Located on the border with the province of Asti, one of the most beautiful areas of Monferrato Casalese, Alfiano Natta is located in the extreme north-west of province of Alessandria about 43 km from the capital, in a panoramic position on the southern slope of the Montebaldo hill.
The territory of the municipality includes various hamlets, while to the north it is occupied by the river basin Stura and borders for a certain stretch with the Asti area Moncalvo.
Alfiano was the fiefdom that belonged to a rich noble family from Asti. The village, initially the domain of the Marquises of Monferrato, was granted by them to some families, including the Natta from 1531 until the last century. On the hill above the ancient village there are still the ancient ruins of the castle. The town's coat of arms bears the name ofNatta.
At the end of the last century the activity of weaving of the cotton and of hemp, as well as the extraction of gravel from the disused quarries located on the hills north of the town, one of which, in the Cardona hamlet, is undergoing partial redevelopment as an equipped area. Currently the main resources of the village are agriculture and in particular viticulture. The vineyards cover most of the hillse and wine production is a very important item for the local economy. They are also cultivated fodder,vegetables, fruit is cereals.
The municipality is also home to sulfur-salty-iodine springs. Their beneficial properties are now undermined by pollution.
At the seat of the municipality is present the civic library founded in 1974 with a book heritage consisting of about 1500 volumes and brochures.
Bibliography
- Piedmont country by country - Ed. Bonechi - Florence - 1993