Cortiglione: sights, history and trails

The sea has a continental climate, characterized by cold winters, in contrast to the windy and dry summers. Autumn is foggy and rainy, and ends at the beginning of December, leaving space in winter, with rigid temperatures and, very often, even strong snowfall (the frostless winters are rare), which ends in mid-March (but snows also in the end of that month are not unfrequent), when a short and rainy spring begins, in the first part under the sign of the thermal hike, with night temperatures -5 degrees, at the front of day temperatures that exceed the 15 degrees, bringing then cleared decided. Summer begins at the end of May, with high temperatures (often exceeds even the 30 degrees) and very rarely appear summer time. The heat already ends at the end of September, when autumn begins.

Its first name Courtesy was replaced with the current one only in February 1863, after the unity of Italy. It has been suggested that its origins are not Roman, but medieval; this conjecture was in fact excluded from the German epigraphist Theodor Momsen. The Etym curtis, present both in the ancient name and in the current one, refers to the early Middle Ages, in fact this term indicated a large plot of land owned by a lord and entrusted to farmers.

In the X-XI century it is under the control of the Pope. In the 12th century, with the assertion of the Commune and with the weakening of the bishop's power, Corticelle is of the powerful Marquis Bonifacio del Vasto after Federico I Barbarossa ceded it in 1164.

In 1431 the conductor Francesco Sforza, under the command of the militias of the Duke of Milan Filippo Maria Visconti, after having invaded the Monferrato, occupied many places in Valtiglione including Corticelle, then pushing into the Langhe. After the Peace of Lodi in 1454, Corticelle came under the control of the families of the Panizzoni counts of Alessandria, and of the Soavi counts (de Suavis)^[4], consignori of said fief.. In the '700 underwent the hegemony of Gonzaga on Monferrato.

In this period Cortiglione is much more populated in summer, and still records presences of non-native cortiglionesi, but of origin, and also of Macedonians, Greeks and other components of the territory, although it is completely absent the Arbercan population.

The coat of arms and gonfalone were granted with DPR on 6 August 1988.^[5]

The gonfalone is a red and blue drape party.

• Via Roma
• Via Incisa Scappaccino
• Via Vinchio
• Piazza Padre Pio
• Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II

Inhabitants registered^[7]

After the strong exodus that has characterized almost all 900 (exodus that practically halved the population) towards the big industrial cities or to the American continent, from 1991 onwards there is a small but gradual increase in demographic. This is also thanks to foreigners who have settled in this country. At 31 January 2009, the country has 614 inhabitants (represented in 217 families), 72 of which are foreign nationals. They represent 11.7% of the population. There are 11 nations represented: Albania, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, China, Germany, Macedonia, Morocco, Moldova, Romania, Ukraine.

• Summer festival: traditional event that takes place the last weekend of July. Dinner and live music, barrel race (vaslot) uphill, rally of the Fiat 500 and photo exhibition period.
• La Bricula: cultural association that deals with collecting and spreading ancient traditions and transmitting them to young people.
• Patronal Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary & Feast of Harvest and Pijatura: patronal feast that takes place on the first Sunday of October. The feast is the occasion to recall the harvest of grapes and the ancient crushing with the feet. The participants start in the morning with the harvest at local wineries and continue in the afternoon on the village square with the crushing of grapes in the traditional tino.

• Borgate: San Michele (San Michel), Passerino (Pass.), Belgarino (Bergaren), Plagà (Plague), Bottazzo (Botoss), San Rocco/Pesa (San Ròch/Pèisa), Fracchia (Fròcia), Square (Piòssa), Citadel (Sitadèla).
• Hamlets: ValmezzanaVermasan), Greenhouse (Sèra), Crocetta (Crosëtta), On the Piano (♪), Blankets (Covered), Prelle (Prèli), Serralunga (Sèra Lònga), Saint Sebastian (San Sebastian), Cruise (Cruise), Glue (Còla), Brondoli (I'll be fine.), Rats (Ròt), Fiorotti (Fiorò), Bricco (B.C.), Rio Anitra (Rè'd l'Ania), San Martino (San Marten), Madonna (Madonèin-a), Pozzo (Poss).

The country's agriculture is mainly based on viticultural crops. In fact, in spite of a population that has little more than 600 units, at least eight wineries can be counted, all family-run. There are also four restaurants. The industry is quite flourishing (always in relation to the number of inhabitants), as there are several mechanical and plastic processing companies. The gardens considered cortiglionesi (also outside the country) are countless, which grow classical plants (oil, tomatoes, potatoes etc.).

Near the paleontological site, discovered in 2004 during excavations for the works of the Asti-Cuneo highway, has been established the cultivation of saffron.^[8]