Fontanile: sights, history and trails

In the first half of the 10th century the village was plundered by Saracens and later, from 950, began the construction of a fortified village that included a moat and two orders of defensive walls. The outer order was rectangular and had four defensive towers, which bear the name of Fontanile's most important families. These walls were also equipped with two doors with as many drawbridges: Porta Soprana in Nord-Est and Porta San Giovanni Battista in South-West. Among the towers initially present, only that Ansaldi still exists today and is well preserved, while of those Mussano, Ferrario and Fulco has been traced over the centuries. Next to the Ferrario tower there was a mighty bastion with a square tower: in the fifteenth century it was formed by two floors used as accommodation for soldiers and a lavish terrace, while the prisons were located in the underground. The inner walls contained a neighborhood called "Villa" in the notary acts of time.
The fortified village was divided into three parts: two side parts called Airali and a central. The central part was actually a three-storey house that stood on the current St. John the Baptist square.

From the middle of the 10th century Fontanile was part of Marquisate of Incisa that, from the end of the 11th century became part of the fief of the Marquis of Monferrato. Towards the beginning of 1300 Fontanile and five other countries (Mombaruzzo, Castelletto Molina, Quaranti, Maranzana and Casal Dagna) began to recognize the right of self-management from the Marquis. This autonomy was recognized in Statutes of 1337, documents governing the civil life of each community.^[5] The Consortium was dissolved at the beginning of the fifteenth century, but its Statutes they continued to be used until 1532. On 23 March 1435 Fontanile passed to the Sabaudo State,^[6] under King Amedeus VIII, but in 1437 he returned to be part of the Marchesato del Monferrato. In 1532 the Marquis Gian Giorgio of Monferrato approved new Statutes who replaced those of 1337.

On 18 February 1557, at the disposal of the Duchess of Mantua Margherita Paleologa, the Senate, judiciary of Marquis and later the Duchy of Monferrato was transferred from Acqui to Fontanile. In 1559 the same Duchess granted the possibility to keep the weekly market on Thursday.

In 1558, Count Michele Peretti became the ruler of the Marquisate d'Incisa. He attempted to impose old feudal rights and thus attracted the antipathy of the population that the Fontanilesi asked for help to Vincenzo I Gonzaga. The Duke of Mantua, in exchange for a payment of two thousand crosons, killed the Marquis Peretti and replaced him with the Marquises Bevilacqua in 1606.

The coat of arms and gonfalone were granted by decree of the President of the Republic of 5 March 1973.^[7]

The gonfalone is a drape party of white and blue.

Inhabitants registered^[9]