Vercelli

Vercelli
Vërsèj (Piedmontese)
Città di Vercelli
Piazza Cavour and the Torre dell’Angelo.
Piazza Cavour and the Torre dell’Angelo.
Coat of arms of Vercelli
Motto(s): 
Potius mori quam foedari
(roughly: "Death before dishonor")
Location of Vercelli
Map
Vercelli is located in Italy
Vercelli
Vercelli
Location of Vercelli in Italy
Vercelli is located in Piedmont
Vercelli
Vercelli
Vercelli (Piedmont)
Coordinates: 45°19′32″N 08°25′23″E / 45.32556°N 8.42306°E / 45.32556; 8.42306
CountryItaly
RegionPiedmont
ProvinceVercelli (VC)
FrazioniBrarola, Cappuccini, Larizzate, Bivio Sesia, Boarone, Campora, Canton Biliemme, Carengo, Cascina Mostioli, Cascine Strà, Cominetti, Montonero
Government
 • MayorAndrea Corsaro (FI)
Area
 • Total79.77 km2 (30.80 sq mi)
Elevation
130 m (430 ft)
Population
 (1-1-2021)[2]
 • Total45,875
 • Density580/km2 (1,500/sq mi)
DemonymVercellese(i)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
13100
Dialing code0161
Patron saintEusebius of Vercelli
Saint dayAugust 1
WebsiteOfficial website

Vercelli (Italian pronunciation: [verˈtʃɛlli] ; Piedmontese: Vërsèj pronounced [vərˈsɛj]) is a city and comune of 46,552 inhabitants (January 1, 2017) in the Province of Vercelli, Piedmont, northern Italy. One of the oldest urban sites in northern Italy, it was founded, according to most historians, around 600 BC.

The city is situated on the Sesia River in the plain of the Po River between Milan and Turin. It is an important centre for the cultivation of rice and is surrounded by rice paddies, which are flooded in the summer. The climate is typical of the Po Valley with cold, foggy winters (0.4 °C (33 °F) in January) and oppressive heat during the summer months (23.45 °C or 74 °F in July). Rainfall is most prevalent during the spring and autumn; thunderstorms are common in the summer.

The languages spoken in Vercelli are Italian and Piedmontese; the variety of Piedmontese native to the city is called Varsleis.

The world's first university funded by public money was established in Vercelli in 1228 (the seventh university founded in Italy), but was closed in 1372. Today it has a university of literature and philosophy as a part of the Università del Piemonte Orientale and a satellite campus of the Politecnico di Torino.

  1. ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.