Casale Monferrato

Casale Monferrato
Comune di Casale Monferrato
Via Lanza
Via Lanza
Flag of Casale Monferrato
Coat of arms of Casale Monferrato
Location of Casale Monferrato
Map
Casale Monferrato is located in Italy
Casale Monferrato
Casale Monferrato
Location of Casale Monferrato in Italy
Casale Monferrato is located in Piedmont
Casale Monferrato
Casale Monferrato
Casale Monferrato (Piedmont)
Coordinates: 45°08′N 08°27′E / 45.133°N 8.450°E / 45.133; 8.450
CountryItaly
RegionPiedmont
ProvinceAlessandria (AL)
FrazioniPopolo, Pozzo Sant'Evasio, Roncaglia, San Germano, Santa Maria Del Tempio, Terranova, Cantone Bassotti, Cantone Cerreto, Cantone Il Rondò, Cantone La Cascinetta, Cantone La Ceriella, Cantone Losa, Cantone Rossi, Cantone Vallare, Castellino, I Dossi, Rolasco, Vialarda, Villa Sordi[1]
Government
 • MayorFederico Riboldi
Area
 • Total86.21 km2 (33.29 sq mi)
Elevation116 m (381 ft)
Population
 (1 January 2021)[3]
 • Total33,213
 • Density390/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
DemonymCasalesi or Casalaschi
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
15033
Dialing code0142
Patron saintSt. Evasius
Saint day12 November
WebsiteOfficial website

Casale Monferrato (Italian pronunciation: [kaˈzaːle moɱferˈraːto]) is a town in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, in the province of Alessandria. It is situated about 60 km (37 mi) east of Turin on the right bank of the Po, where the river runs at the foot of the Montferrat hills. Beyond the river lies the vast plain of the Po valley.

An ancient Roman municipium, the town has been the most important trade and manufacturing centre of the area for centuries. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Casale became a free municipality and, in the 15th and early 16th centuries, served as the capital of the House of Palaiologos. Then in 1536, the town passed to the Gonzagas who fortified it with a large citadel. In the 17th century, Casale was heavily involved in the War of the Mantuan Succession and besieged by French and Spanish troops. During the wars of Italian unification the town was a defensive bulwark against the Austrian Empire.

In the 1900s Casale, in the middle of the Turin-Milan-Genoa industrial triangle, developed as an important industrial centre, especially known for the production of asbestos cement. A local Eternit factory has been at the centre of a massive environmental scandal, with subsequent high-profile litigation that often made international headlines.[4]

  1. ^ "Casale Monferrato (AL)".
  2. ^ "Piemonte in cifre: Annuario statistico regionale". Archived from the original on 2012-03-11. Retrieved 2010-09-01.
  3. ^ a b "Profilo della Città". Comune di Casale Monferrato. Archived from the original on 2010-07-06. Retrieved 2010-09-01.
  4. ^ "Eternit lawsuit (re asbestos exposure in Italy)". Business & Human Rights Resource Centre. Retrieved 8 December 2020.