Arquata Scrivia
Encyclopedia
Arquata Scrivia is a comune
(municipality) in the Province of Alessandria
in the Italian
region Piedmont
, located about 100 km southeast of Turin
and about 35 km southeast of Alessandria
.
Arquata Scrivia borders the following municipalities: Gavi, Grondona
, Isola del Cantone
, Serravalle Scrivia
, and Vignole Borbera
.
river. the name derives from the Latin arcuata (arched), due to the presence of an aqueduct supplying the nearby Roman town of Libarna, on the Via Postumia
.
It is mentioned as a castrum (fortress) in the 11th century, and later was contended between the Republic of Genoa
and the commune of Tortona
: after they signed a peaca in 1227, they dismantled the castle. In 1313 it was given by emperor Henry VII
the Genoese family of the Spinola
, who were named marquisses of the town in 1641. Three years later Arquata obtained also the right to strike coins of its own.
It was sacked by French troops in 1796. The following year it was annexed to the Ligurian Republic
. After the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte, it became part of the Kingdom of Sardinia
-Piedmont.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
(municipality) in the Province of Alessandria
Province of Alessandria
The Province of Alessandria is an Italian province, with a population of some 430,000, which forms the southeastern part of the region of Piedmont. The provincial capital is the city of Alessandria....
in the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
region Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
, located about 100 km southeast of Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
and about 35 km southeast of Alessandria
Alessandria
-Monuments:* The Citadel * The church of Santa Maria di Castello * The church of Santa Maria del Carmine * Palazzo Ghilini * Università del Piemonte Orientale-Museums:* The Marengo Battle Museum...
.
Arquata Scrivia borders the following municipalities: Gavi, Grondona
Grondona
Grondona is a comune in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 110 km southeast of Turin and about 35 km southeast of Alessandria...
, Isola del Cantone
Isola del Cantone
Isola del Cantone is a comune in the Province of Genoa in the Italian region Liguria, located about 25 km north of Genoa....
, Serravalle Scrivia
Serravalle Scrivia
Serravalle Scrivia is a comune in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region of Piedmont, located about 100 km southeast of Turin and about 25 km southeast of Alessandria....
, and Vignole Borbera
Vignole Borbera
Vignole Borbera is a comune in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region of Piedmont, located about 100 km southeast of Turin and about 30 km southeast of Alessandria...
.
History
It is located on the left bank of the ScriviaScrivia
The Scrivia is a right tributary of the Po River, in northern Italy. It runs through Liguria, Piedmont, and Lombardy....
river. the name derives from the Latin arcuata (arched), due to the presence of an aqueduct supplying the nearby Roman town of Libarna, on the Via Postumia
Via Postumia
The Via Postumia was an ancient Roman road of northern Italy constructed in 148 BC by the consul Spurius Postumius Albinus Magnus.It ran from the coast at Genua through the mountains to Dertona, Placentia and Cremona, just east of the point where it crossed the Po River...
.
It is mentioned as a castrum (fortress) in the 11th century, and later was contended between the Republic of Genoa
Republic of Genoa
The Most Serene Republic of Genoa |Ligurian]]: Repúbrica de Zêna) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean....
and the commune of Tortona
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 Marengo and the foothills of the Ligurian Apennines.-History:...
: after they signed a peaca in 1227, they dismantled the castle. In 1313 it was given by emperor Henry VII
Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry VII was the King of Germany from 1308 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1312. He was the first emperor of the House of Luxembourg...
the Genoese family of the Spinola
Spinola
Spinola may refer to:*Spinola family a leading political family in Genoa in the 13th and 14th Centuries.-People:* Battista Spinola, 16th century Doge of Genoa* Benedict Spinola , a 16th century Genoese merchant in London...
, who were named marquisses of the town in 1641. Three years later Arquata obtained also the right to strike coins of its own.
It was sacked by French troops in 1796. The following year it was annexed to the Ligurian Republic
Ligurian Republic
The Ligurian Republic was a short-lived French client republic formed by Napoleon on 14 June 1797. It consisted of the old Republic of Genoa which covered most of the Ligurian region of Northwest Italy, and the small Imperial fiefs owned by the House of Savoy inside its territory...
. After the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte, it became part of the Kingdom of Sardinia
Kingdom of Sardinia
The Kingdom of Sardinia consisted of the island of Sardinia first as a part of the Crown of Aragon and subsequently the Spanish Empire , and second as a part of the composite state of the House of Savoy . Its capital was originally Cagliari, in the south of the island, and later Turin, on the...
-Piedmont.