A beautiful city with an ancient history –
“Pro tribus donis similis Terdona Leonis”: Three gifts – value, loyalty, courtesy – promise the ancient motto on the coat of arms of Terdona Leonis
tortona
, a beautiful city with an ancient history that has its roots far before Rome and has passed through the centuries and changing dominations as a protagonist, without ever seeing its urban identity compromised. A crossroads of major consular roads in the imperial era, it became a military and civil strategic hub in the centuries that followed. The castle was the great protagonist of the history of the city, defended by the Tortonesi from sieges until its final destruction by Napoleon. What remains of antiquity
Bell tower of the castle
that stands out on Colle Vittorio is one of the first two things you notice when you arrive in town. The other is the
Bell tower of the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Guardia
on which stands the golden statue of the Virgin.
To visit on foot or by bike –
Today Tortona is a pleasant town by human standards. The best way to visit it is on foot or by bike to be able to fully enjoy its history and discover its enchanting hidden corners. many i
thematic routes
: the
Holy
with churches, abbeys and sanctuaries, lo
Historical
with the castle, the sites and the archaeological museum and the historical buildings, the art with museums and art galleries. But maybe the best way to discover it is to start in the heart of the city,
Cathedral Square
and from here you can stroll unhurriedly to the beautiful arcaded old town, starting from
About Emilia
the ancient Roman road Æmilia Scauri.
The Masterpieces of the Divisionists –
Tortona is a great artistic treasure
Pinacoteca Il Divisionismo
the Cassa di Risparmio di Tortona Foundation, located to the right of the Duomo in the medieval palace, dedicated to the famous “split painting”, a typically Italian artistic phenomenon that emerged at the end of the 19th century. Unique in its kind, it contains a hundred works created between the 19th and 20th centuries by the great Divisionist artists (such as
Plinio Nomellini, Angelo Morbelli, Carlo Fornara, Longoni
) and contains the most enduring body of work by Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo. The uniqueness of the collection derives not only from the presence of works of considerable originality, but also from lesser-known signatures, from the high-level path followed by the paintings: from the chromatic experiments of the Scapigliatura to the more mature application of the divided technique of the in the nineties of the 19th century committed social artists to the empirical approaches in the symbolist field up to the first essays of the Futurists, for whom Divisionism was the language of modernity.
Dolls and Archeology –
The puppet and marionette exhibition is really curious and fascinating not only for theater and puppet fans, but also for children
Sarina studio
, which collects marionettes, marionettes, posters, plays and scenery owned and produced by the famous master puppeteer Peppino Sarina (the last heir to a dynasty of popular artists since the mid-19th century), whose laboratory and other theatrical artists have been reconstructed. of traditional animation. The collection is on the first floor of the so-called Palazzo dei Musei, housed in
Guidobono Palace
on the ground floor and in the basement the
Municipal Archaeological Museum
where important finds from the rich archaeological heritage of Tortona are exhibited (the first rooms are open to the public until completion). The building also houses the municipal art collections, art gallery and temporary exhibitions.
The Sanctuary of the Madonna della Guardia and Don Orione –
Destination of pilgrimages from all over the world, in the right aisle it houses the tomb of Don Luigi Orione, founder of the Minor Work of Divine Providence, canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2004. Since then, the statue has stood on the monumental, 60-meter-high tower the famous statue of the Madonna and Child – 14 meters high – cast in bronze and covered with gold. To make this possible, in the winter of 1931, Don Luigi Orione traveled through the diocese, country by country, to collect the copper needed for the construction.
lady kisses –
They are the symbol of Tortona and have been made by artisan pastry shops since the 19th century. They are an absolute delicacy, characterized by unique fragrance and delicacy properties. The original recipe that sets them apart involves using almonds instead of hazelnuts. The variant “
golden kisses
”, With an ovoid shape and a golden coating, foresees the addition of chocolate even in the dough.
Hike through wineries and ancient villages in the Tortonesi Hills –
A few kilometers and from the town you can immerse yourself in the rural atmosphere of the beautiful hills of Tortona, dotted with ancient villages, vineyards and wineries and orchards, ideal to visit this autumn period. Agriculture has always been the vocation of the Tortona area and wine is the prime example of this. Among them all, the white wines stand out
Timorasso
, an autochthonous white grape variety that has existed since ancient times but was only cultivated again by local winegrowers towards the end of the 1980s, making it one of the most famous white wines of Piedmont. In the cellars you can taste this golden colored wine, a priceless treasure of tradition and local history, and the other DOC Colli Tortonesi (including Barbera, Dolcetto, Cortese, Moscato), perhaps accompanied by an excellent local salami or a good dish of incomparable ones Agnolotti (Anlôt), once a first course of the great holidays, and in autumn with dishes based on precious truffles.
Between history and gastronomy –
Tortona was the site of the wedding ceremony and banquet of Gian Galeazzo Sforza and Isabella d’Aragona in 1489. He was an exceptional master of ceremonies
Leonardo da Vinci
commissioned by Ludovico il Moro to create “not a simple, if opulent, banquet, but something more, something unprecedented, a triumph not only of food but of music and poetry”. That’s how it happened
the most sumptuous banquet of the late fifteenth century
. For the first time in history, food was served later rather than piled up early in the party. Each course was accompanied by songs, music, dances and poems. According to some historians, the Tortona banquet even sanctioned the birth of modern ballet, as the dances were for the first time an artistic display to be enjoyed by spectators. According to tradition, was the only cheese allowed to the banquet
Monte Bore
the cheese in the shape of a wedding cake that is still made today in the Tortona valleys.
More information: www.vivitortona.it