Casale Monferrato was a historically flourishing colony, it was born in Rome and then transformed into a village after the fall of the empire: Casale di S. Evasio in honor of the holy bishop.

He then found himself in the orbit of the Aleramici who ended their story during the Crusades in the Holy Land. In 1306 arrived the Paleologians, an imperial family from Byzantium; Casale thus became the capital of a small but strategic marquisate, a real gem among the small Italian states.

After the end of the dynasty, with the death of the Marquise Anna d’Alençon Valois, in 1559, the Gonzagas of Mantua prevailed over all the other claimants to the succession, thanks to the Emperor Charles V The Marquisate of Monferrato was the dynasty which most deeply marked the characteristics of the city itself and its rural environment.

In 1713, the Savoy family annexed the Marquisate of Monferrato; the story of Casale Monferrato then continued in the Kingdom of Sardinia.

In 1745, during the War of Pragmatic Sanction for Succession to the Austrian Throne, he was struck by severe damage to churches and convents. Immediately after, Casale was struck by the Baroque wind and thanks to the commitment of the noble bourgeoisie, elegant architecture was born in churches and palaces, which is still admired today.

With the defeat of Novara, he resisted the Austrian troops to the end. In the second war of independence, it was the pivot of the Franco-Piedmontese strategy. At the end of the 19th century, Casale became the cement capital and in the 20th century it developed into the sector of refrigerators and printing machines.

Many historical and architectural elements contribute to give the city the splendor it represents: the magnificent Duomo, the oldest monument in the city of one of the most important Romansh-style cathedrals in Piedmont, with its rich treasure of the cathedral (Sacristia Aperta); the historic Palazzo Treville and Palazzo Anna d’Alençon; the civic tower; the splendid baroque synagogue, declared a national monument in 1969, is richly decorated with gilded paintings and stucco, with adjoining Jewish museums; the Civic Museum and Bistolfi Gipsoteca, of great value; the church of Santa Caterina, the castle of Monferrato, born as a defense castle, which after an effective restoration, came back to life like a beating heart, hosting events and exhibitions every year.To discover the city of Casale Monferrato, an excellent opportunity is the event of the open city of Casale: it takes place on the second Sunday of the month and the previous Saturday, with monuments and guided tours open to the public.

Inaugurated on September 10, 2016, the Eternot Park is a public green space of the city, a hanging garden that occupies the area on which the Eternit factory was located, the largest factory for the production of asbestos products in Europe, active from 1907 to 1986. The name of the park has its origins in history: the old name Eternit was changed to Eternot.

Born in memory of all asbestos victims, it wants to symbolize the city’s commitment to the fight against asbestos: it is the green symbol of the rebirth of a city that has faced pain. and pain due to asbestos, but which was able to react, recover all the city’s public buildings and make a major contribution to the promotion of medical research on associated diseases.

So far, in all of Italy, this is the only example in the world of an urban park built in place of an asbestos products factory.

The Eternot park hosts monuments, footbridges, play areas, sports and a section of cycle path that connects it to the urban center on one side and to other cycle paths and areas dedicated to mountain biking on the other, benches, drinking fountains, picnic areas and an arena with a diameter of 20 meters to host events. Of the pre-existing factory, the Palazzina Eternit, which housed the executive offices, currently under restoration, and the well, which served the water plant, remain visible.

The park sends a strong message: Casale is no longer the city of asbestos, but the city which actively fights against asbestos.

The Municipal Theater is an important Empire-style building located in the town of Casale Monferrato, in Piedmont.

It was commissioned in 1780 by nobles from the architect Abbot Agostino Vitoli of Spoleto, whom he completed in 1786. The building was then inaugurated in 1791 with an unpublished work by Vincenzo Fabrizio, entitled L’épouse capricieuse.

The main hall of the theater is an authentic architectural gem, a classic example of an Italian-style theater and consists of an audience and four floors of boxes and a gallery, with carved and gilded parapets, among which the royal stands out in the center. The ceiling is decorated with frescoes, works of the Galliari brothers, in the center of which is a splendid crystal chandelier with golden finishes.

The theater was closed during the Napoleonic period and was only reopened in 1840 with the performance of La Béatrice di Tenda by Vincenzo Bellini (remember that Béatrice was the wife of the leader of the Casale, Facino Cane).

In 1861 the theater was sold by the Società dei Nobili to the municipality of Casale, but due to a series of management difficulties the theater remained closed for over 100 years.

Subjected to a meticulous internal and external restoration which restores the decoration in stucco, gilding and velvet, it is only in the 80s and finally in 1990 that the prestigious actor Vittorio Gassman inaugurates the reopening of the Municipal Theater with the show “Brindisi per a teatro “. To this day, with its seasons of prose, music and dance, and also being a meeting point for many conferences and cultural encounters, it remains a must in the cultural landscape of Casalese.

Famous attractions in Monferrato are the beautiful Big Benches: giant benches positioned in front of wonderful views among the hills, where you can spend a day in serenity. Also suitable for families, they are numerous and of different colors. They were created to give visitors the opportunity to look at the landscapes from a different perspective. Once you get on it, you will be catapulted into another dimension. You can find them in the following municipalities: Rosignano Monferrato, Sala Monferrato, San Salvatore, Lu Monferrato, Cuccaro Monferrato, Vignale Monferrato.

In addition to the giant benches, the vineyards are transformed into beautiful coloring sheets with giant pencils that surround this wonderful scenery. Fun and playful, the Monferrato vineyards become art and history in this breathtaking landscape.

In the list of things to visit, you cannot miss a visit to the Infernot: caves dug into the Pietra da Cantoni without light and air. They were and are still used today to keep bottled wine. The particular characteristics of constant temperature and humidity allow the excellent preservation of the most precious bottles! The Monferrato hills are full of Infernot, as wine is another peculiarity of our territory. The Infernot itinerary is now recognized by Unesco as a world heritage site. The Infernot del Monferrato are located in: Rosignano Monferrato, Cella Monte, Frassinello Monferrato, Grazzano Badoglio, Sala Monferrato, Vignale Monferrato, Terruggia, Ottiglio, Camagna Monferrato, Ponzano Monferrato, Treville, Ozzano Monferrato, Fubine Monferrato.

Commissioned by the Gonzagas, dukes of Mantua, to defend Casale from the nearby Spanish possessions of Milan and Genoa and the

Piedmont Savoy, the Citadel was inaugurated in 1590. It was an imposing hexagonal fortress, with a radius of 420 meters, from which mighty walls branch off that closed the city up to the castle.

What remains of the structure is the so-called “powder magazine”, a door and a few remains of the defensive structure set up in the mid-nineteenth century.

Currently the Citadel is a park open to the public, which has a covered picnic area. It is also often used for various events or cross country races for schools!

The wine landscapes are not the only wonders of Monferrato included within the UNESCO World Heritage Sites: even the Sanctuary of the Sacro Monte di Crea, in the municipality of Serralunga, has had this title since 2003.

It is located in a vast natural park: the Sacro Monte di Crea Natural Park, established in 1980.

The Church, the park and the devotional path that ends with the richly decorated Chapel of Paradise make the site interesting to visit for a day of art, nature and culture.

The monumental complex consists of the set of convent buildings serving the sanctuary, dedicated to the Assumption of Mary, consisting of 23 chapels and 5 hermitages.