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MONALE |
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Comune
di Monale
P.zza Vittorio Emanuele II, 1
Tel. 0141/669131
E-mail: monale@tin.it
Mayor: Felice Veglio
Population: 915
Altitude: 200 a.s.l.
Carabinieri: Baldichieri d’Asti
Tel. 0141/66133 |
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The
origins of the name Monale are uncertain.
The most logical and widely-held theory
is that it derives from the Latin “Mons
Natalis”, ‘hill of Natale’,
which would indicate it being part of
the feudal property of a person by the
name of Natale. In 1310 in the piazza
in Monale a peace treaty was imposed by
the count of Savoy between the Guelphs
of Asti and a group of Ghibelline citizens
of that town who had taken refuge in the
castle. The first town council meeting
was held on 18 April 1667.
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| LOCAL
AREA-ECONOMY |
| Monale,
like other parts of the Asti area, is of great
interest from the palaeontological point of
view, with numerous fossilised seashells from
the “facies astiana”; mainly gastropods
such as naticidae, turritellidae, cypreidae
and muricidae. Bivalves, also common, include
mostly arcidae, mytilidae and pectinidae.
The valley between these hills is densely
wooded (Selva Andona). |
| KEY
FIGURES |
| Giovanni
Filippo Galvagno (1825-1895), lawyer and patriot,
from a young age was the Governing Commissioner
of the First War of Independence. A journalist
on the satirical political journal “Il
Fischietto”, he was later a deputy,
then Home Affairs Minister and Senator. Raimondo
Gani, elected podestà in the Fascist
period, saved the lives of many young people
during the difficult war years. At the end
of the conflict the National Liberation Committee
appointed him Mayor. |
| ART
AND ARCHITECTURE |
| The
existing castle, built at the end of the fourteenth
century by the Scarampi family, lies just
below the previous construction, which was
destroyed in 1305. The oldest parts still
feature the “sawtooth” frieze
under the battlements. The castle lies in
grounds which are divided into three areas:
a fruit orchard, an ‘Italian-style’
garden, and the rest of the grounds, fields
alternating with little copses. The L-shaped
Bastita is a typical seventeenth century construction. |
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