Borgo d'Ale
Borgo d'Ale: a Piedmontese municipality in the heart of the Po Valley
Borgo d'Ale is a municipality located in the province of Vercelli, in the Piedmont region, with a population of approximately 2,217 inhabitants. The territory is divided sharply between a hilly area to the northwest of the town center and a flat area to the south and east. The hilly area is part of the Ivrea Morainic Amphitheater, while the flat area is characterized by horticultural production, including peaches, kiwifruit, and strawberry grapes.
History: From the origins to the present
The origin of the toponym Borgo d'Ale dates back to the predial "Allicus" of the adjacent village of Alice Castello under the Duchy of Ivrea in the VI century. In 963, Emperor Otto I of Saxony granted the town to Count Aimone of nearby Cavaglià. The village was built from four ancient villages and in 1191, the town, owned by the Carlevario lords, submitted to the Chapter of the Archbishopric of Vercelli. In 1243, there was a Guelph rebellion, but the Ghibelline counts of Cavaglià submitted to the ecclesiastical Chapter. The village passed into the possession of the Visconti of Milan and finally to the House of Savoy in 1374. Aggregated to the military captaincy of Santhià, the population grew especially after 1417 when Duke Amedeo VIII of Savoy had the village of Areglio demolished. Borgo d'Ale was governed by the Alciati family and subsequently sold several times until the Unification of Italy.
Monuments and places of interest: artistic treasures of the village
Borgo d'Ale offers several works of art to discover. The brick arch of Porta d'Alice is the ancient gateway to the village, built in the 12th century. The church of San Michele in Clivolo, built in the VI century in Romanesque style, houses frescoes from the 12th century, while the church of San Michele Arcangelo, in the center of the village, in late baroque style, was designed by Bernardo Antonio Vittone. The ruins of the ancient church of Santa Maria d'Areglio, nicknamed "Gesiassa" in the Borgodalese dialect, date back to the 11th century. The church of the Consolata was built starting in 1655 and the woodland sanctuary La Cella di Meoglio has votive chapels arranged in a circle.
Remarks on daily life
In Borgo d'Ale, life flows peacefully. Horticultural production is the main activity of the village, with the traditional Peach Festival held every year, curated by the Committee i Fuori di Pesca. The territory also offers the possibility to enjoy nature with excursions in the hilly area and on Lake Viverone. Borgo d'Ale boasts a small active and welcoming community, where everyone knows each other and often meets in the square.
In summary, Borgo d'Ale is a small center located in the heart of the Po Valley, with an ancient and artistic history to discover. Life in the village is peaceful and offers the opportunity to appreciate the nature and agricultural tradition of the territory.
