Alessandria (; ) is a city and commune in

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, and the capital of the

Province of Alessandria The province of Alessandria (; ; in Piedmontese of Alessandria: ''provinsa ëd Lissändria'') is an Italian Provinces of Italy, province, with a population of some 425,000, which forms the southeastern part of the region of Piedmont. The prov ...

. It is also the largest municipality of the region. The city is sited on the

alluvial plain An alluvial plain is a plain (an essentially flat landform) created by the deposition of sediment over a long period by one or more rivers coming from highland regions, from which alluvial soil forms. A ''floodplain'' is part of the process, bei ...

between the

Tanaro The Tanaro (; ; ; ) is a long river in northwestern Italy. The river begins in the Ligurian Alps, near the border with France, and is the most significant right-side tributary to the Po in terms of length, size of drainage basin (partly Alpi ...

and the Bormida rivers, about east of

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) 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 from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

. Alessandria is also a major

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

hub.

History

Alessandria was founded in 1168 with a charter as a free comune; it was sited upon a preexisting urban nucleus, to serve as a stronghold for the

Lombard League The Lombard League (; ) was an alliance of cities formed in 1167, and supported by the popes, to counter the attempts by the Hohenstaufen Holy Roman emperors to establish direct royal administrative control over the cities of the Kingdom of It ...

, defending the traditional liberties of the

communes A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

northern Italy Northern Italy (, , ) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. The Italian National Institute of Statistics defines the region as encompassing the four Northwest Italy, northwestern Regions of Italy, regions of Piedmo ...

against the

Imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor/empress, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imper ...

forces of

Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (; ), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death in 1190. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March 115 ...

. Alessandria stood in the territories of the marchese of

Montferrat Montferrat ( , ; ; , ; ) is a historical region of Piedmont, in northern Italy. It comprises roughly (and its extent has varied over time) the modern provinces of Province of Alessandria, Alessandria and Province of Asti, Asti. Montferrat ...

, a staunch ally of the Emperor, with a name assumed in 1168 to honour the Emperor's opponent,

Pope Alexander III Pope Alexander III (c. 1100/1105 – 30 August 1181), born Roland (), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 September 1159 until his death in 1181. A native of Siena, Alexander became pope after a Papal election, ...

. In 1174–1175 the fortress was sorely tested by the Imperial siege and stood fast. A legend (related in

Umberto Eco Umberto Eco (5 January 1932 – 19 February 2016) was an Italian Medieval studies, medievalist, philosopher, Semiotics, semiotician, novelist, cultural critic, and political and social commentator. In English, he is best known for his popular ...

's novel ''

Baudolino ''Baudolino'' is a 2000 in literature, 2000 novel by Umberto Eco about the adventures of a man named Baudolino in the known and mythical Christianity, Christian world of the 12th century. ''Baudolino'' was translated into English in 2001 by Wil ...

'', and which recalls one concerning Bishop Herculanus’ successful defence of

Perugia Perugia ( , ; ; ) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area. It has 162,467 ...

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 A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as curtain walls with to ...

until he reached the Imperial

camp Camp may refer to: Areas of confinement, imprisonment, or for execution * Concentration camp, an internment camp for political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or minority ethnic groups * Extermination ...

. 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 entered into jealous conflicts with the older communes of the region, in particular with

Asti Asti ( , ; ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) of 74,348 inhabitants (1–1–2021) located in the Italy, Italian region of Piedmont, about east of Turin, in the plain of the Tanaro, Tanaro River. It is the capital of the province of Asti and ...

. In 1348 Alessandria fell into the hands 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 ...

. In 1391 the army of

Gian Galeazzo Visconti Gian Galeazzo Visconti (16 October 1351 – 3 September 1402), was the first duke of Duchy of Milan, Milan (1395) and ruled that late-medieval city just before the dawn of the Renaissance. He also ruled Lombardy jointly with his uncle Bernabò V ...

, commanded by

Jacopo dal Verme Coat of arms of Jacopo Dal Verme. Jacopo Dal Verme (1350 - 12 February 1409) was an Italian condottiero. Biography Born at Verona, he was the son of condottiero Luchino Dal Verme and Jacopa di Bonetto de' Malvesini. He began his military career ...

, heavily defeated the French army led by

Jean III of Armagnac Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Jean ...

in Alessandria. In 1450 Alessandria passed with their possessions to the

Sforza The House of Sforza () was a ruling family of Renaissance Italy, based in Milan. Sforza rule began with the family's acquisition of the Duchy of Milan following the extinction of the Visconti of Milan, Visconti family in the mid-15th century and ...

, following the career of

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

, until 1707, when it was ceded to the

House of Savoy The House of Savoy (, ) is a royal house (formally a dynasty) of Franco-Italian origin that was established in 1003 in the historical region of Savoy, which was originally part of the Kingdom of Burgundy and now lies mostly within southeastern F ...

and henceforth formed part of

. The new domination was evidenced by the construction of a new big ''Cittadella'' on the left side of the river Tanaro, across from the city. With Napoleon's success at the

Battle of Marengo (1800) The Battle of Marengo was fought on 14 June 1800 between French First Republic, French forces under the First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte and Austrian Empire, Austrian forces near the city of Alessandria, in Piedmont, Italy. Near the end of ...

, Alessandria fell to France and became the capital of the Napoleonic Département of Marengo. During this period another substantial fort was built to the north of the city containing impressive and substantial barracks which are still used as military headquarters and stores (2006). The remains of a second fort to the south of the city (Cristo quarter) have been sliced in two by a railway (Forte ferrovia); a third one still remains in the middle of the same quarter (Forte Acqui). From 1814 Alessandria was Savoyard territory once more, part of the

Kingdom of Sardinia The Kingdom of Sardinia, also referred to as the Kingdom of Sardinia and Corsica among other names, was a State (polity), country in Southern Europe from the late 13th until the mid-19th century, and from 1297 to 1768 for the Corsican part of ...

. During the years of the

Risorgimento The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the annexation of various states of the Italian peninsula and its outlying isles to the Kingdom of ...

, Alessandria was an active centre of the liberals. In a suburb, Spinetta Marengo, the Battle of Marengo is reenacted annually, on 14 June. Alessandria was the first capital of an Italian province to be governed by a

Socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

: the clockmaker Paolo Sacco was elected mayor on 25 July 1899. Owing to its

marshalling yard A classification yard (American English, as well as the Canadian National Railway), marshalling yard (British, Hong Kong, Indian, and Australian English, and the former Canadian Pacific Railway) or shunting yard (Central Europe) is a railway y ...

and the

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

s on the Tanaro and Bormida, Alessandria was a strategic military target during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and was subjected to intense Allied bombing (especially during Operation Strangle), the most serious being the raids of 30 April 1944, with 238 dead and hundreds wounded, and 5 April 1945, with 160 deaths, among them 60 children from the children's asylum in Via Gagliaudo. Altogether, 559 people were killed by air raids on Alessandria, which destroyed or badly damaged a thousand buildings. On 29 April 1945 the city was liberated from the German occupation (1943–1945) by the partisan resistance and troops of

Brazilian Expeditionary Force The Brazilian Expeditionary Force (, FEB), nicknamed (literally "the Smoking Snakes"), was a military division of the Brazilian Army and Air Force that fought as part of Allied forces in the Mediterranean Theatre of World War II. It numbere ...

. On 6 November 1994 the Tanaro flooded a large part of the city, causing major damage, especially in the Orti quarter.

Jewish history

The first known

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

in Alessandria, named Abraham (son of Joseph Vitale de Sacerdoti Cohen) opened a loan bank in or about 1490. In 1590, the Jews were expelled from the

Duchy of Milan The Duchy of Milan (; ) was a state in Northern Italy, created in 1395 by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, then the lord of Milan, and a member of the important Visconti of Milan, Visconti family, which had been ruling the city since 1277. At that time, ...

, and one of Abraham's descendants travelled to

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, which ruled the Duchy, and was permitted to stay in the town due to a large sum owed him by the government. Of the 230 Jews living in the city in 1684, 170 were members of the Vitale family. The

Jewish Ghetto Jewish ghetto(s) can refer to: *Jewish ghettos established by Nazi Germany *Jewish ghettos in Europe of early Modern Era *Jewish quarter (diaspora) worldwide *Shanghai Ghetto The Shanghai Ghetto, formally known as the Restricted Sector for Stat ...

was established in 1724. Between 1796 and 1814, among the rest of Italian Jewry, the city Jewish congregation was emancipated, under French influence. According to

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...

's census in 1938, the town had 101 Jews. On 13 December 1943 the

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

on Via Milano was attacked by supporters of the

Italian Social Republic The Italian Social Republic (, ; RSI; , ), known prior to December 1943 as the National Republican State of Italy (; SNRI), but more popularly known as the Republic of Salò (, ), was a List of World War II puppet states#Germany, German puppe ...

. Books and manuscripts were taken out of the synagogue and were set on fire at Piazza Rattazzi. In total, 48 Jews were deported from the province of Alessandria, most of them to

Auschwitz Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It consisted of Auschw ...

where they were murdered.

Geography

Climate

Alessandria is located in a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(Köppen climate classification ''Cfa''), the city has moderately cold winters and hot, sultry summers. Rainfall is moderate, with two minimums (summer and winter) and two maximums in autumn and spring.

Demographics

Government

Main sights

Monuments

* Cittadella Militare (18th century) * The church of Santa Maria di Castello (14th and 15th century) * The church of Santa Maria del Carmine (15th century) * Palazzo Ghilini (1732) * Università del Piemonte Orientale * The Italian Branch of the Sabbath Rest Advent Church, ''Chiesa avventista del riposo sabatico''.Sabbath Rest Advent Church,
The History of the Sabbath Rest Advent Church
', 2002. * Conservatorio Antonio Vivaldi (officially, Conservatorio Di Musica A. Vivaldi) - Piedmont's

music conservatory A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger i ...

Museums

* The Marengo Battle Museum * Antiquarium ''Forum Fulvii'' * Sale d'arte * I percorsi del Museo Civico * Museo del Fiume * Museo di Scienze Naturali e Planetario * Museo Etnografico "C'era una volta" * Museo del Cappello Borsalino * Sistema dei musei civici

Cemetery

* Cimitero Urbano di Alessandria

Events

* The annual Fraskettando SkaBluesJazz Festival, which takes place on the first weekend of July, has showcased the

Blues Brothers The Blues Brothers (formally, The Fabulous Blues Brothers’ Show Band and Revue) are an American blues and soul revue band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, who met and began collaborating as original cast members of ...

Eddie Floyd Eddie Lee Floyd (born June 25, 1937) is an American R&B and soul singer and songwriter, best known for his work on the Stax record label in the 1960s and 1970s, including the No. 1 R&B hit song " Knock on Wood". Early life and education Floy ...

Al Di Meola Albert Laurence Di Meola (born July 22, 1954) is an American guitarist. Known for his work in jazz fusion and world music, his breakthrough came after joining Chick Corea's Return to Forever group in 1974. He launched, from 1976 afterwards, a s ...

Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal ( ; ; ) is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mughal Empire, Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his belo ...

Soft Machine Soft Machine are an English Rock music, rock band from Canterbury, Kent. The band were formed in 1966 by Mike Ratledge, Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, Daevid Allen and Larry Nowlin. Soft Machine were central in the Canterbury scene; they became o ...

Mario Biondi Mario Biondi (born Mario Ranno, 28 January 1971) is an Italian singer. Early life Mario Biondi was born in Catania, Italy, to local Sicilian parents. He is the son of popular song singer Giuseppe Ranno, known by the pseudonym Stefano Biondi ...

Mick Abrahams Michael Timothy Abrahams (born 7 April 1943) is an English guitarist, singer, and band leader, best known for being the original guitarist for Jethro Tull from 1967 to 1968 and the leader of Blodwyn Pig. Jethro Tull Abrahams was born in ...

Clive Bunker Clive William Bunker (born 30 December 1946) is a British drummer. He is best known as the original drummer of the rock band Jethro Tull, playing in the band from 1967 until 1971. Never a self-professed technical drummer, Bunker engaged with ...

and many others. *

Michele Pittaluga International Classical Guitar Competition The "Michele Pittaluga" International Classical Guitar Competition is an annual music competition for classical guitarists held in Alessandria, Italy. It was founded in 1968 and has earned an international reputation, entering membership of the Wo ...

''Premio Città di Alessandria'' * International Rally "Madonnina dei Centauri". * The International Kendo Trophy "City of Alessandria"

Transport

Alessandria railway station Alessandria railway station () serves the city and ''comune'' of Alessandria, in the Piedmont region, northwestern Italy. Opened in 1850, it forms part of the Turin–Genoa railway, and is also a junction for six other lines, to Chivasso, Piacen ...

, opened in 1850, forms part of the

Turin–Genoa railway The Turin–Genoa railway line is a major Italian rail line, connecting the cities of Turin and Genoa. It is long. History The Kingdom of Sardinia (Savoy) had started building railways late compared to other European countries and decided afte ...

. It is also a

junction Junction may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Junction'' (2012 film), an American film * ''Junction'' (2024 film), an American film * ''Jjunction'', a 2002 Indian film * ''Junction'' (album), a 1976 album by Andrew Cyrille * Junction (E ...

for six other lines, to

Piacenza Piacenza (; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Piacenza, eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with more ...

Novara Novara (; Novarese Lombard, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous ...

Pavia Pavia ( , ; ; ; ; ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, in Northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino (river), Ticino near its confluence with the Po (river), Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was a major polit ...

Cavallermaggiore Cavallermaggiore is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about south of Turin and about northeast of Cuneo Cuneo (; ; ; ) is a city and in Piedmont, Italy, the capital of the provinc ...

Ovada Ovada (''Uà'' and ''Guà'' in Ligurian, ''Ovà'' in Piedmontese) is a ''comune'' (municipality) of 11,484 inhabitants in the Province of Alessandria in the northern Italian region Piedmont, located about southeast of Turin and about south ...

and San Giuseppe di Cairo, respectively.

Sport

The town's professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

team is

US Alessandria Unione Sportiva Alessandria Calcio 1912, commonly referred to as Alessandria, is an Italian football club based in Alessandria, Piedmont. It currently plays in Eccellenza, the fifth tier of Italian football. History Brief history Founded in 1 ...

. Their stadium also hosts

Juventus Next Gen Juventus Next Gen (), also known as Juve Next Gen or Juve NG, is a professional football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, which acts as the reserve team of club Juventus. They compete in , and play their home games at the Stadio La Marm ...

, the reserve team for

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

club

Juventus Turin Juventus Football Club (; from , ), commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Turin, Piedmont, who compete in Serie A, the ...

People born in Alessandria

Sibilla Aleramo Sibilla Aleramo (born Marta Felicina Faccio; 14 August 1876 – 13 January 1960) was an Italian feminist writer and poet known for her autobiographical depictions of life as a woman in late 19th century Italy. Life and career Aleramo was bor ...

(1876–1960), writer *

Walter Audisio Walter Audisio (; 28 June 1909 – 11 October 1973) was an Italian partisan and communist politician, also known by his '' nom-de-guerre'' Colonel Valerio. A member of the Italian resistance movement during World War II, Audisio was involved in ...

(1909–1973), partisan *

Saint Baudolino Saint Baudolino (c. 700 – c. 740) was a hermit who lived at the time of the Lombards, Lombard king Liutprand, King of the Lombards, Liutprand in Forum Fulvii (now Villa del Foro), a locality on the lower reaches of the river Tanaro River, Tanar ...

(), hermit of

Forum Fulvii Forum Fulvii was a small but flourishing Ligurian/Celtic first, then Roman settlement on the Via Fulvia, a road of north-west Italy, probably laid out by M. Fulvius Flaccus, consul in 125 BCE, from Dertona (today’s Tortona) to Hasta Pompeia ( ...

(1932–2016), writer *

Francesco Faà di Bruno Francesco Faà di Bruno (7 March 1825 – 25 March 1888) was an Italian priest and advocate of the poor, a leading mathematician of his era and a noted religious musician. In 1988 he was beatified by Pope John Paul II.See the Vatican News Servi ...

(1825–1888), mathematician and priest *

Giovanni Ferrari Giovanni Ferrari (; 6 December 1907 – 2 December 1982) was an Italian footballer who played as an attacking midfielder/inside forward on the left. He is regarded as one of the best players of his generation, having won Serie A 8 times, as wel ...

(1907–1982), footballer * Marta Gastini (born 1989), actress *

Blessed Blessed may refer to: * The state of having received a blessing * Blessed, a title assigned by the Roman Catholic Church to someone who has been beatified * Blessed, a saint title assigned by the Eastern Orthodox Church to various saints, typical ...

Teresa Grillo Michel (1855–1944), founder of the . *

Georgius Merula Giorgio Merlani (c. 1430 – 1494), commonly known as Georgius Merula, was an Italian humanist and classical scholar. Life Merlani was born in Alessandria in Piedmont between late 1430 and early 1431. He later took the Roman cognomen Merula, ...

( – 1494),

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humanism" ha ...

Giovanni Migliara Giovanni Migliara (October15, 1785April18, 1837) was a nobleman and Italian painter active at the beginning of the 19th century, painting veduta, vedute and history paintings. Biography Born to artisan parents of limited means, he was apprenti ...

(1785–1837), painter *

Angelo Morbelli Angelo Morbelli (18 July 1853, Alessandria – 7 November 1919, Milan) was an Italian painter of socially conscious Genre art, genre scenes. During his later years, he painted in the Divisionist style. Biography He was born to Giovanni Morbelli, ...

(1854–1919), painter *

Elio Morille Elio Morille (7 September 1927 – 21 June 1998) was an Italian rower who competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics and in the 1952 Summer Olympics. He was born in Alessandria in 1927. A worker at the Italian motorbike manufacturer Moto Guzzi based ...

(1927–1998), rower *

Cristina Parodi Cristina Parodi (born 3 November 1964) is an Italian journalist and television host. Biography She debuted in the 80's in the small TV channels TelePiccolo and Telereporter and after in Odeon TV, hosting some sports shows like ''Caccia al 13'' an ...

(born 1964), journalist * Magda Piccarolo (1912–?), soprano *

Urbano Rattazzi Urbano Pio Francesco Rattazzi (; 29 June 1808 5 June 1873) was an Italian politician and statesman. Personal life He was born in Alessandria, Piedmont. He studied law at Turin, and in 1838 began his practice, which met with marked success at t ...

(1808–1873), statesman of the

Gianni Rivera Giovanni "Gianni" Rivera (; born 18 August 1943) is an Italian politician and former association football, footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Dubbed Italy's "Golden Boy" by the media, he played the majority of his club career wi ...

(born 1943), footballer *

Franz Sala Franz Sala (1886–1952) was an Italian film actor who appeared in over seventy films, mostly during the silent era. As his acting career wound down, he began to work as a makeup artist often credited as Francesco Sala. In some of his earliest fi ...

(1886–1952), film actor and makeup artist *

Franco Sassi Franco Sassi (26 February 1912 – 11 November 1993) was an Italian painter, printmaker and engraver. Biography He started his career as a graphic designer at the time when lithographic engraving was still made on the Alois Senefelder sto ...

(1912–1993), painter * Pier Paolo Scarrone (born 1951), footballer * Giuseppe Vermiglio (16th–17th centuries), painter

Twin towns — sister cities

Alessandria is twinned with: *

Argenteuil Argenteuil () is a Communes of France, commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, center of Paris. Argenteuil is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the Val-d'Oise Departments of France, ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, since 1960 *

Jericho Jericho ( ; , ) is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, and the capital of the Jericho Governorate. Jericho is located in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. It had a population of 20,907 in 2017. F ...

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

, since 2004 *

Hradec Králové Hradec Králové (; ) is a city of the Czech Republic. It has about 94,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Hradec Králové Region. The historic centre of Hradec Králové is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech R ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

, since 1961 *

Karlovac Karlovac () is a city in central Croatia. In the 2021 census, its population was 49,377. Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County. The city is located southwest of Zagreb and northeast of Rijeka, and is connected to them via the ...

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

, since 1963 *

Rosario Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city, located northwest of Buenos Aires on the west bank of the Paraná River, is the third-most populous city in the ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

, since 1988 *

Alba Iulia Alba Iulia (; or ''Carlsburg'', formerly ''Weißenburg''; ; ) is a city that serves as the seat of Alba County in the west-central part of Romania. Located on the river Mureș (river), Mureș in the historical region of Transylvania, it has a ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

, since 1990

References

External links

* *
The official website of the city council
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Piedmont Jewish Italian history