Antignano: sights, history and trails

It is located about 13 km from the Asti, on the road that leads from Variglie to Alba. It is a small town, overlooking the hills ofAstesana.

On its name the medieval documentation proposes several variants: it goes from Anteljanus, which appears at the end of the 10th century together with Anterjanus, ad Antessianus and again Antonianus. It later settled into the official Italian name: Antegnanus, Antignanus. It is not clear which noble name it can be compared to: probably Antenius or Antelius, however both of Latin origin. Note that Antignano is also a well-known neighborhood of Livorno.

the present name, instead of uncertain medieval source, derives rather, in a transparent and convincing way, from that of the "antesignani" legionaries — light elite troops, constituting the vanguard of a legion — to which the advance of Antignano had been, since the time of its constitution, entrusted by the Roman "municipal" — then a kind of colony — in the current meaning and not with a success that still lasts, the lives, like all Roman veterans did in half of Europe. Through the centuries Antignano has always fulfilled such a defensive vocation that still today manifests itself with the remains of the castle on the top of its hill.

The first certain news is from the year 870, when it appears among the possessions of Ludovico II, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.

Based on recent studies (prof. Renato Bordone) is thought that the village was home to a parish church until the end of the 10th century, probably the parish church of San Giovanni, still existing and close to the center of the town, already mentioned in a document of 964. Starting from the assumption that in all countries the church was in the inhabited center, it can be assumed that the first nucleus of Antignano stood around the church of San Giovanni.

In the year 1000, the new parish church dedicated to St. Stephen, the present cemetery chapel, was built and the town moved around it. During the construction of the new town was built also the castle, which is traced only in a document of 1165.

Between the 10th and 11th centuries, De Antignano, who was very close to the bishop of Asti, were infeuded as lords of the country; it is thought that until then the country has enjoyed a certain freedom of action and that, following the arrival of new lords, its destiny was linked to the fate of the city of Asti. Asti. In a document from 1159, Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa also included the town of Antignano among the places subjected to the bishop of Asti.

Despite the latter trying to limit the local lordships much, the De Antignano managed to maintain a certain autonomy: in 1165 the castle was still under their direct control (unlike the nearby villages of Celle, Revigliasco and Variglie) and as evidenced by a document of 1237 were lords of four vasals.

When in the 14th century Asti passes under the Orléans, Antignano follows the fate of the city and on 18 May 1387 swears loyalty to new lords.

In 1419 Giovanni Turco, commander of the army of the lord of the Monferrato, after having unsuccessfully attempted to occupy the citadel of Asti, besieged Antignano. Defeated, he was forced to flee and abandon the siege engines, which the citizens of Antignano paraded through the streets of Asti.

Between the end of 1400 and the beginning of 1500, the village moves to the present site where the town is rebuilt and a new castle; in a document of 1585 it turns out that the parish church of Santo Stefano was now outside the village and in a state of abandonment and that the inhabitants used for religious functions the oratory of the Blessed Virgin Mary, probably the chapel of the Castle, demolished in 1908 by now pericular to realize the current parish church.

Of this second castle it is still possible to see part of the wall in front of the baroque church of San Rocco. There is no news of the lords of Antignano from the 14th century until 1618.

During the Orleanese domination it is thought that they were podestà to administer the municipality, among which he was appointed in 1386 Francesco Ponte.

In 1618 Antignano is now under the control of the Savoy who appoint as a feudal lord Gaspare Berlinghieri. The Berliners will keep the country until 1646 when it passed to Malabayla or Malabaila. In 1700 gentlemen from the village are the Roero di San Severino, who since the mid-18th century have passed the lordship to Malabaila.

In 1797 During the revolutionary motions that led to the founding of the Republic of Astese (1797) an anti-gnanese participant Giuseppe Merlone, then fuciated along with the organizers of the revolt on August 22. The country held an ambiguous behaviour towards the republic: in fact, despite having a favourable opinion on Republicans, they preferred not to stand on the side of the latter for fear of the reprisals that would have arisen from the Savoy.

On 18 May 1846 Antignano gave birth to Francesca Armosino. Born in Saracchi, at the time under the municipality of Antignano and ceded after that of San Martino at the end of 1880, descended from a noble Armenian family emigrated to Italy to escape the persecutions of the Turks against Christians, Francesca was the last wife of Giuseppe Garibaldi, from which she had three children: Manlio, Clelia and Rosita (dead to eighteen months). In the historical archive of the municipality there are two letters regarding the General. The first is the missive sent to him by the Antignan community to be happy with the Armosino wedding, the second is Garibaldi's response to the community. In 1880 Garibaldi himself came to Antignano to visit the property of his wife.

In the early years of World War II, between 1941 and 1943, Antignano was one of the designated municipalities as a free intervening site for foreign Jews.^[5] Two families stayed there (4 people in all), then moved to the Ferramonti camp in early 1943.^[6]

An important event is the Via Crucis which takes place on the Good Friday and in which 130 participants in period costumes and about fifty technicians participate. Every year in April, a suggestive representation takes place through the streets of the country: tens of people in costume retrace the various moments of Christ's passion, from prayer in the garden of Gethsemane to the Cross. All historical stages are commented and followed by a narrative voice and three voices for the dialogue of characters.

In addition to the center, the municipality of Antignano includes the villages of: Perosini, Nicola, Gonella, Morgnano, Montefiglie, Lanci, Genovesi, Marelli and Premes.

Antignano is known, as well as for the production of excellent Barbera and Grignolino, also for the production of an ancient variety of corn "Mais eight files of Antignano".

Between 1882 and 1935 the municipality was served by the Asti-Canale tramway.

Below is a table relating to the administrations that have succeeded one another in this municipality.

In the territory of Antignano has been operating in sports field since 1979 A.S.D. Polisportiva Libertas Antignano, a company that has become famous also at regional level for the great results achieved in Futsal. The Libertas Antignano, in fact, after a few years on, has devoted itself exclusively to the sport promotion for young people of the country in the season 2022-2023 has given birth to Libertas Antignano Futsal. In only three seasons starting from the F.I.G.C. Championship. D series the formation of President Umberto Gonella with 2 promotions reached in only 3 years in the season 2024-2025 got the pass for the Serie C1 championship.

• Renato Bordone, Cities and territory in the Middle Ages. The company from the Franks domain to the municipal affirmation.
• Renato Bordone, Araldica Astigina.
• Gaspare Bosio, History of the church of Asti.
• G. Assandria, The Green Book of the Church of Asti.
• Gian Secondo De Canis, Astigian Corography.
• Chronic Antiques Auctionists, Cassa di Risparmio Ai Asti edition.
• Ada Peyrot, Auctions and Asti.
• Anna Maria Cotto Meluccio, Notary Cartridges of the Capitolar Archive of Asti.
• Notaries of the Capitol Archive of Asti: the registers of Iacobus Sarrachus, notary of the bishop's vicar (1309-1316).
• Carlo Vassalo and Gabotto F., The church of the Ss. Apostles in Asti.
• Stefano incisa and Gabiani Nicola, Republican Revolution and Counterrevolution of Asti in 1797: Synchronous diary by Stefano Incisa, with unpublished documents