SHARRYLAND
Where is
What it is and where it is
It is a town in upper Monferrato in the province of Asti born from the union of Montiglio with 3 other municipalities, Colcavagno, Scandeluzza, Rinco. Lying on the gentle hills that emerged from the ancient Piedmontese Ligurian Sea, it offers wide views and from its Castle you can admire all the main peaks of the Western Alps, from Monviso to the East Face of Monte Rosa. Its historic core, whose houses are arranged on the slope with origin from the Castle and the adjacent Parish Church, takes the peculiar shape of a bunch of grapes, as if to represent viticulture, the main activity until the 1970s of the peasant inhabitants.
Why it is special
Strolling through the center you notice a special feature: there are a lot of sundials. There are more than 50 of them, decorating the houses and offering a unique varied spectacle. They are all different, colorful, lively, with curious sayings and quotations, some in Italian, others in dialect, Latin or foreign languages. They range from reflections on the value of elapsed time, such as "L'ora fuggita più richiamar non vale," or "La vita fugge e non s'arresta un'ora," to convivial invitations, such as "Per gli amici qualunque ora." They are almost all the work of artist Mario Tebenghi.
Not to be missed
The charm of Montiglio Monferrato is not limited to its streets; there are many places that deserve a close look. A visit to the castle and in the park to the chapel of Sant'Andrea, for example, which contains the largest cycle of 14th-century frescoes in all of Piedmont, a pathos-filled depiction of the life of Christ. Or the ancient parish church of San Lorenzo dating from 1150 built in the Romanesque style next to the cemetery, whose capitals recall those carved on the columns of the Sagra di San Michele in the Susa Valley.
A bit of history
News of Montiglio already appears in documents from the late 9th century. It came under the control of several families until 1164, when Emperor Frederick Barbarossa recognized the lordship of the place to the Marquises of Monferrato, who made it an important fief for the control of the territory and the collection of taxes. Except for a 30-year interlude under the Commune of Asti, they ruled it until 1617, when it was besieged and conquered by the Savoys, ceded the following year to the Duke of Mantua, conquered in 1657 by French troops, and from 1708 aggregated with the Savoy State.
Curiosities
The grape, a historical product of local peasant activity, shares the scene with another treasure of the earth: the truffle. The national truffle festival, held annually on the first and second Sundays of October, is dedicated to the prized tuber, with tastings of local products and wines paired with the king of the feast.
The castle
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