Storia

This territory owes its name to  Aleramo, first marquis of the Monferrato:  the legend, brought by the Dominican Iacopo of Acqui,  born in 1334, and made immortal by poet Giosuè Carducci's version in the volume Cavalry and Humanism, states that the marquis Aleramo, being orphan,  was engaged in the Imperial army and  entered into The Emperor Brass's court , where he met Alasia daughter of the Emperor. Between the two of them tender feelings developed. Fearing a refusal to their marriage they were. Unable to report this love to his majesty, the two young lovers escaped to the birthplace of Aleramo. For the escape she used a white horse and he a red one (from here the  red and white coat of arms of the Aleramicis was created). Aleramo was unable to live without fighting to defend peace. When the Emperor Ottone became aware of this information, he wanted to meet the brave youth and he forgave the two lovers.  Aleramo was granted all of the many lands he had succeeded in riding across stopping. The areas he crossed is the Monferrato:  the name being derived from mun (brick)  frà (to fit with iron), or from the bricks used for fitting with iron the three horses that Aleramo rode.

The ‘Alto Monferrato’ land also belongs to the Oltregiogo... a historical region that extends from part of the Appennino North Ligure in Genoa and to the rolling  Piedmontese hillside. Standing firmly between the metropolitan city of Genoa and the provinces of Alessandria, Pavia and Piacenza; from here we experience the birth of the Toponimo "Lands of the Four Provinces", the unique Italian ground. It deals with those territories that once belonged to the Republic of Genoa and the bordering Imperial Feuds,that had once had relationships of federation with it or had belonged to the noble  Genoese citizens. From 1313 to 1797 the majority of the Oltregiogo lands belonged to the Sacred Roman Empire:  although administered by Genovese nobility such as the Spinola and the Adorno, they did not formally belong to the Ligure Republic. Exception was made for the Pontifical Dominion of  Plants and trees, in Val Borbera, as in Novi, Ovada, Gavi, Voltaggio and the whole Valle Stura area, that were inclusive in the jurisdiction of the Republic. When, in 1815, the Congress in Vienna decided on the passage of Genoa to the Kingdom of Sardinia, for about three years Novi was attributed to the Division of Alessandria but, with Regal Edict and in 1818 with Regal Licences, it became the chief town of a province and created some Division from Genoa. From 1819 this final Division from the province of Novi and that of Genoa was composed. In 1859, finally, the Rattazzi Law, definitely enacted the annexation of the Province of Novi to that of Alessandria. Novi never wanted to forget its bonds with the chief town Ligure and so it chose to maintain as additional toponimo the adjective "Ligure."