Sale San Giovanni

Sale San Giovanni (Sale San Gioann in Piedmontese) is an Italian town of 152 inhabitants located in the province of Cuneo, Piedmont, 9 km east of Ceva.

Sale San Giovanni is located in a hilly area, at an altitude of 615 m above sea level.

It is classified in seismic zone 4 (no seismic risk zone).

The municipality has been placed in climate zone F and has a heat demand of 3078 degree days.

Current regulations place no limits on the turning on of heating systems.

The entire territory of the two municipalities of Sale delle Langhe and Sale San Giovanni was known as Sale or Sale delle Langhe until March 2, 1948, when rivalries between the inhabitants of the hamlet of Bricco and those of Valle (today’s Sale delle Langhe).

It culminated in the decree that led to the split and the establishment of the municipality of Sale San Giovanni.

On the origin of the place-name Sale, there are two hypotheses: the first refers back to the name of the ancient inhabitants of the area, the Salii, Sallui or Salluvi, while the other refers to an ancient word meaning cave, room, hall or village.

The second part of the name is related to the cult of St. John the Baptist, to whom the parish church built around the year 1000 was dedicated.

History

The territory of Sale seems to have been inhabited as early as Roman times, as evidenced by the discovery of a tombstone datable between the 1st and 2nd centuries.

Around the year 890, the territory of Sale, like the entire neighboring region, suffered Saracen raids.

The earliest written documents date from the years around 1000, where Sale is mentioned in the deeds of donation of Otto III in favor of Bishop Bernard.

In the same period, the first parish church of St. John the Baptist and the chapel of St. Anastasia, now known as the chapel of St. Anne, were built.

Around 1135, the territory of Sale entered the domains of the Marquisate of Ceva, which granted statutes to the community in 1330, under William V.

These statutes were later revised and confirmed by Cossano Doria.

In 1380, the area of the parish, known as Villa, became the seat of the chief town as it provided better defense.

In 1531, the territory of Sale came under the rule of the House of Savoy at the behest of Emperor Charles V.

From 16th century to the present day

In 1601, Marquis Alberto di Ceva, who had become a Capuchin, donated the castle of Sale San Giovanni to the Sanctuary of Vicoforte, which in turn sold it to Gerolamo Germonio in 1605.

It passed to the Incisa-Germonio family in 1684 and remained in their possession until 1954, when it was sold to the Fossano charity hospice.

In 1992 and 2003, there were the last two changes of ownership.

On April 16, 1796, Sale suffered the arrival of Napoleonic troops with associated looting and abuse.

This tragedy was followed by atmospheric calamities that severely tested the inhabitants of the area.

With regard to the local population, which was mainly engaged in agriculture and marginally affected by the affairs of the local lords, the tragic plagues of the 14th and 17th centuries (during which all the houses in the parish area were set on fire in an attempt to stop the contagion) and the last one in the early 20th century are noteworthy.

Sale San Giovanni became an autonomous municipality only in 1948, when it broke away from Sale Langhe, of which it was a hamlet under the name of Bricco.

The coat of arms and banner of Sale San Giovanni were granted by Presidential Decree of March 2, 2007.

Coat of arms

The mountains in the coat of arms represent the nature of the municipal territory; the church is the ancient parish church of St. John the Baptist, which gives the municipality its name.

The three five-pointed gold stars symbolize the three marquis families that held power over the territory.