Since 2017, Ozzano Monferrato has been awarded the Orange Flag by the Italian Touring Club, a recognition given to inland towns for their architectural, cultural, historical, and hospitality qualities—essentially the inland counterpart to the Blue Flags for seaside locations.
The village, perched on a hill along the road from Asti to Casale, welcomes visitors with a 100-year-old road sign that remains well preserved. Surrounded by vineyards producing Grignolino, Barbera, and Freisa, Ozzano also cultivates hazelnuts, wheat, corn, and various vegetables, which form the backbone of the local agricultural economy. For over a century, however, from 1860 onward, the economy was driven by cement production: the hills conceal marl limestone, an ancient rock which, when fired in kilns, became the basis for producing cement and lime. Ozzano was one of the leading centers for this industry; by 1910, half of Italy’s high-quality cement came from here, with local farmers turning into miners. Large industrial plants were built, the remnants of which—alongside the Mi-CeM, the Monferrato Casalese Miners and Cement Museum—stand today as fascinating examples of industrial archaeology and are highly visited.
Particularly striking are the six brick chimneys of the Milanese and Azzi plant, reminiscent of the Battersea Power Station famously pictured on the cover of Pink Floyd’s Animals album.
Their dramatic appearance was even used as a backdrop by the Italian rock band Måneskin in their video “Le parole lontane.”
Like many neighboring towns, Ozzano has ancient roots and a lively medieval and Renaissance history, leaving architectural traces from nearly every era. At the top of the hill stands the castle and a tower, now privately owned by the Visconti family, with foundations dating back to around the year 1000. Rebuilt and expanded multiple times over the centuries, it has lost its fortress appearance in favor of a more refined residential architecture, though it could still serve defensively if needed.
Also elevated above the village is the Church of San Salvatore, likely built around 1300 in the late Gothic style, with brick construction and a detached bell tower. The interior features three naves separated by large round columns supporting vaulted ceilings; the central nave has a barrel vault. The church is adorned with splendid frescoes from the late 15th and early 16th centuries, as well as paintings, decorations, and sculptures from various periods. Outside, the churchyard displays a geometric decoration made of rounded river pebbles.
Within the village, a rare late Gothic civic building from the late 1400s survives: Casa Bonaria – Simonetti. Traces of the 16th-century medieval defensive walls also remain. Baroque style is visible in the renovation of the Church of Santa Maria Assunta just outside the historic core, while some 19th-century buildings—such as Villa Braccio, Casa Massa, and the gardens of Villa Barbano and the castle, home to a centuries-old cedar of Lebanon—reflect later periods. A Liberty-style villa can be found on Via Santa Maria.
