Occimiano: Religious Art and History in Monferrato

Occimiano is a destination for those who want to combine sacred art, traces of history, and a landscape at the foot of the first gentle hills of Monferrato. The town offers several specific points of interest: churches with paintings and historic furnishings, a villa with a politically significant past, the presumed ruins of Castello Cavalla, and a hiking trail with an approximate length and duration.

Religious Art between the Renaissance and Baroque

The present structure of the Chiesa Parrocchiale di San Valerio dates from the late 15th or early 16th century. The church houses a Madonna con il Bambino by Bernardino Lanino. It also contains the large painting Assunta by Aureliano Milani, dating from 1726. In a single place of worship, you can therefore encounter both an older architectural character and works of art from later centuries.

Another important ecclesiastical site is the Chiesa del SS. Nome di Gesù e del Rosario. The Baroque building, dating from the 17th century, was erected on the remains of a Romanesque structure. Inside is La Madonna del Rosario by Ambrogio Oliva, created around 1580. The choir loft also houses a Serassi organ from 1837. Architecture, painting, and instrument form an ensemble in which the town’s various historical layers directly face one another.

Chapels and Historic Sites

The Chiesa della Consolazione o di S.Croce is also one of Occimiano’s notable religious buildings. It was founded in 1673 by the Padri Crociferi di San Camillo. The Chiesa di S.Francesco da Paola has a polychrome marble altar with a painting of San Camillo. At the same time, it is a Baroque chapel of the Palazzo dei Marchesi da Passano, founded toward the end of the 18th century. This gives your tour a particularly rich combination of religious art, Baroque design, and aristocratic architectural history.

The Villa Marchesi da Passano recalls an event of European significance: Vittorio Emanuele II and Napoleone III met at the villa from 11 May to 20 May 1859, at the beginning of the Second Italian War of Independence. A much older trace is the “Torre,” the presumed ruins of Castello Cavalla in Occimiano. Together, these sites offer different perspectives on the town’s history, without requiring you to limit yourself to a single era.

Hills and Hiking

Occimiano lies at the foot of the first gentle hills of Monferrato. The Sentiero di San Bernardo was walked as a hiking trail of approximately 7 km, suitable for everyone, with a duration of about two hours. For you, the contrast between the religious sites and the gentle hills can make for a varied day out.

Local Flavors

The foods associated with Occimiano include salumi from Daffara Giovanni e figli (Cascina San Lorenzo). Occimiano can therefore be explored not only through its churches, paintings, and historic sites, but also through the products associated with the town.

Further destinations for orientation: Fabiano, Lu, Camagna Monferrato, San Sebastiano Curone, Volpedo, Borgoratto Alessandrino, Monticelli, Strevi

For the overview of the wider travel region: Alessandria.