The most ancient references to this area, deduced from places names (Minianis, Carcillianis, etc.), date back to the Roman era. The first settlement on Monte de Stephano, below the Belriguardo castle, can be traced back to around the year 1000, while the second settlement in the area left the old parish church to form the current town, in the lee of a primitive castle.
There are no records of when the dominion of the Bishop of Asti commenced in the area, as it was not among the lands granted to him in 1041 by the Emperor, but it can be traced back to at least the first half of the 12th century, and the Belriguardo estate: there are records of this family from 1162 onwards and they appear in the ‘coniuratio dell’Astisio’ at the end of the century.
After the beginning of the 13th century, part of the lands of Cisterna and Belriguardo, considered separate territories, was in the possession of the lords of Loreto and Canale. After passing through a number of different owners, in 1650 Cisterna was sold to Francesco Dal Pozzo, marquis of Voghera, whose son Giacomo was granted the title of prince by Pope Clement X, and in 1673 also granted the right to mint his own coins (taken from B.Molino – Repertorio storico del Roero).

The geomorphological aspect of the land presents the typical characteristics of the Roero area, with the ‘rocche’, rocky crags. 35% of the area is wooded, while vineyards occupy almost 40% of the total utilised agricultural area. There is a densely wooded area, with a mixture of broad-leaved species, including much false acacia and patches of Scots pine.

MUSEUM

In Cisterna d’Asti there is a museum dedicated to “Trades and crafts of the past”, hosted in an imposing twelfth century fortress which was converted in the seventeenth century. With over 6,000 items on display in 21 rooms and workshops covering three centuries of history, the Museum, one of the best of its kind in Italy, is a tribute to human labour, an acknowledgement of the daily toil and manual skills of past generations.