cantone Cerreto, Cantone Il Rondò, Cantone La Cascinetta, Cantone La Ceriella, Cantone Losa, Cantone Rossi, Cantone Vallare, Castellino, I Dossi, Rolasco, Vialarda, Villa Sordi[1]
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 theGonzagas who fortified it with a large citadel. In the 17th century, Casale was heavily involved in theWar of the Mantuan Succession and besieged by French and Spanish troops. During the wars ofItalian unification the town was a defensive bulwark against theAustrian Empire.
In the 1900s Casale, in the middle of theTurin-Milan-Genoa industrial triangle, developed as an important industrial centre, especially known for the production oflime andcement.[4]
Furthermore, theasbestos cement industry has also developed. A localEternit factory has been at the centre of a massive environmental scandal, with subsequent high-profile litigation that often made international headlines.[5]
The fortified town from an engraving of 1745. On the left the riverPo, and to the right the star-shapedcittadella
The origins of the town are fairly obscure. It is known that theGaulish settlement 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 underLombard rule, 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 theArian Duke Attabulo.Liutprand, King of the Lombards is 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.
In 1536 it passed to theGonzagas ofMantua, who fortified it strongly. Thereafter it was of considerable importance as a fortress[7] and was besieged during theMantuan War of Succession.
In 1745, following the defeat of the Piedmontese army at theBattle of Bassignano during 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 theBaroque style made a substantial contribution to the urban texture.[3][8]
Memorial to asbestos victims on the former Eternit factory site. There is written: "The handkerchiefs soaked in our tears will put on wings and fly far to develop deep roots of justice".
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.[9]
Lo Spettatore del Monferrato (‘TheMonferrato Spectator’) was a regionally focused periodical published weekly from 1852 to 1855 in Casale Monferrato, north-westItaly, and printed by Tipografia Corrado.[10]
From 1907 to 1986, Casale was the site of a largeEternit factory, that produced the homonymousasbestos cement, whose operations resulted in a massiveenvironmental disaster, linked to the death of some 1,800 people frommesothelioma and otherasbestos-related diseases in the area: in spite of former Eternit ownerStephan Schmidheiny and 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 limitations had expired in the case.[11]
The historic centre of the town is itself centred on Piazza Mazzini, the site of the Romanforum.[12] Named forGiuseppe Mazzini, a key republican figure of theRisorgimento, it is dominated by an 1843equestrian statue byAbbondio Sangiorgio of KingCharles Albert ofPiedmont-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 Appeal and to celebrate the construction of Casale's first permanent bridge across the Po. Locally the square is called Piazza Cavallo (wiktionary:cavallo being the Italian word for "horse").
A little to the east of the square is theLombardRomanesquecathedral ofSant'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 complexnarthex with 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 Montferrat had 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,Renaissance portal was imposed on the lateGothic façade.
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 theUrsuline nunLucrina Fetti (c.1614–1651,[13] 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.
Piazza Mazzini; in the background Via Saffi leads past the civic tower towards Piazza Castello
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 I and KingLouis XII of France got 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 Stefano which 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 15tondi depicting prophets, apostles and the Virgin painted byPietro Francesco Guala in 1757, the last year of his life.
The south side of Piazza Santo Stefano, facing back towards Via Saffi, is formed by theneo-classical Palazzo 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 Canina by 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 thecastle of thePaleologi which occupies most of its western side. The square arose in 1858 through the demolition of the castle's easternravelin and was extended in the late nineteenth/early 20th century when the remaining ravelins were removed.
At the southeast corner of the piazza is the elegantBaroque church 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 buffa byVincenzo Fabrizi. Its construction, to a design by Abbot Agostino Vitoli ofSpoleto, had taken six years. However, it fell into disuse during the period ofNapoleonic rule 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,gilding andvelvet. The curtains of the royal box hang from a structure supported on stuccocaryatids byAbbondio Sangiorgio who also designed the equestrian statue in Piazza Mazzini.[14]
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.[15]
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 Francis at 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 theghetto which 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 Monferrato is 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 Law in 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 marbleexedra with fourcaryatids in the form ofwinged victories is 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 Rattazzi in Piazza Rattazzi, Benedetto Cacciatori'sLuigi Canina in 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 Independence in 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.
Palazzo TrevillePalazzo San Giorgio, the town hall
The historic centre is marked by manypalazzi which 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 15th-century palazzo of the Marchesa Anna d'Alençon in Via Alessandria.
The 15th-century Palazzo Treviso, in Via Trevigi, was restructured on behalf of Anne d'Alençon before being given to the Dominican convent. During the Napoleonic period, it was used as a lyceum and has subsequently remained in scholastic use.
Palazzo Del Carretto, also known as the Casa Tornielli, in Via Canina, again dating from the 15th century, now housing a language school.
The medieval Casa Biandrate, at the junction of Via Guazzo and Via Morini, has preserved its late Gothic character.
Palazzo Sannazzaro, a gothic building in Via Mameli, remodelled in the baroque style byGiacomo Zanetti (1698–1735).
Palazzo Gozani di Treville, regarded as the most beautiful in the town and as one of the two most important works of Giovanni Battista Scapitta, the other being the church of Santa Catarina, mentioned above. The rococòatrium and courtyard are particularly praised, as is the long and gently curved façade which follows the path of Via Mameli.
Palazzo Gozani diSan Giorgio, now the town hall, was partially rebuilt in the years 1775–8 to a design by Filippo Nicolis de Robilant. The façade is of threeorders with its windows surrounded by decorations instucco. Via Mameli.
Palazzo Magnocavalli has a façade commissioned from Giacomo Zanetti by the architectFrancesco Ottavio Magnocavalli. Inside, the monumental twisted staircase, supported by two columns, fits gracefully into a very restricted space. Via Mameli.
Palazzo Fornara, built in 1840 in theneo-classical style by theVercellese Pietro Bosso, forms the east side of Piazza Mazzini. The site was previously occupied by the church of Santa Maria di Piazza which was deconsecrated during the Napoleonic period. Since 1925 it has been a bank.
Palazzo Langosco, in Via Corte d’Appello, encloses part of the main cloister of the former Augustinian convent complex of Santa Croce. Once the seat of the Senate of Montferrat, it now houses the public library.
The neo-classical Palazzo Sacchi-Nemours, beside the Teatro Civico in Via Saffi, was built in 1750–2 by the local architect Francesco Ottavio Magnocavalli.
Palazzo Ricci di Cereseto, in Piazzetta di S. Stefano, has an imposing neo-classical façade fronted by four massive brickwork columns, constructed in 1806 by G. Battista Formiglia, probably following a design by Magnocavalli.
Palazzo Gaspardone-Ottavi, in Via Cavour, came into the possession of the Ottavi family during the 19th century and is noted for Bistolfi's plaque commemoratingOttavio Ottavi (anoenologist known also, in his home town, for writing theInno ai krumiri, or ‘hymn to the krumiri biscuits’) and a memorial tablet toSaint Luigi Gonzaga.
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.[16]
Casale is situated in a plain whererice cultivation 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.[17] 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.[18]
Since the early 1900s Casale has been known above all forcement production;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.[19]
The town'sfootball club,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 A in 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.[21]
Saint Joseph's Fair (Mostra mercato di San Giuseppe). A fair of industry, commerce, handicraft, and agriculture held since 1946. Mid-March; Cittadella.
Rice and Roses (Riso&Rose). A festival of concerts, pageants, markets and other events held in and around Casale since 2001. May.
Folkermesse (from Folk +Kermesse). The world folk music and dance festival, first staged in Casale in 1983, includes the town on its summer itinerary. July–September.
Magiche Figure. Exhibition of puppet theatre from Italy and abroad. September.
Festival of Wine and the Monferrato. A celebration of local wine and food together with related events. Mid-September.
Monthly
Antiques market. Founded in 1973, this popular market is held on the second weekend of the month (except August) in the Mercato Pavia.
TheArtemista craft market andIl Paniere market of organic produce market are held on the third Saturday of each month in Piazza Mazzini.
Casale Open City (Casale Città Aperta, a play on the title of the classicneorealist filmRoma, città aperta). Many of the town's monuments are open, with free guided tours on Sunday afternoon. The second weekend of the month.
Ferdinando del Cairo (1666–1748), a painter of the Italian Baroque school, was born in Casale
Giacomo Zanetti (1698–1735), master-builder and architect who completed the baroque reconstruction of Santa Caterina, and built severalpalazzi in the town
^Rossi, Bruno; Rossino, Gian Mario (2010).Appunti di storia dell'industria dei leganti del Monferrato [Notes on the history of the Monferrato binder industry] (in Italian). Casale Monferrato: Associazione Il Cemento.
^Rossi, Bruno; Rossino, Gian Mario (2010).Appunti di storia dell'industria dei leganti del Monferrato [Notes on the history of the Monferrato binder industry] (in Italian). Casale Monferrato: Associazione Il Cemento.
MonferratoArte(in Italian) A historical and bibliographical directory of artists active in the extra-urban Churches of the Diocese of Casale Monferrato.
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