Vercellae

Vercelli
Comune
Città di Vercelli
Piazza Cavour and the Torre dell’Angelo.
Coat of arms
Vercelli Location of Vercelli in Italy
Coordinates: 45°19′N 8°25′E / 45.317°N 8.417°E / 45.317; 8.417Coordinates: 45°19′N 8°25′E / 45.317°N 8.417°E / 45.317; 8.417
Country	Italy
Region	Piedmont
Province / Metropolitan city	Vercelli (VC)
Government
• Mayor	Maura Forte
Area
• Total	79.85 km2 (30.83 sq mi)
Elevation	130 m (430 ft)
Population (30 April 2009)
• Total	47,220
• Density	590/km2 (1,500/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Vercellesi
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	13100
Dialing code	0161
Patron saint	Eusebius of Vercelli
Saint day	August 1
Website	Official website

Vercelli [verˈtʃɛlli]  listen  (Vërsèj in Piedmontese, also known as 'The City'), is a city and comune of about 47,000 inhabitants in the Province of Vercelli, Piedmont, northern Italy. One of the oldest urban sites in northern Italy, it was founded, according to most historians, around the year 600 BC.

The city is situated on the river Sesia in the plain of the river Po between Milan and Turin. It is an important centre for the cultivation of rice, and is surrounded by rice paddies, which are flooded in the summer. The climate is typical of the Po Valley with cold, foggy winters (0.4 °C (33 °F) in January) and oppressive heat during the summer months (23.45 °C (74 °F) in July). Rainfall is most prevalent during the spring and autumn; thunderstorms are common in the summer.

The languages spoken in Vercelli are Italian and Piedmontese; the variety of Piedmontese native to the city is called Varsleis.

The world's first university funded by public money was established in Vercelli in 1228 (the seventh university founded in Italy), but was closed in 1372. Today it has a university of literature and philosophy as a part of the Università del Piemonte Orientale and a satellite campus of the Politecnico di Torino.