Comune Montaldeo

via Ambrogio Doria, 93 - 15060 Montaldeo (AL)
Tel. +39 0143 849121
Fax: +39 (0143) 849.144
E-mail: urp@comune.montaldeo.al.it
http://www.comune.montaldeo.al.it/

Mentioned as Mons Alpherius in several 10th century documents, the town was long fought over between Alessandria and Genoa; during the 14th century it became part of the territories of the Marquises of Monferrato and, subsequently, occupied by the Sforza family who granted it as a fiefdom to the Trotti family in 1433. The town was entrusted to the Bishop of Alessandria and, in 1530, to the Grimaldi family. In 1566, the Doria family purchased the castle, several houses and about sixty hectares of land and, from that moment on, the village remained of the family.
The Castle at the centre of the village was built in the 13th century, destroyed and rebuilt in the 15th century. It was remodelled and adapted as a residence during the 17th century.
The castle is linked to the legend of the “Nun’s Ghost”, which features Sr. Costanza Gentile: the story goes that she escaped from the monastery of San Leonardo of Genova in 1699 and embarked on a romantic love affair with Clemente Doria; legend has it that the marquis arrived to the castle unexpectedly and caught the nun in the arms of a lover; blinded by rage, the man ordered that the woman be walled up alive. From that day on, on dark and stormy nights, the damned soul of the sister wanders around the castle, mourning the sins of her brief passion. A short distance away, is the Parish Church of San Martino. In the late 19th century, the first works to enlarge the church began and ended at the start of the 20th century. The Church of San Michele, built in the 12th century, was the first Parish Church of Montaldeo; it has a gabled structure while the interior, with a single nave, presents refined frescoes depicting the Archangel Michael and the Saints, datable to the late 15th century. The town has other small religious buildings such as the Oratory dei Battuti and that of San Sebastiano. The Church of Santa Caterina is located near the cemetery. It was built in 1653 where a chapel once stood dedicated to the Saint, to thank her for the help received during an enemy attack.
Coming from Mornese, shortly before the Church of San Michele, we encounter the Chapel of San Gottardo once again.