Why visit Alessandria? Here are four good reasons for a trip to the city that, built in the twelfth century as a fortified center, was so named in honor of Pope Alexander III:

1 ) In the small Piazza del Duomo, built in the early nineteenth century, it is possible to look up on the bell tower built between the end of the Nineteenth and early twentieth century; the structure rises for 106 meters is the second tallest bell tower in Italy after the Torrazzo di Cremona; < ; br />
2) On the left bank of the Tanaro, the river that at the confluence with Bormida bathes Alessandria, the mighty military complex of the Cittadella is visible , one of the most important in the world, star-plan, with six bulwarks surrounded by moats; the imposing fortification was built in the 18th century by demolishing an entire district of the city;

3) On the corner of the left façade of the cathedral you can see a curious statue of Romanesque origin which, according to tradition popular, would depict Gagliaudo, the Alexandrian carnival mask, which holds a cheese; however, it is, more likely, the depiction of a mythological character: Atlas that holds the world (here represented as a dish);

4) At the beginning of July, the city comes alive by the presence of the artists who give life to the Fraskettando SkaBluesJAZZ Festival, an original musical event that for years presents an overview of contemporary music overcoming the barriers of the different expressive styles; hosted at the &# 39; interior of the former Valfrè barracks, in the heart of Alexandria, the event spreads in the nearby Piazza della Libertà, one of the most great in Italy, where there are also the Palazzo del Municipio, with the characteristic three-dial clock, and the Prefecture Palace, in Baroque style, the most beautiful and monumental of the city.