Roddi

Built on the right bank of the river Tanaro, it stands on a hill from which all the area around Alba can be seen.

The castle, that dominates the whole town, has two strong towers, built in the XII and XV century.

The oldest houses stand all round it and round the bell tower, built in the XIII century; the roads turn all round them.

Interesting is also the baroque parish church of the Assumption.

The patronal fair is held on the last Sunday in August.

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History

The town’s name comes from the Celtic “raud” or “rod”, meaning “river”: surely a very ancient town, founded before the Roman era, it was later a Roman village called “Raudum”; it was built on the road from Alba Pompeia and the then important Pollentia.

According to the historians, here two great battles were fought: the one called “of the Campi Raudii” in 101 b.C., when Caius Marius Consul won over the Cimbres and Teutons, and the other in 403, when the Roman general Stiliconius won over Alaric’s Goths.

Later, in Roddi was built a big monastery; since the XV century it was a possession of different families (the Falletti di Barolo, the duke of Mantova, the Della Mirandola), until it was bought by the marquis Della Chiesa di Cinzano, who sold it to the king Carlo Alberto in 1836.