Valle Talloria - Diano's hamlet
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Valle Talloria is a small hamlet of Diano d'Alba.
It is located between two hills where the Talloria stream flows.
In 1920 Valle Talloria became an independent parish with the appointment of Don Giuseppe Sarotti as its first parish priest. Previously, Don Sarotti was curate at the Parish of Diano, on which the Chapel of Valle Talloria also depended.
In 2020 the centenary of the foundation of the Valle Talloria church was celebrated.
It has a gabled façade, a central nave with some chapels dedicated to the most important saints on the side, the altar and the apse.
In this village there is also a school, which is now used as a kindergarten.
On 5 May 2024 the school was named after Teacher Carla Berzia, sister of Emma (the one who contributed to the restoration of the Chapel of Santa Lucia), and her husband Maestro Lorenzo Bormida: the first to have taught in the school.
In Valle Talloria there are many wineries, farms and there is also a peasant museum.
The town has many secrets, including that of the parish priest who invented the first geared bike.
In fact, the parish priest Don Giuseppe Sarotti (✱ 1871 - ✝ 1949) patented the bicycle in 1934 for Italy and, subsequently, in 1935 for Austria, Belgium, Germany, Yugoslavia, Switzerland, Spain, France and Luxembourg. In 2020, on the occasion of the centenary, the bicycle was put on display in the church after its restoration by Mr. Marco Schellino.
Today the bicycle is exhibited at the Cascina Rossa museum in via Cane Guido 24.
The main street of Valle Talloria is via Cane Guido, which crosses the entire hamlet (SP 130). Guido Cane was a partisan who fought as a hero during the Second World War.
He was captured by the Germans and shot on 1 June 1944 at Mussotto in Alba.
Currently at the Valle Talloria cemetery there is a monument in the tomb of the Marengo and Cane families in memory of the great patriot man.
BICICLETTA SAROTTI
The parish priest who invented the bicycle was called Giuseppe Sarotti (✱ 1871 - ✝ 1949).
The bicycle was initially patented in 1934 for Italy.
Subsequently, in 1935 it was also patented for Austria, Belgium, Germany, Yugoslavia, Switzerland, Spain, France and Luxembourg.
The “Sarotti bicycle” was awarded at the “Turin Cycle and Motorcycle Fair” with an honorary diploma.
Inside the parish archive there is a copy of two contracts from 1935 signed in original.
In the first contract Don Sarotti assigns the patents for the bicycle he invented to the Mantello brothers, Filippo and Edoardo, residents of Valle Talloria and sons of Mantello Paolo.
However, we don't know whether this bicycle was actually produced and put on the market.
We can hypothesize that, with the start of the Second World War, the entire production project was quickly abandoned.
To date, we only own the prototype of the Sarotti bicycle which, on the occasion of the centenary, was restored by Mr. Marco Schellino, to whom we extend our sincere thanks.
During a course at school in which we kids participated, we met Mr. Mario Proglio (an expert knowledge of local history) who told us about the existence of the bike and we, who live in Valle Talloria, started asking many people for information old women of the town and the old parish priests.
Speaking with Don Francesco Mollo and Don Sergio Montoya and asking Adriano Valentino we came to the conclusion that the bicycle was on the mezzanine of the church.
So, we decided to check but we couldn't find it.
When we returned the keys to Mrs. Miranda Cane, she telephoned Mrs. Ada Topino (ex-wife of Mr. Marco Schellino).
Mrs Topino explained us that the bicycle was at her house.
Consequently, we organized ourselves to go and see it, took some photos and then took it to the Veglios Family, at the Cascina Rossa museum.
Thanks for don Sarotti's bike
We want to remember and thank Marco Schellino for the laborious work of restoring and cleaning the bicycle, his family Ada Topino with his children Davide and Michela Schellino for keeping and preserving it during the Covid period.
We also thank Adriano Valentino and Cane Miranda for the precious information, Don Francesco Mollo and Don Sergio Montoya for their interest and willingness to lend the bicycle for restoration and display during the celebration of the centenary of the parish of Santa Croce.
Finally, we remember Marco Schellino and Adriano Valentino who, unfortunately, have passed away.
Where can it be seen?
It is now possible to see it at the "Museum of the vine, wine and rural civilization" at the "Cascina Rossa" farm in via cane Guido 24, Valle Talloria.
The farmhouse/museum has made itself available for the exhibition of the precious heirloom in a large room with other ancient objects and precious peasant work tools which take us back, with a bit of nostalgia, to a distant past.