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Albano Vercellese in the Province of Vercelli

Its place-name is believed to derive from Albanus, the name of a Thebes legion martyr. It is still possible to see a tile with a funeral inscription from the Roman epoch. Since the X century, under Attone’s episcopate, Albano became one of the parishes of the Eusebius church. Its allegiance was confirmed to the Bishop of Vercelli by the Imperial Certificates of Otto III (999) and Frederick Red Beard (1152), until 1178, when a part of it was given to the town of Vercelli. After being the property of many families (Arborio, Blandrenis, Florio, Rota, Donna, de Albano) in 1335 Albano was passed to Visconti until the arrival of the Savoy Family (1407). In 1621 the Duke Charles Emmanuel I decided that Alano (together with Oldenico and Cascine San Giacomo) become the county of Mercurio Arborio of Gattinara, chancelor of Charles V.

In the village square there is the Parish of the Assumption of Mary, built in 1837 by the architect Del Mastro on request of the archbishop Alessandro d’Angennes. The building has a neoclassical façade, with two symmetrical bell towers and a four column pronaos; its interiors, of neoclassical style as well, are based on a central layout.

Via XX Settembre opens up in front of the church and it runs along the external wall of the Castle (XV – XIX century) which is still the property of the Arborio - Gattinara descendants. The castle was restructured in the XIX century but it still retains some precious fifteenth century parts, such as the wonderful rectangular tower, which was raised in the XVII century through a structure incorporating the original forked merlons (these are still recognizable) and supplied with a cylindrical corner turret. To testify the importance of this ancient mansion, documented sources describe the presence until the XVII century, of a 12 meter wide moat circling the whole perimeter of the castle

Before leaving the village, it is worth visiting the Holy Trinity Oratory, situated on a dirt track on the right of the main road. This ancient building, probably dating from the XII century, has an apsidal basin decorated with precious fifteenth century frescoes, probably painted by Daniele De Bosis da Novara (1497-1528) which represents the Holy Trinity in a mandorla, the Evangelists, an Adoration of the Magi, the twelve Apostles and Four Prophets.

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