Asti is a comune (municipality) of 74,348 inhabitants (1–1–2021) located in the Italian region of Piedmont, about 55 kilometres east of Turin, in the plain of the Tanaro River. It is the capital of the province of Asti and it is deemed to be the modern capital of Montferrat.
The Visconti of Milan are a noble Italian family. They rose to power in Milan during the Middle Ages where they ruled from 1277 to 1447, initially as Lords then as Dukes, and several collateral branches still exist.
Mondovì is a town and comune (township) in Piedmont, northern Italy, about 80 kilometres (50 mi) from Turin. The area around it is known as the Monregalese.
The Golden Ambrosian Republic was a short-lived republic founded in Milan by members of the University of Pavia with popular support, during the first phase of the Milanese War of Succession. With the aid of Francesco Sforza they held out against the forces of the Republic of Venice, but after a betrayal Sforza defected and captured Milan to become Duke himself, abolishing the Republic.
The nobility of Italy comprised individuals and their families of the Italian Peninsula, and the islands linked with it, recognized by the sovereigns of the Italian city-states since the Middle Ages, and by the kings of Italy after the unification of the region into a single state, the Kingdom of Italy.
Lamezia Terme, commonly called Lamezia, is an Italian city and comune of 70,452 inhabitants (2013), in the province of Catanzaro in the Calabria region.
Scilla is a town and comune in Calabria, Italy, administratively part of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria. It is the traditional site of the sea monster Scylla of Greek mythology.
Prince of Belmonte is a noble title created in 1619 by the Spanish crown for the Barons of Badolato and Belmonte. The name of the title is taken from the fortress town of Belmonte in Calabria, historically important for the defence of the Italian coast from Saracen invasion. Belmonte has been known since the Risorgimento as Belmonte Calabro.
The aristocratic House of Borromeo were merchants in San Miniato around 1300 and became bankers in Milan after 1370. Vitaliano de' Vitaliani, who acquired the name of Borromeo from his uncle Giovanni, became the count of Arona in 1445. His descendants played important roles in the politics of the Duchy of Milan and as cardinals in the Catholic Reformation. In 1916, the head of the family was granted the title Prince of Angera by the King of Italy.
San Giorgio Morgeto is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 70 kilometres southwest of Catanzaro and about 50 km (31 mi) northeast of Reggio Calabria. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,356 and an area of 35.1 square kilometres (13.6 sq mi).
The Battle of Gamenario, fought on 22 April 1345, was a decisive battle of the wars between the Guelphs and Ghibellines. It took place in north-west Italy in what is now part of the commune of Santena about 15 km southeast of Turin.
The Delle Piane family is an old Genoese noble family first recorded in Polcevera in 1121. Over the past ten centuries it has produced many distinguished government officials, clerics, diplomats, soldiers and patrons.
The Casane Astigiane were the major family banking houses of Asti, Italy in the middle ages. Their economic activities included currency exchange and lending.
The Solaro family was the most powerful medieval banking family in Asti, Italy. At the height of their power, they were owners of 24 castles within Asti's communal territory. They were also present in Genoa in the 12th century and acquired holdings in Sestri Levante. Of the Casane Astigiane, they were the main Guelf supporters in Asti, in contrast to the 'De Castello" union.
Scarampi is the name of an old and prominent Ghibelline noble family of Asti and its environs in north-west Italy.
The Torre Troyana is a tower in Asti, Italy, and one of the main symbols of the city.
The Ceva Grimaldi are an Italian noble family established in Southern Italy since the 16th century but whose origins are in Piedmont and Liguria and date back to the 10th century. The main titles associated with this branch of the Ceva family are Marchese di Pietracatella and Duca di Telese.
Longhi is an Italian surname of ancient origin, initially spelled as Longo, of which Longhi is plural. Some groups gained great power in the Middle Ages and into the modern era, holding dozens of titles of nobility and vast estates in north-central Italy. The surname appears in many dialectal variants, such as Longis, Longoni, Longa, Longhù, Longi, Longu and others. In addition to the Longus, the plural Longi is usually found in Latin texts. However, since in Italian longo means "long", "tall", "ancient" or "long", and is a word of common usage, it is likely that many of the numerous groups scattered throughout Italy had independent origins.
The towers and palaces of the Roero in Asti are medieval buildings located in the San Martino-San Rocco district, in the area between Piazza San Giuseppe, Via Roero, Via Quintino Sella and Piazza San Martino. The Roero or "Rotari", one of the major families of the nobility belonging to the houses of Asti, began to occupy the area at the beginning of the 13th century and, as a result of the increase in their profits obtained from trade and pawn money lending, they exponentially increased the colonization of the area. By the end of the 13th century, the Municipality of Asti, through the financing of the mercantile families was able to weave a fruitful network of alliances and trade agreements. The league that the municipality formed with Pavia, Genoa and the Marquisate of Saluzzo led to the defeat of the Angevin army and enabled it to dominate over most of south-central Piedmont. The increase in Asti's political clout over Piedmont consequently led to a demographic and urban increase in the city of Asti throughout the 14th century. The seventeenth-century Laurus map shows how many strongholds and towers there still were in the city's built-up area and only leaves one to speculate what the actual urban layout was during the period of maximum fourteenth-century expansion.
