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Montferrat
Montferrat (UK: /ˌmɒntfəˈræt/ US: /-ˈrɑːt/; Italian: Monferrato [moɱferˈraːto]; Piedmontese: Monfrà, locally [mʊŋˈfrɒ]; Latin: Mons Ferratus) is a historical region of Piedmont, in northern Italy. It comprises roughly (and its extent has varied over time) the modern provinces of Alessandria and Asti. Montferrat is one of the most important wine districts of Italy. It also has a strong literary tradition, including the 18th-century Asti-born poet and dramatist Vittorio Alfieri and the Alessandrian Umberto Eco.
The territory is cut in two by the river Tanaro. The northern part (the Basso Monferrato, "Low Montferrat"), which lies between that river and the Po, is an area of rolling hills and plains. The southern part (the Alto Monferrato, "High Montferrat") rises from the banks of the Tanaro into the mountains of the Apennines and the water divide between Piedmont and Liguria.
On 22 June 2014, Montferrat was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Originally a county, it was elevated to a margravate of the Holy Roman Empire under Count Aleramo in 961, following the transition of power in northern Italy from Berengar of Ivrea to Otto I of Germany. Its marchesi (marquesses) and their family members were related to the Kings of France and the Holy Roman Emperors. Members of the family participated frequently in the Crusades, and intermarried with the royal family of Jerusalem and the Byzantine Imperial families of Comnenus, Angelus and Palaiologos. The March of Montferrat was briefly controlled by Spain (1533–1536) before it passed to the Gonzaga Dukes of Mantua (1536–1708). In 1574, Montferrat was raised to a Duchy by Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor. With the War of the Mantuan Succession (1628–1631) a piece of the duchy passed to the Duchy of Savoy, the remainder passing to Savoy in 1708, as Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor gained possession of the Gonzaga territory. The next heir of the House of Gonzaga was later compensated by giving Duchy of Teschen in Silesia to them.
There are various interpretations and assumptions concerning the etymology of Montferrat, but to date none are certain. There are many opinions, with Aldo Ricaldone stating the name was derived from "Mount" and farro — a variety of wheat. Another claim is that it comes from the Latin Mons ferax meaning "fertile and rich mountain". Still another refers to the irons (Latin ferrus) left by the Romans in their conquest, Mons ferratus. Finally, an interpretation derived from a legend according to which Aleramo of Montferrat, the legendary founder of its march, wanting to shoe a horse, and not finding a hammer, used a brick (mon in the local dialect of Piedmontese), and thereby the horse was shod (fra, deriving from the same ferratus mentioned above), hence the name Monfrà yielding Montferrat.
Montferrat can be divided into three main parts:
20 million years ago the Alps were formed, in the Mediterranean area producing a new rising heat from the Earth's mantle which resulted in the buckle and rupture of the European crust which detached the Sardinian-Course block, the micro Sardinian plate did pin on the Ligurian Gulf executing a counterclockwise rotation of 50° and forming the Ligurian Sea. The sea covered the hill of Turin, the Langhe, Montferrat and the Po Valley. The rotation of the Corsica-Sardinia block opposed by the African block produced a pressure that gave rise to the Apennines. 8 million years ago to the east of the Corsica-Sardinia block opened a wide north–south divide that separated the Italian peninsula from Corsica and Sardinia, this gap widened to become the Tyrrhenian Sea. In the period from 7 to 5 million years ago, the Mediterranean Sea was closed and remained isolated from the Atlantic Ocean. This resulted in the increase of the temperature of the water that turned the Mediterranean into a low-salt lake with many areas dried up, this condition lasted for several hundreds of thousands of years was deposited sediment-type saline evaporites. Subsequently, the Mediterranean Sea was opened, and the ocean water began to circulate between the Alps and the Apennines had formed a triangular gulf that covered the entire Po Valley. Due to the continuous lifting of the Alps and the Apennines to the sea withdrew from this gulf and the accumulation of sediments carried by the rivers gave rise to a flood plain which corresponds to the Po Valley. The marine deposits of this period are visible in the area of Asti.
Monferrato is one of the most famous Italian wine regions in the world, especially regarding red wines and sparkling wines. The climate is dry continental with hot summers prone to drought and cold winters and the particular hydrogeological soil is favourable for viticulture, which, however, is dominant throughout, making the wine not only an element of economic wealth for the entire region but also a true symbol of the culture and tradition "Monferrina". The widespread dissemination of indigenous grapes and consequently a wide variety of wines witnesses them. Among the wines (DOC and DOCG), the most famous are Barbera d'Asti, Asti spumante, Moscato d'Asti, Cortese, Malvasia, and Grignolino.
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Montferrat
Montferrat (UK: /ˌmɒntfəˈræt/ US: /-ˈrɑːt/; Italian: Monferrato [moɱferˈraːto]; Piedmontese: Monfrà, locally [mʊŋˈfrɒ]; Latin: Mons Ferratus) is a historical region of Piedmont, in northern Italy. It comprises roughly (and its extent has varied over time) the modern provinces of Alessandria and Asti. Montferrat is one of the most important wine districts of Italy. It also has a strong literary tradition, including the 18th-century Asti-born poet and dramatist Vittorio Alfieri and the Alessandrian Umberto Eco.
The territory is cut in two by the river Tanaro. The northern part (the Basso Monferrato, "Low Montferrat"), which lies between that river and the Po, is an area of rolling hills and plains. The southern part (the Alto Monferrato, "High Montferrat") rises from the banks of the Tanaro into the mountains of the Apennines and the water divide between Piedmont and Liguria.
On 22 June 2014, Montferrat was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Originally a county, it was elevated to a margravate of the Holy Roman Empire under Count Aleramo in 961, following the transition of power in northern Italy from Berengar of Ivrea to Otto I of Germany. Its marchesi (marquesses) and their family members were related to the Kings of France and the Holy Roman Emperors. Members of the family participated frequently in the Crusades, and intermarried with the royal family of Jerusalem and the Byzantine Imperial families of Comnenus, Angelus and Palaiologos. The March of Montferrat was briefly controlled by Spain (1533–1536) before it passed to the Gonzaga Dukes of Mantua (1536–1708). In 1574, Montferrat was raised to a Duchy by Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor. With the War of the Mantuan Succession (1628–1631) a piece of the duchy passed to the Duchy of Savoy, the remainder passing to Savoy in 1708, as Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor gained possession of the Gonzaga territory. The next heir of the House of Gonzaga was later compensated by giving Duchy of Teschen in Silesia to them.
There are various interpretations and assumptions concerning the etymology of Montferrat, but to date none are certain. There are many opinions, with Aldo Ricaldone stating the name was derived from "Mount" and farro — a variety of wheat. Another claim is that it comes from the Latin Mons ferax meaning "fertile and rich mountain". Still another refers to the irons (Latin ferrus) left by the Romans in their conquest, Mons ferratus. Finally, an interpretation derived from a legend according to which Aleramo of Montferrat, the legendary founder of its march, wanting to shoe a horse, and not finding a hammer, used a brick (mon in the local dialect of Piedmontese), and thereby the horse was shod (fra, deriving from the same ferratus mentioned above), hence the name Monfrà yielding Montferrat.
Montferrat can be divided into three main parts:
20 million years ago the Alps were formed, in the Mediterranean area producing a new rising heat from the Earth's mantle which resulted in the buckle and rupture of the European crust which detached the Sardinian-Course block, the micro Sardinian plate did pin on the Ligurian Gulf executing a counterclockwise rotation of 50° and forming the Ligurian Sea. The sea covered the hill of Turin, the Langhe, Montferrat and the Po Valley. The rotation of the Corsica-Sardinia block opposed by the African block produced a pressure that gave rise to the Apennines. 8 million years ago to the east of the Corsica-Sardinia block opened a wide north–south divide that separated the Italian peninsula from Corsica and Sardinia, this gap widened to become the Tyrrhenian Sea. In the period from 7 to 5 million years ago, the Mediterranean Sea was closed and remained isolated from the Atlantic Ocean. This resulted in the increase of the temperature of the water that turned the Mediterranean into a low-salt lake with many areas dried up, this condition lasted for several hundreds of thousands of years was deposited sediment-type saline evaporites. Subsequently, the Mediterranean Sea was opened, and the ocean water began to circulate between the Alps and the Apennines had formed a triangular gulf that covered the entire Po Valley. Due to the continuous lifting of the Alps and the Apennines to the sea withdrew from this gulf and the accumulation of sediments carried by the rivers gave rise to a flood plain which corresponds to the Po Valley. The marine deposits of this period are visible in the area of Asti.
Monferrato is one of the most famous Italian wine regions in the world, especially regarding red wines and sparkling wines. The climate is dry continental with hot summers prone to drought and cold winters and the particular hydrogeological soil is favourable for viticulture, which, however, is dominant throughout, making the wine not only an element of economic wealth for the entire region but also a true symbol of the culture and tradition "Monferrina". The widespread dissemination of indigenous grapes and consequently a wide variety of wines witnesses them. Among the wines (DOC and DOCG), the most famous are Barbera d'Asti, Asti spumante, Moscato d'Asti, Cortese, Malvasia, and Grignolino.
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