National Mining Day in Ozzano Monferrato — Riccardo Coppo Memorial

A day dedicated to the mining heritage of Monferrato

In Ozzano Monferrato, a small town in the province of Alessandria in the heart of Casale Monferrato, the National Mining Day is much more than a simple museum opening: it is a moment when an entire town rediscovers its identity linked to the extraction and processing of cement. The event is part of the national initiative promoted by REMI and ISPRA, which every year highlights mining tourism as cultural heritage in dozens of Italian sites, but in Ozzano, it takes on a unique character, deeply rooted in the community.

The former CementiRossi complex and the MiCeM Museum

The heart of the day is the former CementiRossi complex, located at Via Rivara 5, which houses the MiCeM Museum — Museum of Mines and Cement of Casale Monferrato. Here, the ancient production structures tell the story of a territory that for over a century lived off work in the tunnels and cement plants. During the National Mining Day, the museum opens for free with guided tours, a precious opportunity to discover machinery, documents, and testimonies of a hard and fascinating trade.

The Riccardo Coppo Memorial and the Cement Trail

The most anticipated moment is the Riccardo Coppo Memorial, a guided hike of about 3 kilometers along the Cement Trail in Valle Fontanola, through the mining and industrial areas that have shaped the Ozzano landscape. The walk, organized in collaboration with FIAB Monferrato, combines gentle trekking, historical outreach, and naturalistic discovery: a concrete way to read the territory through the traces left by extractive activity.

Art, community, and tradition

The historical dimension is accompanied by an artistic one: the day saw the inauguration of the mural "The Cement Trail" by local Ozzano artist Marida Bosco Balbo, created in the outdoor museum area of the former CementiRossi complex. The initiative is the result of the work of the OperO Association and the Il Cemento Association, together with the Municipality of Ozzano Monferrato, who keep this collective memory alive every year. An event that speaks to families, industrial archaeology enthusiasts, hikers, and anyone who wants to know a lesser-known but authentic side of Piedmont.