Going a long way back, in the Middle Ages Cossombrato was the property of the bishops of Asti. In 1290 it was the site of fighting between Guelphs and Ghibellines. In 1320 the Pelletta family built a castle here, where they took refuge when at war with the Solaro family. The most important parts of this imposing castle still remain today, though partly modernised in later epochs. The chiesa di San Rocco dates back to the 1700’s, and according to contemporary records it was constructed to ward off an outbreak of foot and mouth disease.

Although situated in a hilly area, only a very small area of land is used for agricultural purposes. In the village is the well-equipped Cantina Merlone, the winery which takes in most of the local harvest. Part of the population works in trade, but most people are occupied in the industrial and services sector around Asti.

ART AND ARCHITECTURE

In the countryside around Asti there are many chapels, little churches and devotional shrines: all tangible signs of a rural religious tradition which needs physical symbols for expression. The churches of Cossombrato offer an insight into how daily life was marked by prayer: the Chiesa di San Rocco, built in 1796 from a design by the architect Gallo, with the permission of the bishop of Asti, and the Chiesa Madonna dell’Olmetto, dating back to around the fourteenth century, and rebuilt in the sixteenth century.