Tortona Cathedral (postcard from c. 1890)Piazza Duomo, with the cathedral and on the right the bishops' palace
Known in ancient times asDertona, the city was probably the oldest colony under Roman rule in the westernmost section of the Valley of thePo, on the road leading fromGenua (Genoa) toPlacentia (Piacenza). The city was founded c. 123–118 BC at the junction of the great roads; theVia Postumia and theVia Aemilia Scauri which merged to become theVia Julia Augusta. The site made Dertona an important military station under the Romans.Strabo speaks of it as one of the most considerable towns in this part of Italy, and fromPliny wrote that it was a Roman colony.Velleius mentions it among those founded under the Republic, it appears to have been recolonised underAugustus; some inscriptions therefore give it the title ofJulia Dertona.[4] The assassin of Caesar,Brutus, encamped at Dertona on his march in pursuit ofMark Antony, after theBattle of Mutina,[5] and it was one of the places where a body of troops was usually stationed during the later ages of the empire.[6]
A bishopric was founded at Tortona early, but its first bishops are purely legendary, likeSaint Marcianus of Tortona, called the first bishop of Piedmont and a disciple ofBarnabas, the companion of Paul. Until the 9th century, the city was under the rule of its bishop; in 1090 it became afree commune with the name ofTerdona. In 1133 the diocese was separated from the archbishopric of Milan to the new archdiocese of Genoa (CE "Lombardy").
During theMiddle Ages, Tortona was a faithful ally of theGuelphs and was destroyed several times, notably byFrederick Barbarossa.[8] From 1260 to 1347 the city was dominated by a series of different Italian noble families and adventurers. In 1347, Tortona was decisively incorporated into the territories of theDuchy of Milan, under which remained until 1735. One of the rulers in this period wasFacino Cane, who in the unsettled affairs of Lombardy had assembled a string of lordships and great wealth which he bequeathed to his wife, Beatrice, and arranged with his friends that a marriage should be effected between her andFilippo Maria Visconti. According toMachiavelli[9] "By this union Filippo became powerful, and reacquired Milan and the whole of Lombardy. By way of being grateful for these numerous favors, as princes commonly are, he accused Beatrice of adultery and caused her to be put to death".[10] Then following the vicissitudes of theWar of the Polish Succession, the city was occupied by theKing of Sardinia, and "count of Tortona" was added to the titles of theHouse of Savoy.
Tortona is the capital of an area known as Colli Tortonesi, which stretches from the town to the border withLiguria. The area is known for the variety and of its products and for the intensive wine production, includingBarbera,Dolcetto,Moscato andTimorasso, the autochthonous wine of the region which traces its origin back to the 14th century. Truffles are another important fruit of this land and the Colli Tortonesi is the only place in Piedmont to have three varieties of truffle:White truffle,Black Truffle and scorzone.
Roman remains, traditionally identified as the Mausoleum of the Roman EmperorMaiorianus.
Palazzo Guidobono (15th century), restructured in 1939 to bring back its Gothic façade. It has traces of Renaissance frescoes.
Thecathedral (mid-16th century). The façade is a neoclassicist addition of the 19th century. The interior has works byCamillo Procaccini,Aurelio Luini and others. It houses also the relics of St. Martianus, patron of Tortona, and the tombs of many important religious figures, including DonLorenzo Perosi and his brother CardinalCarlo Perosi.
Liceo Giuseppe Peano, built in the 19th century.
The Bishops' Palace (1584), with a noteworthy Renaissance portal. It has a triptych ofMadonna with Child and Saints byMacrino d'Alba (1499).
Abbey of Santa Maria di Rivalta, in thefrazione of Rivalta Scrivia. It is aRomanesque structure founded before 1151. It houses several 15th-century frescoes.
Saint Innocent of Tortona (died c. 350), who survived the persecutions and was sent as bishop to Tortona byPope Sylvester.
Bishop Gezo of Tortona in the10th century wrote aTreatise on the Body and Blood of the Lord.[1]
Marziano da Tortona, secretary to DukeFilippo Maria Visconti of Milan, is one of the people credited with inventing the card game ofTarocchi[2].Ancient church in the town center
^Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Dertona".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray;Vell. Pat.,Historiae, i. 15;Plin.,H.N., iii. 5. s. 7.
The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites (eds. Richard Stillwell, William L. MacDonald, Marian Holland McAllister)
Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD)
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Tortona".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
