The historical vicissitude

The first reference to  Novi date back to imperial documents relating to donations, and can be dated back to the end of the 900 A.C.

In 1135

Novi, that was by this time a free Comune, ratified its allegiance to Genoa and Pavia in an official document.

Subsequently, in 1157

it aligned itself with Tortona and Milan, against Pavia. It was contested throughout the 13th and 14th centuries between Monferrato (1264), Milan (1347) and Genoa (1359), and submitted itself to the same in 1392.

In 1447 

it became part of the Genoese republic . From this time onwards the town flourished in terms of population, economy and arts. Novi in fact held the leading status in the Genoese republic, in the Po plain area; being the provincial capital of the Oltregiogo district (the area between the Ovada and Tortona districts, consisting in the middle Scrivia valley, as well as the Lemme and Borbera valleys). This period also saw the migration of numerous Noble Genoese families, who built many stately residences in the local area. This accounts for the strong Ligurian influence over the Novi area, such as the local dialect which still retains many aspects of the Genoese dialect, despite the different intonation. This boom period continued for an extended period of time, and in fact Novi escaped the plague of the 1600’s (known as that of Manzoni); and for this the church of the Collegiate of S. Maria of the Assumption was built as a token of gratitude.

In 1799

Novi was the scene of the battle between the French and Austrian-Russian army. The Austrians emerged as the victors and they pillaged the town, saving only the churches of St. Andrea and St.Nicolò. Following the congress of Vienna in 1815, Novi came under the dominion of the Kingdom of Sardinia, maintaining its status of provincial capital, a status which, following the Unification of Italy, was transformed into that of provincial capital of the districts of the province of Alessandria. When in 1927, the Fascist government decreed the abolition of the local districts it was incorporated in the province of Alessandria. The industrial activities of Novi which, until the 1800’s consisted principally in the silk and hemp processing, received great impetus as the result of the building of the Turin-Genoa railway line in 1854, which also served to boost the population which grew to 20,000 in the late 1800’s.

By the 1900’s

other major industries were established, in the fields of confectionery, electricity, metallurgy and in the mechanical sphere, so that Novi became an increasingly important industrial center. The First World War saw the building of the first airport, which is still in used today for tourist and amateur purposes. During the Second World War, Novi came under air attack several times, which particularly affected the area of Porta Pozzolo and Porta della Valle, and the railway station area. The rapid reconstruction enacted in the immediate post-war period, led to the modernization of the town, which was further extended to the plains, re-instating its industrial vocation. However in recent years the service sector and commercial and tourist-cultural activities have superseded the industrial sphere.