Vinchio: sights, history and trails

The territory of the municipality is divided into a group of hills between the Langhe and the Monferrato, at the convergence of three Roman roads (Ramaudio, Luparia and Fonsmagna). Together with Vaglio Serra And Incisa Scapaccino, is part of those municipalities close to the Special natural reserve of Val Sarmassa, famous for a valuable cultivation of vines, from which white and red grapes are obtained.

Among the typical wines produced in the area is Barbera, cultivated mainly in the fractional areas San Pancrazio and, in particular, Bric Three Bishops, where the wine takes its name from the hamlet of the same name at 255 meters above sea level, since it is historically the intersection of the territories of Diocese of Alessandria, of the Diocese of Acqui and of the Diocese of Asti. Even the historic center itself, which in the Middle Ages was dominated by the castle of the Marquises Scarampi del Carretto, is surrounded by hills planted with vineyards. The town develops along a ridge on the right bank of the stream Tiglione^[4].

It is probable that the name derives from some documents of the 11th century which attest the locality as Vigient, probably indicating "twenty" Roman miles, of an ancient complex route which probably started from Alessandria or from Acqui Terme^[5]; the term, however, according to others, may have melted with celtoligure root vi-nt, the latter with the meaning of Alcohol.

Of ancient settlement first Celtic and then Roman, the entire territory was liberated from Saracens from Aleramo del Monferrato, Acqui Terme, and it is probable that a small village began to populate thanks to the migrations of some inhabitants of the nearby and pre-existing Castelnuovo Calcea, starting from the 12th century.

Owned by the Marquis of Savona Bonifacio del Vasto, the medieval village passed under the bishopric power, disputed between the Chapter of Acqui and Alessandria, to end up under the Lordships of Asti starting from the 14th century. It then passed to the nobles Solaro di Asti, then to Count Antonio Scarampi, subsequently, for many years, to the Visconti of Pavia, until at least the Empire of Charles V of Habsburg. It was in this period, in the 16th century, that the church of the Confraternity of the Holy Trinity was built, better known as the church of the Battuti, even if the bell tower is from the 19th century. From 1735 the fiefdom passed to the Savoy family, who annexed it to the Kingdom of Sardinia. In the 18th century the parish church of Saints Marco and Vincenzo was enlarged.

In the 20th century, Vinchio also distinguished himself as a refuge for displaced and anti-fascists of World War II, a place of rafting and summary executions in June and July 1944, so much to establish a House of Resistance Memory and Vinchio Deportation^[6].

In the most recent years the village has redeveloped and its tourist and food and wine offers, beginning with its traditional asparagus.^[7]

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

Vinchio is one of the 222 Italian municipalities belonging to the project Rifiuti Zero. It aims to recycle as many materials as possible by reusing those that, with the type of management of other cities, would be considered unusable. He's the only one of them. province of Asti to boast of this organization of waste.