Dogliani

The origin of the town is certainly pre-Roman: the people who lived in these areas were in fact of Ligurian stock. Starting from 200 BC the Roman incursions became more and more numerous and constant: as evidence of this numerous finds are preserved in the G. Gabetti historical-archaeological museum.

High Middle age

Observing the town today, one realizes that the medieval-style structure is still present both in the Castle at the top and in the surrounding walls in the lower part next to the Rea stream. And it is precisely during the Late Roman Empire (period of the decline of the Roman Empire, from the end of the III century AD to 476) that the inhabited center first moved towards the Pieve and then perched around the fortified area, the castrum, to defend itself from looting and raids by the Hungarians and Saracens (10th century).

The two access gates to the city delimited the residential area and are still visible today: Porta Soprana and Porta Sottana located in the lower part, in Dogliani Borgo. The façade of Porta Soprana represents one of the most evocative medieval views and was the most important of the four entrance gates to the town which could be accessed by crossing the only wooden bridge over the Rea stream.

Middle Ages

For a certain period of time Dogliani was probably under the feudal family of Frankish origin of the Aleramici whose various branches settled in Liguria and also took root in southern Piedmont. In the XII century, with the Conventions, Dogliani obtained the first municipal autonomy. In this period, until the mid-fifteenth century, the town was the scene of infighting that saw the Monferrato, Saluzzo, Acaia and Visconti families as protagonists.

Modern Age

In the sixteenth century Dogliani was occupied first by the French and then by the Spaniards due to the war between Francis I and Charles V to ensure dominance in Europe. Later it passed under the marquisate of Busca and that of Saluzzo and around the early years of the seventeenth century, with the Treaty of Lyon (1601), Dogliani passed to the Savoy family who in turn gave it as a fief to the Solaro di Moretta and Solaro del Borgo families.

With the Napoleonic interlude the so-called “liberators” did nothing but replace the previous exploiters and the town could do nothing but submit to French laws (perhaps mindful of the fires that burned Marsaglia, Castellino and Belvedere Langhe).

With the arrival of Napoleon Bonaparte and his army in the Langhe area, and with the beginning of the Italian Campaign which brought considerable fame to the Corsican general, there were bitter clashes between Piedmont and Liguria against the Austrian and Piedmontese troops. Dogliani was occupied by the French and merged with the Department of Montenotte together with a large part of Liguria. It was recognized as the capital of the canton on which the villages of Farigliano, Bonvicino, Belvedere and Clavesana gravitated, with a total population of 7281 souls, and became an important economic center.

The nineteenth century saw the country’s physiognomy change profoundly and Dogliani returned to shine thanks to the interventions of the Doglianese architect Giovanni Battista Schellino, giving it a uniqueness that is unmatched in other inhabited centers of the Langhe: neoclassical domes and Gothic spiers, according to a completely detached from the stylistic canons of the time.