Alessandria: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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EUR 55 - 95 Hotel Lux
 Set in the city centre, 10 minutes´ walk from Alessandria Train Station, Lux is a brand-new hotel offering modern rooms with satellite TV and fr… MoreEUR 39 - 85 Residence Abba Samidagi
 Residence Abba Samidagi offers free parking and a large garden in the charming town of Pietra Marazzi. Buses to Alessandria centre stop just 50 metres… MoreEUR 65 - 150 Hotel Londra
 Hotel Londra is centrally located in Alessandria, within easy reach of the train station, the theatre and the university. It offers free parking and f… MoreEUR 55 - 130 Hotel Europa
 Hotel Europa is located in the heart of Alessandria, a 10-minute walk from both the station and Alessandria Cathedral. It offers private indoor parkin… MoreEUR 50 - 95 Domus Hotel
 Hotel Domus enjoys a central location in the heart of Alessandria, just a few metres from the town’s main shopping street and 300 metres from the tr… MoreEUR 55 - 120 Alli Due Buoi Rossi
 Alli Due Buoi Rossi is an elegant hotel, set in a historic building in the centre of Alessandria. The railway station is within walking distance.
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Alessandria: Guide
Alessandria (Lisandria in Piedmontese language|Piedmontese) is a city in Piedmont, Italy, and the capital of the Province of Alessandria. The city is sited on the river Tanaro River|Tanaro, 55 miles southeast of Turin.
Alessandria is also a major railroad hub.
History
Alessandria was founded in 1168 upon a preexisting urban nucleus, to serve as a stronghold for the Lombard League, defending the traditional liberties of the Medieval commune|communes of northern Italy against the Holy Roman Empire|Imperial forces of Frederick Barbarossa.
Alessandria stood in the territories of the marchese of Herculanus’ successful defense of Perugia several centuries earlier) says it was saved by a quick-witted peasant, Gagliaudo: he fed his cow with the last grain remaining within the city, then took it outside the city walls until he reached the Imperial camp. Here he was captured, and his cow cut open to be cooked: when the Imperials found the cow's stomach filled with grain, Gagliaudo was asked the reason to waste such a rich meal. He answered that he was forced to feed his cow with grain because there was such a lot of it, and no room to place it within the city. The Emperor, fearing that the siege would last too long, left Alessandria free. (Malaria was probably the real cause of his departure.) A statue of Gagliaudo can be found on the left corner of the city cathedral. Alessandria was granted a charter as a free commune in 1198, but entered into jealous conflicts with the older communes of the region, in particular with Asti.
In 1348 Alessandria fell into the hands of the Visconti and passed with their possessions to the Sforza, following the career of Milan, until 1707, when it was ceded to the House of Savoy and henceforth formed part of Piedmont.
With Napoleon's success at the Battle of Marengo (1800), it fell to France and became the capital of the Napoleonic Marengo (département)|Département of Marengo. During this period a substantial fort was built to the north of the city containing impressive and substantial barracks which are still used as a military HQ and stores (2006). The remains of a second fort to the south of the city (Christo quarter) have been sliced in two by a railway.
From 1814 Alessandria was Savoyard territory once more, part of the Kingdom of Sardinia.
During the years of the Risorgimento, Alessandria was an active center of the liberals.
In a suburb, Spinetta Marengo, the Battle of Marengo is Reenactment|reenacted annually, on June 14.
Alessandria was the first capital of an Italian province to be governed by a Socialist: the clockmaker Paolo Sacco was elected sindaco. July 25, 1899.
Alessandria was a tactical military target during World War II and was subjected to intense Allied bombing, the most serious being the raids of April 30, 1944, with 238 dead and hundreds wounded, and April 5, 1945, with 160 deaths, among them 60 children from the children's asylum in Via Gagliaudo (when the town had already been freed by the partisans).
On November 6, 1994 the Tanaro flooded a good part of the city, causing major damage, especially in the Orti quarter.
Events
Battle of Marengo
Fraskettando SkaBluesJazz Festival . Band who played included The Blues Brothers Band, Eddie Floyd, Soft Machine, Mick Abrahams & Clive Bunker and other. Period: 6, 7, 8 July.
Michele Pittaluga International Classical Guitar Competition Premio Città di Alessandria
International Rally "Madonnina dei Centauri".
Visiting Alessandria
Localities to visit include the Morbello commune with activities including hiking, mountain biking, wineries and farmstead bed-and-breakfasts.
People born in Alessandria
Umberto Eco, writer
Carlo Carrà, painter
Giovanni Migliara, painter
Angelo Morbelli, painter
Urbano Rattazzi, statesman of the Risorgimento
Gianni Rivera, footballer
Blessed Teresa Grillo Michel. founder of the Congregation of the Little Sisters of Divine Providence
Museums
The Marengo Battle Museum
External links
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikipedia article "Alessandria". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.
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