 |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
MOASCA |
| |
 |
Comune
di Moasca
p.zza Castello 2
Tel. 0141/856447
Web Site: www.comune.moasca.at.it
E-mail: info@comune.moasca.at.it
Mayor: Andrea Ghignone
Population: 400
Altitude: 260 a.s.l.
Carabinieri: Canelli
Tel. 0141/823384 |
|
|
|
|
|
Coming
here from Asti, around 25 kilometres from
the capital of the province, at the start
of the valley which leads up to Canelli,
the village of Moasca appears all of a
sudden at the top of a wide green hill.
To reach the top the route starts from
the ancient chapel of SS. Nunziata at
the junction with the main Asti-Canelli
road, along the road which crosses the
four square kilometres of the commune.
At the top of the climb, the town is still
dominated, as it has been for seven centuries,
by the imposing outline of the Medieval
castle. Its two great towers are just
one part of the scene, completing the
entrance to the square with the town hall
and the churches of San Rocco and San
Pietro. These local examples of Baroque
and Neoclassical architecture testify
to the importance of this little rural
hub in days gone by.
|
| |
The
name Moasca, “city among the waters”,
derives from the ancient Ligurian word
Muasca. And while it does lie between
the hills of the Monferrato area, this
area, once inhabited by warlike Ligurian
tribes, centuries before the arrival of
the Romans, is actually bordered by the
Belbo and Nizza rivers. Moasca inherited
a fiercely independent spirit from these
free peoples: in the Middle Ages it became
part of the independent estate known as
the “Consortile di Canelli”,
while in the fourteenth century it was
a battleground for infighting and clashes
between Guelphs and Ghibellines. This
was due to the fact that the village was
a solid outpost in a network of powerful
feudal families, as well as being crossed
by the rich trading routes to nearby Liguria,
like the rest of the area. Perched on
the border between the Asti and Monferrato
areas, in the Middle Ages, as in modern
times, it suffered from being involved
in wars and conquests - just like all
proudly independent border towns through
the ages
|
| THE
CULTURE OF THE HILLS |
| “Rich
in fodder, wines and all other products”,
Moasca was described at the beginning of the
nineteenth century, and agriculture and wine
production in these hills have strengthened
over time. Locally-grown produce includes
apples, truffles, but above all grapes, with
prized Barbera d’Asti, Moscato d’Asti
and Asti Spumante. Many important wines are
produced by the small-scale wineries in the
Moasca area, which boasts some of the most
beautifully aspected hills in Piedmont. |
| THE
STORY OF A CASTLE |
| It
was the summer of 1308 when after 22 days
of siege the militia of the Guelph families
attacked the castle of Moasca, last outpost
of the noble Ghibelline De Castello family.
Shortly afterwards this manor was destroyed
and there are no remaining traces of how it
would have looked. Only in 1351 did reconstruction
work begin, leading to the building of what
Gian Secondo De Canis in 1814 described as
“a fortress flanked to the east by two
enormous high round towers, topped like the
castle with battlments, though now covered
with tiles. The only way to get into the castle
is by means of a high, narrow drawbridge,
which also leads down into a barbarous dungeon”.
Becoming more welcoming over time, in the
19th century the castle was divided into two
storeys: the upper one was used for storing
grain, while the lower level was lived in,
and below that were huge cellars linked to
the deep passageways used as cells. At the
beginning of the 20th century it was still
habitable and in 1926 a theatre show was even
put on in the ballroom. Its fall to ruin is
recent: it was only completely abandonned
after the war, leading to a rapid, irreversible
decline. Recent restoration work has however
prevented Moasca from losing the symbol of
its history and identity for ever. |
| TORTA
D'MU |
| The
more ancient gastronomic traditions of Moasca
includes that of using mulberries, known as
‘Mu’ in local dialect. The women
of the village have been producing wonderful
jams and cakes from these humble berries for
centuries. Now growing wild, these were once
cultivated to feed silkworms. This local tradition
is celebrated every year in the fair dedicated
to the “Torta d’Mu” at the
end of June, sweetening the celebrations for
the Patron Saint’s Day. |
| EVENTS
|
End
of June/beginning of July: Patron Saint’s
Day dedicated to San Pietro Apostolo with
music and gastronomic events; Festa della
Torta d’Mu.
Second Sunday in July: TOUR OF LANGA AND MONFERRATO
reliability competition for vintage cars.
Rally for vintage cars and motorbikes “Memorial
Fulvio Boffa”.
End of October: Harvest Festival “del
livori d’la Vendemmia”. |
|
|
|
|
 |
