Santa Vittoria d’Alba

Santa Vittoria stands in a special and appealing place, a wonderful scenario over the hill of the Langhe and Roero. The town is made special by its medieval tower and, economically, by the Cinzano factory. The Turriglio, a round ruin dating back to the II century a. C., was first built by the Romans.

In the town, the parish church of the Assumption and the fraternity of saint Francis are surely worth a visit. In the latter are some paintings by Giovanni Canavesio.

History

The town got its name from the Roman victory on Alaric, king of the Visigoths’ tribe, in 402. In the light of dawn the Goths mistook the Roman lances for the equally geometric and regular vineyards’ stakes.

In the Middle Ages the hill of Santa Vittoria was strongly wanted by the town of Alba because of its strategic importance; after a long war against Asti the town conquered it. Later, the town was owned by the Visconti from Milan and, in the first half of the seventeenth century, by Carlo Emanuele di Savoia.