One thousand years of history intertwine between alleys and alleys in the shadow of the Castle-Abbey. Founded around 1050 by Benedictine Monks, who, thanks to their work, built the bell tower, the church, the monastery, and the splendid Romanesque bridge... #tuttitaly
Monastero Bormida is located in the province of Asti in Piedmont, with 912 inhabitants. It was founded by a group of Benedictine monks called, around 1050, by Aleramo Marquis of Monferrato to plow and sow the lands devastated by the invasions of the Saracens.
The monks' task was to replace the old Roman mansiones and large estates with a villa and a chapel which later became a parish church because the people gathered there.
The monks built the bell tower, the church, the monastery, and the bridge.
The castle
The castle corresponds to the site of the original monastery, of which only the bell tower and a few wall sections remain.
The building was not born for defensive purposes but as an abbey body. The interior is a succession of large rooms with mosaic floors and sail and cross ceilings, some of which are frescoed with floral and geometric motifs or with female figures, sometimes mythological.
The second floor can be reached via two different stairs: one leading to the apartment, now a private residence in the southern part; the other, secondary, which leads to the Towers and the attic of the North block.
The basements are characterized by the fusion of different architectural elements, among which the floors and cross ceilings of the late fourteenth century stand out.
The tower, 27 m high, is of particular importance in the architectural complex.
The bridge
The Romanesque bridge over the Bormida is one of the most interesting medieval civil engineering works in the Valley. The bridge, a mighty humpback structure, is the only one that can be crossed all year round. The old monument, after 800 years, still resists, with four large perfectly squared stone arches and triangular blocks corresponding to the pillars, specially designed to avoid barriers in case of floods.
The historical center
The historic center of Monastero has retained an ancient imprint, with some stone houses and some late medieval portals.
Along the vegetable gardens that line the shore of Bormida, you can see some remains of the surrounding walls and the canal that fed the mill, as well as the hydroelectric power plant transformed into a spinning mill.
Church of Santa Giulia
The parish church dedicated to Santa Giulia is an eighteenth-century construction. However, the two side naves and the facade are from the early twentieth century, with a neoclassical structure and Baroque decoration.
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