I. A N. W. Province Of Italy

A N. W. Province Of Italy, in Piedmont, bordering on Switzerland, bounded E. by the Lago Maggiore and the river Ticino, S. E. by the province of Pavia, S. by the Po, which separates it from the province of Alessandria, and W. by the province of Turin; area, 2,526 sq. m.; pop. in 1872, 624,985. The principal part of this province belonged to the former duchy of Milan, and is covered by the main ridge of the Alps, which encloses the valley of the Toce or Tosa, into which numerous lateral valleys open, each adding its tributary stream to the Toce, which finally discharges its waters into the Lago Maggiore. The soil is noted for its fertility. The principal products are grain, rice, hemp, and silk. It is divided into the districts of Biella, No-vara, Ossola, Pallanza, Valsesia, and Vercelli.

II. A City

A City, capital of the province, on the high road from Milan to Turin, 26 m. W. of Milan; pop. in 1872, 29,516. It is surrounded with walls and bastions. Parts of the old fortifications are dismantled, and afford pleasant walks. The cathedral is celebrated for its splendid high altar, for its frescoes by Luini and sculptures by Thorwaldsen, and for its archives, rich in antiquities of the lower empire and the middle ages, and above all for its music. In Novara the priest Dolcino was condemned in 1307 for preaching Manichseism and communistic principles, and was burned alive at Vercelli together with his mistress Margaret, a nun whom he had taken from her convent. In the battle fought at Novara, March 23, 1849, between the Sardinians under the Polish general Chrzanowski and the Austrians under Radetzky, the former were completely routed, which led to the abdication of Charles Albert in favor of his son Victor Emanuel.