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Information about Tortona

  • For the medieval scholar, see Marziano da Tortona
Enlarge picture
Coat of arms of

Municipal coat of arms
Country Italy
RegionPiemonte
ProvinceAlessandria (AL)
Mayor
Areakm
Population
 - Total (as of 2005)
 - Density/km
Time zoneCET, UTC+1
Coordinates
GentilicTortonesi
Dialing code0131
Postal code15057
FrazioniTorre Garofoli, Rivalta Scrivia, Vho, Mombisaggio, Castellar Ponzano, Bettole di Tortona, Torre Calderai
PatronSan Marziano
 - DayMarch 6


Location of Tortona in Italy
Website: www.comune.tortona.al.it
Tortona 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

Known in ancient times as Derthona, the city was probably the oldest colony under Roman rule in the westernmost section of the Valley of the Po, on the road leading from Genua (Genoa) to Placentia (Piacenza). The city was founded circa 123 BC - 118 BC at the junction of the great roads; the Via Postumia and the Via Aemilia Scauri which merged to become the Via Julia Augusta. The site made Dertona an important military station under the Romans.

A bishopric was founded at Tortona early, but its first bishops are purely legendary, like Saint Marcianus of Tortona, called the first bishop of Piedmont and a disciple of Barnabas, the companion of Paul. Until the 9th century, the city was under the rule of its bishop; in 1090 it became a free commune with the name of Terdona. In 1133 the diocese was separated from the archbishopric of Milan to the new archdiocese of Genoa (CE "Lombardy").

In 1155 Frederick Barbarossa leveled Tortona to the ground, leaving not one stone upon another.[1]

During the Middle Ages, Tortona was a faithful ally of the Guelphs and was destroyed several times. From 1260 to 1347 the city was dominated by a series of different Italian noble families and adventurers like Facino 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 and Filippo Maria Visconti. According to Machiavelli (History of Florence, ch. 7) "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" [1]. In this way, in 1347, Tortona was decisively incorporated into the territories of the Duchy of Milan, where it remained until 1735. Then following the vicissitudes of the War of the Polish Succession, the city was occupied by the King of Sardinia, and "count of Tortona" was added to the titles of the House of Savoy.

Main sights

  • Roman remains, traditionally identified as the Mausoleum of the Roman Emperor Maiorianus
  • Palazzo Guidobono (15th century), rebuilt in 1939 with a Gothic façade. It has traces of Renaissance frescoes.
  • The cathedral (mid 16th century). The façade is a neoclassicist addition of the 19th century. The interior has works by Camillo Procaccini, Aurelio Luini and others. It houses also the relics of St. Martianus, patron of Tortona.
  • The Bishops' Palace (1584), with a noteworthy Renaissance portal. It has a triptych of Madonna with Child and Saints by Macrino d'Alba (1499).

Notable Tortonesi

People born in Tortona, or with notably close links to the town, include: Other figures with links to the town:

Twinnings

External links

References

1. ^ Norwich, John Julius. Byzantium: The Decline and Fall (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1996) p. 108
  • 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)
 •  • [ e]
Piedmont · Comuni of the Province of Alessandria
Acqui TermeAlbera LigureAlessandriaAlfiano NattaAlice Bel ColleAlluvioni CambiAltavilla MonferratoAlzano ScriviaArquata ScriviaAvolascaBalzolaBasaluzzoBassignanaBelforte MonferratoBergamascoBerzano di TortonaBistagnoBorghetto di BorberaBorgo San MartinoBorgoratto AlessandrinoBosco MarengoBosioBozzoleBrignano-FrascataCabella LigureCamagna MonferratoCaminoCantalupo LigureCapriata d'OrbaCarbonara ScriviaCarentinoCarezzanoCarpenetoCarrega LigureCarrosioCartosioCasal CermelliCasale MonferratoCasaleggio BoiroCasalnocetoCasascoCassano SpinolaCassineCassinelleCastellaniaCastellar GuidobonoCastellazzo BormidaCastelletto MerliCastelletto MonferratoCastelletto d'ErroCastelletto d'OrbaCastelnuovo BormidaCastelnuovo ScriviaCastelspinaCavatoreCella MonteCeresetoCerreto GrueCerrina MonferratoConioloConzanoCosta VescovatoCremolinoCuccaro MonferratoDeniceDerniceFabbrica CuroneFelizzanoFraconaltoFrancavilla BisioFrascaroFrassinello MonferratoFrassineto PoFresonaraFrugaroloFubineGabianoGamaleroGarbagnaGavazzanaGaviGiaroleGremiascoGrognardoGrondonaGuazzoraIsola Sant'AntonioLermaLuMalvicinoMasioMelazzoMeranaMirabello MonferratoMolareMolino dei TortiMombello MonferratoMomperoneMoncestinoMongiardino LigureMonlealeMontacutoMontaldeoMontaldo BormidaMontecastelloMontechiaro d'AcquiMontegiocoMontemarzinoMorano sul PoMorbelloMorneseMorsascoMurisengoNovi LigureOccimianoOdalengo GrandeOdalengo PiccoloOlivolaOrsara BormidaOttiglioOvadaOviglioOzzano MonferratoPadernaParetoParodi LigurePasturanaPecetto di ValenzaPietra MarazziPioveraPomaro MonferratoPontecuronePontesturaPontiPonzano MonferratoPonzonePozzol GroppoPozzolo FormigaroPrascoPredosaQuargnentoQuattordioRicaldoneRivalta BormidaRivaroneRocca GrimaldaRoccaforte LigureRocchetta LigureRosignano MonferratoSala MonferratoSaleSan CristoforoSan Giorgio MonferratoSan Salvatore MonferratoSan Sebastiano CuroneSant'Agata FossiliSardiglianoSarezzanoSerralunga di CreaSerravalle ScriviaSezzadioSilvano d'OrbaSoleroSolonghelloSpigno MonferratoSpineto ScriviaStazzanoStreviTagliolo MonferratoTassaroloTerruggiaTerzoTicinetoTortonaTrevilleTrisobbioValenzaValmaccaVignale MonferratoVignole BorberaViguzzoloVilladeatiVillalverniaVillamiroglioVillanova MonferratoVillaromagnanoVisoneVolpedoVolpeglino Voltaggio


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In Italy, a province (in Italian: provincia) is an administrative division of intermediate level between municipality (comune) and region (regione).
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Saint Marcian (Marciano, Marziano, Marcianus) of Tortona (died around 120 AD) is traditionally said to have been the first bishop of Tortona, a post he held for forty-five years.
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Province of Alessandria

Nation Italy
Region Piedmont
Capital Alessandria
Area 3,560 km
Population (2005) 429,080
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The Via Postumia was an ancient highroad of northern Italy constructed in 148 BC by the consul Spurius Postumius Albinus.

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The Via Aemilia Scauri [1] was an ancient Roman road built by the censor Marcus Aemilius Scaurus around 107 BCE and connected Rome to Genoa. The Via Aemilia Scauri merged with the Via Postumia to become the Via Julia Augusta.
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The Via Julia Augusta is the name given to the Roman road formed by the merging of the Via Aemilia Scauri with the Via Postumia, running from Placentia (modern Piacenza) to Arelates (modern Arles) through Derthona (Tortona), Vada Sabatia (Vado Ligure), Albingaunum (Albenga) and
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Saint Marcian (Marciano, Marziano, Marcianus) of Tortona (died around 120 AD) is traditionally said to have been the first bishop of Tortona, a post he held for forty-five years.
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Saint Barnabas was an early Christian mentioned in the New Testament. His Hellenic Jewish parents called him Joseph (although the Byzantine text-type calls him Ιὠσης, Iōsēs
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