The Lost Castle

Description

In Diano d'Alba, once upon a time, there was a castle, built in the year 866 and rebuilt at the beginning of the 11th century by the Marquis Guglielmo di Busca. It was located where the "Belvedere" is now, with the courtyard which is now the yard of the current church.

Life of the fiefdom took place here with activities such as pressing grapes, threshing and grinding wheat. The feudal lord owned his fields and also received the tithe, which was stored in the castle premises.

The only part of the original complex still visible was used as a stable.

All around the castle there was a moat full of water, which could only be crossed with the drawbridge, located where the Agricultural Union is now.

From the castle you could see the whole fiefdom and the surrounding area, especially from the towers which were about 7 m high and which initially were four, until 1412 when one was destroyed.

Around the castle there were some houses where the service staff lived, near today's Piazza Ravinale, which constituted the Borgo Castellero, surrounded by walls. The castle could also be accessed from a secondary road on the north side, near today's "Scarun" where there was a small access door called "Usat", that means "small door".

Thanks to its favorable position, the castle was a highly sought after fortress that gave power to the feudal lord.

History

In the year 1033, Diano was indicated as the capital of the area with the name "Comitatus Dianensi".

Since 1128, by imperial concession, it has been owned by the bishop who exercised his power through the "Visdomini of Diano". These were very difficult years for the people of Diano, as the episcopal power was very demanding in collecting the tithe (one tenth of annual produce or earnings). Many acts of rebellion occured and finally in 1293 the division officially took place between the Guelphs, who followed the bishop, and the Ghibellines who sided with the secular power of Alba.

Diano was occupied by an English mercenary company and freed in 1372 by the Marquis Manfredo di Busca on behalf of the Savoy family.

Also in this historical period various revolts took place among the farmers of Diano who ended up abandoning the town in protest. The castle was disputed between the Gonzagas of Mantua and the Savoys until the violent attack of commander Colombier in 1412 returned the town back to the Savoys.

With the new rector, from 1418 to 1420, there was a period of peace. In 1433 with the Treaty of Ferrara, Diano passed to the Gonzaga family, who maintained power for two centuries, through the Princes of Monferrato. In in 1631 with the Treaty of Cherasco, the fiefdom of Diano passed back to the Savoy family. Vittorio Amedeo I of Savoy, after ascending to the throne, had the castle definitively destroyed, as it gave too much power to the feudal lord who held it. He later sold the destroyed castle and the fiefdom of Diano to the Ruffino family of Savigliano who exercised their feudal rights over the town until the Napoleonic invasion.

- To find out more watch this video by Mario Proglio -