Piovà Massaia
Discovery of Piovà Massaia
Hello friends, today I will talk to you about Piovà Massaia, a small town located in the hills of Monferrato, in the province of Asti, in Piedmont. Piovà, as it is called in the Piedmontese language, owes its name to Cardinal Guglielmo Massaia, born here in 1809. In 1940, the municipality decided to adopt the second part of his name in his honor.
Description of the town
The town is characterized by a castle-like village layout and is located on two opposing nuclei, Cornegliano and Bricco. Cornegliano housed an ancient castle of the Radicati family, known as Castello di Plebata, built in the 13th-14th century. Over time, the town moved close to the castle and abandoned the ancient Pieve di San Giorgio to expand the church of San Michele, which later became the parish church of the town. Today, the baroque Parish Church is located where the castle was, along with a beautiful 19th-century building that was once used as a parish cinema. Today, the cinema is also used as a venue for temporary and permanent exhibitions on the life and works of Cardinal Guglielmo Massaia.
The fortifications
The moat that surrounded the castle is still evident in the toponymy of the town, as demonstrated by Via Fossale, which together with Via Ricci delimits the perimeter of the ancient fortifications. In 1770, the Marquis Ricci had a palace built on the site of the castle, and the new Parish Church was to form a single building connected by a porticoed gallery, but this part of the gallery was demolished at the end of the 19th century. The area of the square of the Parish Church, which coincides with the site of the ancient and now disappeared Castle, offers a panoramic view of the hills surrounding the town.
The Mint Fair
The most important event in Piovà Massaia is the Mint Fair, which is celebrated every year on the first Sunday of June. It is a festival that attracts visitors from all over the region and offers the opportunity to taste dishes prepared with mint, a spice widely used in local cuisine. The festival begins with a parade of floats and continues throughout the day with food stands, music, dances, and games for children. A truly unique festival not to be missed if you are in the area!
I conclude my story about Piovà Massaia here, and I hope to have sparked enough curiosity to encourage you to visit this beautiful town in the hills of Monferrato. Thank you for reading and goodbye until next time!
