Montesegale

The village takes its position from the hill above the Val Ardivestra, the stream valley that separates its wheat fields and vineyards from the wider Oltrepò Pavese around it. The first historical record dates to the eleventh century, under the bishop of Tortona. In 1164, Federico Barbarossa transferred the fief to the Counts Palatines of Lomello, whose Gambarana branch took it over in 1311 and held the title of Lords of Montesegale until feudalism ended in 1797.

The upper part of the settlement is still organized around the castle those lords built and rebuilt, while the parish church sits below it, a later, separate addition from 1700 serving the working village rather than its lords. The Borghi Autentici and Città del Pane designations recognize that working character directly: a handful of bakeries, the local Salame di Varzi country, and a wine-and-grain landscape that has changed use only in the castle itself, where the seat of feudal power now holds a contemporary art collection instead of a garrison.