Pozzol Groppo is a ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' (municipality) in 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 ...

in the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

region

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 ...

, located 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 ...

and about east of

Alessandria Alessandria (; ) is a city and commune in Piedmont, Italy, and the capital of the Province of Alessandria. It is also the largest municipality of the region. The city is sited on the alluvial plain between the Tanaro and the Bormida rivers, ...

. Pozzol Groppo borders the following municipalities:

Cecima Cecima is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pavia in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 70 km south of Milan and about 35 km south of Pavia. Cecima borders the following municipalities: Brignano-Frascata, Godiasco, G ...

Godiasco Godiasco Salice Terme (Western Lombard: ''Gudiass'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pavia in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 60 km south of Milan and about 30 km south of Pavia. Geography The municipality of ...

Momperone Momperone is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Alessandria in the Italy, Italian region Piedmont, located about east of Turin and about southeast of Alessandria. Momperone borders the following municipalities: Brignano-Frascata, Cas ...

Montemarzino Montemarzino is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Alessandria in the Italy, Italian region Piedmont, located about east of Turin and about east of Alessandria. Montemarzino borders the following municipalities: Avolasca, Casasco, Mo ...

, and

Volpedo Volpedo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Alessandria, in the Italian region of Piedmont, located about east of Turin and about east of Alessandria. Volpedo borders the following municipalities: Casalnoceto, Godiasco Salice Term ...

. The actual comune was formed from the merging, in 1929, of the two previous Pozzolo del Gropp and Groppo.

History

Documents prove that Pozzolo del Groppo and Pozzolo have been under the dominion of the city of

Tortona 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 Spinetta Marengo, Marengo and the foothills of the Ligurian Apennines. Its ''frazione'' of ...

since the twelfth century, so much so that they rushed to the aid of the latter when it was besieged by Frederick Barbarossa in 1155. In 1449 the area came under the control of the

Sforza family 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 family in the mid-15th century and ended with the de ...

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 ...

, who in 1480 sent an expedition to punish the people of Pozzolo, accused of being a den of bandits. In 1530 the marquis Cesare

Malaspina Malaspina can refer to: ;People *The Italian noble Malaspina family. Members of this family include: **Albert Malaspina (1160/65 – 1206/12), Italian marquess. ** Conrad Malaspina (The Old) ( – after 1254), Italian nobleman. ** Spinetta Malaspin ...

took control and rebuilt the castle, then came the marquises of

Gavi GAVI, officially Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (previously the GAVI Alliance, and before that the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization) is a Public–private partnership, public–private global health partnership with the goal of incr ...

and finally, in 1595, the

Spinola family The House of Spinola, or Spinola family, is a Genoese noble family which played a leading role in the Republic of Genoa. Their influence was at its greatest extent in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Notable members Guido Spinola was ...

on behalf of 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, ...

. Joined with the territories of

Bobbio Bobbio (Emilian language#Dialects, Bobbiese: ; ; ) is a small town and ''comune'' in the province of Piacenza in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. It is located in the Trebbia River valley southwest of the town Piacenza. There is also an abbey and a ...

to 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 ...

in 1743, according to the Treaty of Worms, then became part of the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

of Bobbio. In 1801 the territory was annexed to

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 ...

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

, until 1814. In 1818 it passed to the province of

Voghera image:Voghera Castle.jpg, The Castle of Voghera in a 19th-century etching. Voghera (Emilian dialect, Vogherese dialect of Emilian: ''Vughera''; Latin language, Latin: ''Forum Iulii Iriensium'') is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Pavia i ...

and in 1859 to the province of

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 ...

. In 1928 the Groppo and Pozzolo were aggregated, forming the current Pozzol Groppo and being included in the province of Alessandria.Royal Decree 10 August 1928, n. 1968, in Gazzetta Ufficiale del Regno d'Italia, n. 228, 1º October 1928. "Reunification of the municipalities of Groppo and Pozzol Groppo into a single municipality with the name " Pozzol Groppo " and municipal seat in San Lorenzo". 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 ...

was the scene of battles between

partisans Partisan(s) or The Partisan(s) may refer to: Military * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line ** Francs-tireurs et partisans, communist-led French anti-fascist resistance against Nazi Germany during WWII ** Itali ...

and

fascists Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social h ...

. On January 31, 1945, in the hamlet of Biagasco, a military unit of fascists surprised and killed in the night some members of a partisan division. A

shrine A shrine ( "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred space">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...: ''escri ...

remembers the massacre.

Main sights

* The Malaspina castle, a powerful and noble family, feudal lord and lady of the lands of Pozzol Groppo for centuries, was built on the site of a Roman watch tower. The imposing building preserves inside a beautiful courtyard with a medieval well and sumptuous rooms with fireplaces, wooden ceilings and fresco decoration, keeping alive the prestige of an illustrious past. * The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

, dedicated to San Lorenzo, is first documented in the 16th century. * In the hamlet of Biagasco is the oldest church in the village, mentioned in documents of the twelfth century * Near the church the shrine erected in memory of the 1945 massacre.

References

Cities and towns in Piedmont {{Alessandria-geo-stub