Rocca Grimalda

Rocca Grimalda
Country	Italy
region	Piedmont
province	Alessandria  (AL)
Coordinates	44 ° 40 '  N , 8 ° 39'  E Coordinates: 44 ° 40 '21 "  N , 8 ° 38' 58"  E
height	280  m slm
surface	15.64 km²
Residents	1,484 (Dec 31, 2019)
Population density	95 inhabitants / km²
Post Code	15078
prefix	0143
ISTAT number	006147
Popular name	Rocchesi
Patron saint	San Giacomo
Website	Rocca Grimalda
Rocca Grimalda, aerial view

Rocca Grimalda ( Piedmontese la Ròca Grimàuda or locally ra Ròca , Ligurian a Roca ) is a municipality with 1484 (as of December 31, 2019) inhabitants in the Italian province of Alessandria (AL), Piedmont region . The municipality consists of the districts of San Giacomo and Rocca Grimalda. The neighboring communities are Capriata d'Orba , Carpeneto , Ovada , Predosa , Silvano d'Orba and Trisobbio .

geography

The place is at an altitude of 273 m above sea level. The municipality covers an area of ​​15.64  km² .

history

The town hall

The Malaspina-Grimaldi Castle

Mentioned for the first time in the 10th century as part of the Margraviate of the Aleramides , the place was given to the monastery of San Quintino in Spigno Monferrato . In 1164 it was assigned to the Margraviate of Montferrat , and in the 13th century it was given to the Marquis of Gavi as a pledge .

After he had become an object of quarrel between Montferrat and Alessandria , the Republic of Genoa conquered him and gave him a fief to the Malaspina family . As a strategic fortress in the valley of the Orba river, it remained controversial between Genoa, Montferrat and Milan. In 1355 it was again taken over by the Margraves of Montferrat, Filippo Maria Visconti from Milan occupied it and handed it over to Galeazzo Trotti in 1444. In the course of time he had different names such as "Rocca Val d'Orba" and "Rocca De Trotti". The hills in the area remained densely forested until the 18th century and encouraged the predators. The Trotti sold the fiefdom in 1570 to the Genoese patrician Battista Grimaldi , whose family kept the castle until the 19th century. The castle chapel, which is painted in trompe l'oeil style and is now available for weddings, dates from the end of the 18th century.

Culinary specialties

In Rocca Grimalda, Dolcetto vines are grown for Dolcetto d'Ovada , a red wine with DOC status. The berries of the Pinot Noir and / or Chardonnay grape varieties can be used to make Alta Langa sparkling wine . The Barbera is used to make the Barbera del Monferrato .

Web links

Commons : Rocca Grimalda  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Information at comuni-italiani.it (Italian)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Statistiche demografiche ISTAT. Monthly population statistics of the Istituto Nazionale di Statistica , as of December 31 of 2019.