Alessandria

Alessandria, the principal fortress and town of the province of the same name in the north of Italy, is situated in a marshy country near the confluence of the Bormida and Tanaro, 58 miles ESE. of Turin. It was built in 1168 by the inhabitants of Cremona, Milan, and Placentia, as a bulwark against the Emperor Frederick I., and was afterwards called Alessandria in honour of Pope Alexander III. It was taken and plundered in 1522 by Duke Sforza; besieged by the French in 1657; and again taken by Prince Eugene in 1707. In 1800, Bonaparte here concluded an armistice. It was the principal stronghold of the Piedmontese during the insurrection of 1848-9. The citadel is still one of the strongest fortresses in Italy, of enormous size, larger than many a town; and in war the whole surrounding country can be inundated by means of the sluices of the Tanaro. The city contains, inclusive of the garrison, (1897) 77,046 inhabitants, who carry on a trade in linens, woollens, silk fabrics, stockings, and wax-candles. The richly decorated cathedral was rebuilt in 1823. Two great fairs are held here annually. The city is the meeting-point of several railway lines.—The province has an area of 1980 sq. m., and a pop. of (1891) 775,729. It is a fertile plain on the east, and the west is hilly, with rich wooding.