Asti (Ast in Piedmontese and in the Asti dialect) is an Italian municipality of 73,227 inhabitants, the capital of the Piedmontese province of the same name, now commonly referred to as Astigiano and the main center of the historical region of Astesana. Roman municipium, known by the name of Hasta, was the seat of the duchy of Asti, a Lombard duchy of Neustria. A free municipality in the Middle Ages, with the right to "mint money", it was one of the most important commercial centers between the 12th and 13th centuries, when its merchants developed trade and credit throughout Europe. BELANGERO CASTLE. LOTS OF HISTORY.--c8161b9aafc4b7518b2e6586526f76f9!