The village of Alzano Scrivia stretches over an alluvial territory on the right bank of the Scrivia river. This town could be considered, along with Calvignasco and Zelo Surrigone in the province of Milan, the flattest town in Italy since the maximum height difference is only 1 metre. Situated at the confluence of the Po river and the Scrivia torrent, Alzano is located right in the heart of the alluvial plain, a landscape of waters that flooding rivers have re-designed with the passage of time.
Alzano has an agricultural tradition based on vegetable growing. The main products are: potato, spinach, celery, cabbage and beans. Well-known is the kind of bean called ‘lingua di fuoco’ (fire tongue). Beans from Alzano Scrivia are a renowned oenogastronomical speciality, particularly suited for typical local dishes.
It is possible to taste the delicious ‘pasta e fagioli’ (noodle with beans) during the fair of the ‘lingua di fuoco’ bean (the 3rd Sunday in July).
The first report of a place called ‘Alzano’ dates back to 973 BC, when the priest Roprando purchased the ‘curtis of Acjani’ from the Marquis Lamberto. There were many Lords of Alzano, including the district council of Tortona and the Bishop of Tortona Giseprando. From 1314 to 1447 it was a dominion of the Visconti family, from 1450 to 1526 it was under the rule of the Sforza family; it became Spanish dominion from 1526 to 1568 and of the Marini family from Genoa from 1568; the last Lords of Alzano were the Torti family members.
In 1789 Alzano became independent from Castelnuovo Scrivia. From 1928 to 1946 it was united to Molino dei Torti. Until 1924 the district council was called ‘Alzano’.

worth a visit
the church of ‘Natività di Maria’ built from 1846 on the site of a former neoclassical building and mentioned in a paper dating back to 1127. Inside it houses four 17th century paintings by an unknown artist, depicting San Sebastiano, Sant’Antonio from Padua, Santa Caterina from Siena and San Gerolamo. On the façade there is a reproduction of the nativity, bronze work by the artist Casati from Voghera.