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Cavour

Description

The name probably derives from "Caburriates", an ancient Celtic-Ligurian tribe that, by local traditions, used to live in the area. It is a town near Turin, whose territory covers an area of only 50 square kilometers around its Rocca (a small fortress), on the top of a mountain, surrounded by rocks and debris transported by river waters over the centuries and from whose summit, at 162 meters higher than the nearby plain area and at 462 above sea level, it is possible to enjoy a unique view over the Ligurian Apennines, the Gran Paradiso and the nearby regional main city. In addition to the main centre, it includes a series of villages, that lie on the border between the province of Turin and Cuneo, not far from the source of Po and features a mainly agricultural vocation, even though in the area, there are important meat processing industries, granite workmanship and other crafts.
The first settlers belonged to the Ligurian-Celtic populations, probably attracted by its mountain location and the nearby source of the river. The area became part of the Roman domain in the I century B.C., of which several traces evidence their stay: fragments of pottery, burial grounds, gravestones, etc.. The Forum Vibii-Caburrum reached its maximum development under Augustus, after which the town followed the fortunes and the fate of the Empire. From 568, the town submitted the domain of the Lombards, the Franks and the Saracens, which only caused periods destruction and others of rebuilding. Later Cavour was contested by the Savoy-Acaja and the Marquis of Saluzzo. Domain of the Acaja, during the XIV century, the inhabitants lived a happy period with a democratic participation, which was very rare for its time. In the early XV century the village presented itself surrounded by a fortified wall and characterized by the presence of two castles on the summit of the Rocca. After the death of the last heir of the Acaja, Cavour was granted in fief by the Savoy to Ludovico Racconigi. In 1561, it is here that the Peace treaty of Cavour was signed between the Savoy and the Waldenses. Conquered in the late XVI century by Lesdiguières, only three years after it was ably re-conquered by the Savoy. After the death of Vittorio Amedeo I, the lands were disputed by the various branches of the house of Savoy. In 1649 it was granted in fief to the Benso of Santena Ponticelli, from which descended the famous Italian politician Count Camillo Benso di Cavour; until in 1685, the town submitted again the attacks of the French troops. During the Napoleonic era, the town lived another period of decline.

Not to miss:

- the Abbey of Santa Maria, founded in 1037, built where once stood a pre-existing building of the VIII century. Destroyed by the French in the XVI century, it was rebuilt in 1728 in a smaller size. The crypt houses the oldest altar in the region, while the construction features three naves separated by columns and semicircular apse. Part of the Abbey is the former monastery, recently renovated, which houses the Archaeological Museum of Caburrum;
- the Nature Reserve Rocca di Cavour and Park of the Po, a small hilly environment which, with its unusual appearance for the area, grows in the middle of a plain. The hill is almost completely covered by woods and houses numerous species of plants and animals. This particular habitat is today protected as a nature reserve;
- the historical main center.

Map

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