A closer look
Contad of Serralunga: at a glance
Serralunga is a hamlet of the municipality of Cantarana (AT), consisting of a vast flat and semi-hilly area, located south of the Triversa stream and the SS Padana Inferiore, near the locality of "Burnt Houses" (municipality of Villafranca d'Asti).
The plain, once densely cultivated for its richness of water, today is an appreciable countryside and recently the area has found a new prestige, thanks to the ease of connections and the splendid view that you enjoy on the valley in recent years there have been built some prestigious villas. In addition, old houses have remained intact, which are grouped into a single nucleus, of ancient origin, where the building of the old water mill is preserved, today transformed into a private house. The area of Serralunga remains unpopulated and thus preserves the natural beauty of its places.
History
Identification of the castle and village of SerralungaExplore this chapter
In Roman times the valley of the Traversole stream was crossed by Fulvia, between Tortona (Dertona), Asti (Hasta), Chieri (Carreum Potentia) and Turin (Augusta Taurinorum), which did not follow the current route of the "Lower Padana" in this section[1].
In the Middle Ages, a series of villages emerged along the way: Volpiglio (La Castella - Madonna della Snow), Traversola, Musanzola and Musanza (Borgovecchio - Stazione). The name of Serralunga is mentioned in documents ranging from 1152 to 1224.
In 1117 a certain Literature "lord of Serralunga" acted as a witness on behalf of the bishop of Asti[2]: it was probably a landowner, devoid of feudal title, but somehow tied to the Astigian bishops' power. On 15 November 1152, rights were sold to the Municipality of Asti on the castle of Serralunga, on the farmer and its relevance, in possession of several lords[3]. The following year, however, a papal bull attributed to the bishop of Asti the possession, among other assets, of the Serralunga countryside[4]. The attribution of the Serralunga county to the bishop, rather than to the municipality, which had purchased it the previous year, was reconfirmed with the bulls of 1154 and 1156[5].
With a diploma of 1159[6], Federico Barbarossa, who had conquered and destroyed Asti in 1155, took dominion over the city directly to himself, dividing jurisdiction over the territory between three mayors of the Municipality: the bordering territories of Baldichieri, Dusino and Tigliole therefore passed to the Municipality, while the countryside of Serralunga and Musanza remained in the possession of the bishop Anselm, a partisan of the emperor: the latter perhaps intended to secure possession of the fortification placed to control the main communication route from the west in this way.
In 1162 the bishop of Asti granted half of the farm to the lords of Castellinaldo, who had previously donated to the bishop of the land they possessed in the area and were also previously tied to the episcopal power.
During the fight with Federico Barbarossa in the context of the Lombard League, in August 1174[7], the bishop of Asti, William, invested the Municipality, through the municipal consuls, with half of the territory of Serralunga as a fief, but this, including the right to receive tolls, returned under direct imperial possession in 1178. Upon the death of Henry VI of Swabia, in 1197, the Municipality took possession of the fief again[8].
On 26 May 1198 Bishop Bonifacio added another quarter of the territory to the municipal fief, but the investment was not ratified by the chapter of Asti and a series of disputes arised.[9]. On 28 June 1203 the mayor of Asti in turn granted the territories obtained in 1198 as a fief to Giacomo Baresano and Guido di Castellinaldo, among which the village of Serralunga, as well as the castle and the countryside. Enrico di Castellinaldo was also added to them on the following 8 July[10]. The dispute was settled in 1221 with a compromise, thanks to the arbitration of the bishop of Turin[11], and the bishop invested the Municipality with all the assets remaining in his possession in the Serralunga countryside[12]. On 13 July 1224 the Castellinaldo family also ceded their possessions of Serralunga to the municipality[13]. Once definitively in the possession of the Municipality, a series of inhabited centers were founded in the Serralunga countryside, including Villafranca in 1290.
However, there are no mentions of the castle or of the farm after the end of the thirteenth century: probably the castle was abandoned because it was not useful anymore, and fell into ruin.
Identification of the castle and village of Serralunga
The identification of the locality of Serralunga, cited in the documents, with the current fraction, was discussed, but it seems to be evidenced by the document of 1197, that mentions its neighboring territories and describes it as dominated by a fortress[14]. While the first mention of the castle dates back to 1152, the existence of a village is mentioned starting from 1203.
A 18th century manuscript refers to the observations of the historian Astigiano de Canis on the ruins of a fortified building in the locality of "Castelvero" near Cantarana[15], described as a quadrangular fence of approximately 11 m on each side, with two square towers on the front corners, with sides of approximately 5 m. The presence of underground environments is also mentioned. The ruins were located on the top of a steep elevation, currently in the territory of the municipality of Tigliole.
Nearby, in the town of "Bricco Barrano, there was also a village, witnessed by the presence of the small church of San Donato di Serralonga, attested in 1345[16], rebuilt in 1920 on the opposite side of the municipal road. At a later time a new settlement would also have formed on the valley floor, closer to the main road and perhaps favored by the presence of a mill, to which the toponym of Serralunga was then passed on, while the ancient village perhaps took the name of "Barrano" from the local lords, the Baresanos. The castle hill had taken the name "Castelvecchio" since 1584.
Notes
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- ^ R. Bondone, A valley of transit in the political game of the Swabian age, p.120, note 388.
- ^ Green Book of the Church, 110.
- ^ Codex Astensis, 66
- ^ Green Book of the Church, 315
- ^ Green Book of the Church, 316-317).
- ^ Codex Astensis, 6.
- ^ Codex Astensis, 563
- ^ Codex Astensis, 639.
- ^ Codex Astensis, 292, 306, 575.
- ^ Codex Astensis, 565.
- ^ Codex Astensis, 286.
- ^ Codex Astensis, 1005, 24, 274.
- ^ Codex Astensis, 883.
- ^ Codex Astensis , 639. The document mentions the neighboring territories (Musanza, Musanzola, Traversola and Dusino) and describes Serralunga as dominated by a fortress, which stood on the top of an isolated hill, located at the bottom of the Rio Grande valley (Valgrande) and between Bricco Barrano and Valperosa, called "Castelvecchio" or "Castelvè". A previous document from 1174 (Codex Astensis, 563) allows us to recognize the extension of the "county", which included, in addition to the plain of the same name, also the area of "Case Bruciate" and the "Valla Audana" (now hamlets of Villafranca d'Asti), up to the bridge over the Triversa stream, which marked the border with Musanza. Furthermore it also included the hill of Castelvecchio and the "Bricco Barrano".
- ^ Gian Secondo De Canis, Of the ancient peasant of Asti and minor counties, 1797 (manuscript in the Alfieri Library of Asti), with drawing of the remains. Another map is published in G. Bonaiuto, News about Cantarana, 1875.
- ^ R. Bondone, cited work, pp. 130-133; G. Bosio, History of the church of Asti, p.523.
Bibliography
Explore this chapter
- G. Assandria, The Green Book of the Church of Asti.
- R. Bordone, A valley of transit in the political game of the Swabian age.
- G. Bosio, History of the Church of Asti.
- G. Good help. News about Cantarana (booklet at the Alfieri Library of Asti).
- G. de Canis, Of the ancient peasant of Asti and minor counties (at the Alfieri Library of Asti).
- Q. Sella (edited by), Codex Astensis qui de Malabayla communiter nuncupatur.
- L. Vergano, History of Asti (Gribaudo Edition)
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