Borgo San Martino: Cultural Heritage and Rural Character

Borgo San Martino combines a rural character with distinctive examples of its architectural and religious history. The plain, with its poplar groves and grain crops, offers a different perspective from the Collegio Salesiano “S. Carlo,” the parish church of Saints Quirico and Giulitta, and the 18th-century arches. There is also a cycling route through the town and distinctive local dishes. When planning your trip, you can choose how to balance landscape, architecture, history, and local specialties.

The plain, the Rotaldo, and rice fields

The built-up area of Borgo San Martino lies on a plain characterized by poplar groves and grain crops. The town is on the right bank of the Rotaldo stream. The municipality also has several farmhouses surrounded by rice fields. Poplars, grain, and rice fields give the landscape different agricultural contours; the Rotaldo adds a clear geographical reference. The contrast between the grain crops, the farmhouses surrounded by rice fields, and the watercourse makes the area’s agricultural character tangible.

College, institute, and landmarks

Palazzo dei Marchesi Scarampi, now the Collegio Salesiano “S. Carlo,” is a religious college with construction phases dating from the 17th and 20th centuries. The school institute San Carlo has its own institutional history: Don Bosco bought the Scarampi family villa in 1870 and founded the institute there, which remained in operation until 1999. The construction phases of the college building and the institute’s operating period can thus be read as two distinct timelines. Two 18th-century arches are considered landmarks of Borgo San Martino. In contrast to the Palazzo’s construction phases, they provide a distinct feature in the townscape that can be clearly dated.

Church and religious art

The parish church of Saints Quirico and Giulitta was built in 1278 and restored from 1922 to 1925 to restore its original lines. The construction date and the restoration mark different chapters: the first dates the church’s construction, while the later work had a specific design objective. The church is built in the Romanesque-Gothic style, adding an architectural perspective to its history. In the chapel of Don Bosco, an altarpiece on the small altar depicts Saint John Bosco alongside Saint Dominic Savio and other students.

Cycling route and local cuisine

The Greenway delle due cittadelle is a cycling route connecting the citadels of Alessandria and Casale Monferrato and passing through Borgo San Martino. A cycling guide printed in December 2017 describes this route; check current route conditions before setting out. Local cuisine is also a distinctive part of the town’s profile: rice is one of the featured dishes and is prepared in many different ways. Other offerings include salumi and Emmegi’s agnolotti. The culinary profile thus ranges from rice prepared in many different ways to two specifically named dishes.

Discover more destinations: Corteranzo, Valenza, Giarole, Alfiano Natta, Pontestura, San Sebastiano Curone, Mongiardino Ligure, Bandita

For the broader travel overview: Alessandria.