Zona di Salvaguardia del Bosco delle Sorti - La Communa

The first historical documents mentioning the area of Cassine Wood date back to the 15th century: in 1456 Guglielmo di Monferrato commits himself to maintain the woodland territories called "Communa", given the extension of the cultivated fields and the greater exploitation by rural communities which, in that period, were continuously growing.
In 1599, the area called Communa was given an exact geographical boundaries: everything lying eastwards Carentino, Alessandria, and Gamalerii, southwards the road of Cervino Valley, westwards Boschi di Mombaruzzo, and northwards the river Ghisone. The "Communa", both as topographical name and territorial entity, maintained two different connotations: on the one side, the conservation of the public-community management of the area called "Bosco delle Sorti", which has been transformed from the original public estate through a gradual parcelling and privatization process from the 18th to the 19th century. On the other side, a territory called "Tenimento delle Zerbe" was given to private owners in 1874 from Comunità di Cassine.

The use of several parts of the Tree Heath in the production of brooms and pipes is of particular cultural interest.