Viguzzolo is a ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' (municipality) in the

Province of Alessandria The Province of Alessandria ( it, Provincia di Alessandria; pms, Provincia ëd Lissandria; in Piedmontese of Alessandria: ''Provinsa ëd Lissändria'') is an Italian province, with a population of some 425,000, which forms the southeastern part o ...

in the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

region

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

, located about east of

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

and about east of

Alessandria Alessandria (; pms, Lissandria ) is a city and ''comune'' in Piedmont, Italy, and the capital of the Province of Alessandria. The city is sited on the alluvial plain between the Tanaro and the Bormida rivers, about east of Turin. Alessandria ...

. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,964 and an area of .All demographics and other statistics: Italian statistical institute

Istat The Italian National Institute of Statistics ( it, Istituto nazionale di statistica; Istat) is the main producer of official statistics in Italy. Its activities include the census of population, economic censuses and a number of social, economic ...

. Viguzzolo borders the following municipalities: Berzano di Tortona,

Casalnoceto Casalnoceto is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about east of Turin and about east of Alessandria. Casalnoceto borders the following municipalities: Castellar Guidobono, Godiasco, ...

Castellar Guidobono Castellar Guidobono is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about east of Turin and about east of Alessandria. Castellar Guidobono borders the following municipalities: Casalnoceto, ...

Pontecurone Pontecurone (Piedmontese: ''Poncròu'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located on the left bank of the Curone, about east of Turin and about east of Alessandria. Pontecurone borders ...

Sarezzano Sarezzano (Western Lombard: ''Sarsòu'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about east of Turin and about east of Alessandria. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,171 ...

Tortona Tortona (; pms, Torton-a , ; lat, Dhertona) is a ''comune'' of Piemonte, in the Province of Alessandria, Italy. Tortona is sited on the right bank of the Scrivia between the plain of Marengo and the foothills of the Ligurian Apennines. History ...

, and Volpeglino.

History

Already mentioned in ninth-century documents, it was a free commune and in 1278 obtained Tortona citizenship. Together with Tortona, it became part of the

Visconti Visconti is a surname which may refer to: Italian noble families * Visconti of Milan, ruled Milan from 1277 to 1447 ** Visconti di Modrone, collateral branch of the Visconti of Milan * Visconti of Pisa and Sardinia, ruled Gallura in Sardinia from ...

possessions. With the arrival of the

Sforza family The House of Sforza () was a ruling family of Renaissance Italy, based in Milan. They acquired the Duchy of Milan following the extinction of the Visconti family in the mid-15th century, Sforza rule ending in Milan with the death of the last me ...

, it was forced into public submission, under threat of destruction. It was granted as a

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an Lord, overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a for ...

to the Fogliani family of

Piacenza Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...

in 1468, and remained in the hands of this family even after it passed to the Savoys.

Main sights

* The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

of Assunta is an extension (1598-1603) of the oratory of San Bartolomeo. The

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

façade A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a Loanword, loan word from the French language, French (), which means 'frontage' or 'face'. In architecture, the façade of a building is often t ...

has a portal with a broken tympanum; the three-

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

interior has a high

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

from the church of San Marziano in Tortona. There is also an oratory. * The Annunziata Monastery dates back to the 15th century; it housed nuns of the order and

rule of St Augustine The Rule of Saint Augustine, written about the year 400, is a brief document divided into eight chapters and serves as an outline for religious life lived in community. It is the oldest monastic rule in the Western Church. The rule, developed b ...

and was suppressed in 1770 by

Pope Clement XIV Pope Clement XIV ( la, Clemens XIV; it, Clemente XIV; 31 October 1705 – 22 September 1774), born Giovanni Vincenzo Antonio Ganganelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 May 1769 to his death in Sep ...

. Today it is the seat of the municipality, schools and the civic library. * The parish church of Santa Maria is the most important monument in Viguzzolo. It is a simple Romanesque building with three naves, three semicircular apses and a double-pitched roof. The façade, decorated with small hanging arches divided irregularly by pilasters, has a round-arched door and a circular eye, probably built, like the small bell gable, in a later period. Inside, the naves are divided into four bays of quadrangular pillars with opposing half-columns. In the right aisle there is access to the crypt, made up of three small naves marked by small columns and stone capitals supporting cross vaults. The parish church is owned by the Municipality of Viguzzolo and is normally closed to the public.

Demographic evolution

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References

External links

www.comune.viguzzolo.al.it/
Cities and towns in Piedmont {{Alessandria-geo-stub