Voltaggio: Church Art and Monte Tobbio

Churches and Art in the Townscape

The Chiesa Parrocchiale was built in 1202, possibly by expanding an earlier chapel dedicated to Saint Peter. The church houses paintings by Giuseppe Badaracco, Sinibaldo Scorza, Giuseppe Palmieri and Oldoino Multedo. For travellers interested in culture, the architectural history here is combined with specific works of Italian painting.

Another facet of sacred art is the Pinacoteca dei Padri Cappuccini. It houses religious paintings from the 15th to the 18th century by Ligurian, Piedmontese and Lombard artists. This timespan and the three regional connections offer a differentiated view of the religious art of northern Italy, without requiring you to limit yourself to a single century or one local tradition.

The architectural heritage also includes the Chiesa di San Michele Arcangelo, which is part of the Capuchin monastery complex. It was consecrated on 15 October 1662 by the Bishop of Albenga. The Oratorio San Giovanni Battista has a Greek-cross floor plan; its dome rises 16 metres above the ground. For your travel planning, this provides several distinct historical points of reference: a church consecration, a monastery complex and a particularly clearly describable spatial form.

The Ponte Romanico also contributes to Voltaggio’s architectural character. It is built of exposed masonry and has two asymmetrical arches, a parapet and buttresses. The Oratorio Nostra Signora del Gonfalone is intended for free visits on summer weekends, as well as during the oratory’s festivals and scheduled events. If you time your trip to coincide with such occasions, you can take this explicitly designated opportunity to visit into account.

Historic Routes and Mountain Landscapes

Voltaggio’s history is also connected with the Via Postumia. After the year 1000, the town was crossed by this route over the Apennine passes. The route led via Fiaccone, now Fraconalto, onward to Voltaggio and Gavi and then to Novi. Voltaggio is therefore historically connected with the pass routes and the places linked by this stretch.

The Voltaggio–Monte Tobbio Trail begins in the centre of Voltaggio, at Piazza Garibaldi beside the parish church, and is signposted by a trail marker of the Parco Capanne di Marcarolo. Monte Tobbio reaches an elevation of 1,092 metres and offers views of the Apennines and the Po Valley, as well as, in clear weather, the Ligurian Sea and the Alpine arc. The elevation and the clear-visibility condition help you realistically assess the landscape focus of your excursion.

Voltaggio has bus connections from the railway stations at Novi Ligure and Arquata Scrivia, as well as from the municipality of Busalla. You can take these several connection points into account when weighing up railway connections and continuing your journey by bus. This allows cultural interests, historic routes and mountain landscapes to be considered alongside one another in an individual travel plan.

Other places in this selection: Sala Monferrato, Vignale Monferrato, Montecapraro, Garbagna, Cardona, Montacuto, Terranova, Villanova Monferrato

For the overarching travel overview: Alessandria.