Cerrina Monferrato


Cerrina Monferrato is a commune in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about east of Turin and about northwest of Alessandria. Its municipal borders enclose an area of ranging in elevation from above sea level. The commune borders Gabiano to the north, Mombello Monferrato to the east, Castelletto Merli and Odalengo Piccolo to the south, and Odalengo Grande and Villamiroglio to the west. The two principal population centres are Valle Cerrina which had a population of 583 at the time of the 2001 census, and Cerrina itself, the historic centre and capoluogo which had a population of 353. Montalero and Rosingo were both communes in their own right until 1928. The other settlements include Montaldo, Piancerreto and Gaminella: although the last lies mostly within the commune of Mombello Monferrato.

Notable curiosities

In 2005 Cerrina was the centre of swarms of locusts or grasshoppers which, unprecedented in their magnitude and moving at speeds of up to, threatened the vineyards of Monferrato and the province of Asti. Mayor of Cerrina Pier Valentino Piva was quoted as saying that "there are thousands of them massed on the walls of our houses from morning to night. It seems as though here we are living through a scourge from the Bible".