Discover Pontecurone

Pontecurone combines a Roman-influenced street plan with the history of several churches, the Torre Civica and the Sagra della Cipolla. If you are looking for a hotel in Pontecurone, these themes can help you plan your stay around the interests that bring you to the town. The town’s history ranges from architectural structures to religious and cultural connections.

Townscape and getting there

Pontecurone lies on the left bank of the Curone River. Its regular, grid-like street plan reflects the town’s Roman character: the cardo and decumanus intersect. The Roman influence is therefore part of the town’s layout and is not confined to a single building. The railway station is also a practical point of reference: it is on the Alessandria–Piacenza railway line. If you are travelling by train, check the timetable for your travel date.

Torre Civica: architecture and public history

The Torre Civica is 31.32 metres high, has a square base and is built entirely of brick. Its form can be described in terms of its height, ground plan and building material. The tower also played a role in public life: since the Middle Ages, its bell has given signals to summon the magistrates, announce the results of ongoing wars, sound the curfew and raise general alarms. These functions connect the tower with the history of urban communication, from everyday duties to emergencies.

Churches and the history of the town and pilgrimage

The present-day Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista was formerly the Oratorio della S. S. Trinità. After the former parish church collapsed in 1814, the oratory became the parish church, Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista, in 1818. This sequence shows how the oratory was transformed into a parish church. A biographical memory is also part of the town’s history: San Luigi Orione received his First Communion in 1879 at the Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista.

The Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta has a different historical context. Because it is near the Via Postumia, it became a stopping point on pilgrimage routes to Rome, the Holy Land and Santiago de Compostela. While the history of San Giovanni Battista illustrates the transformation of a parish church, Santa Maria Assunta connects Pontecurone with pilgrimage routes to these destinations.

The Oratorio di San Francesco was built around the middle of the 16th century. Today, it is used both for worship and for artistic and cultural events. Its current use therefore includes religious and cultural functions; it was also built well before the 19th-century events associated with San Giovanni Battista.

Sagra della Cipolla

The Sagra della Cipolla adds another aspect of local life: the festival features onion menus and live music. The town’s character thus extends beyond its churches and architectural history to include festival culture. If you would like to include the festival in your trip, check the dates for that year’s edition in advance before planning your travel around it.

Discover more destinations: Ovada, Cassano Spinola, Solonghello, Capriata D'orba, Novi Ligure, Prasco, Murisengo, San Sebastiano Curone

For the regional travel overview: Alessandria.