| Agliè | ||
 | ||
| State | Italy | |
|---|---|---|
| Region | Piedmont | |
| Territory | Canavese | |
| Altitude | 315 m a.s.l. | |
| Surface | 13.15 km² | |
| Inhabitants | 2.635 (2018) | |
| Name inhabitants | Alladiesi | |
| Prefix tel | 39 0124 | |
| POSTAL CODE | 10011 | |
| Time zone | UTC 1 | |
| Patron | San Massimo di Riez (first Sunday in July) | |
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| Institutional website | ||
Agliè (Ajé in Piedmontese) is a municipality in the province of Turin.
To know
Background
The city is located on the site of Alladium, an ancient Roman city. The original nucleus was probably located on the hills of the Madonne delle Grazie hamlet, already mentioned in some documents dating back to 1019. At that time Agliè was a castle built to defend Macugnano. The name of Agliè appears for the first time in documents of 1141: the feudal lords of Canavese they divided the territory, and the town became one of the possessions of the San Martino di Rivarolo and Agliè. In 1386 in the area adjacent to the town, a violent rebellion of the commoners and peasants against the notables broke out, which was crushed in blood by Amedeo VII of Savoy, also called Count Rosso. Perhaps thanks to his good government Agliè did not take part in this rebellion which was remembered with the name of Tuchinaggio.
During the Napoleonic domination the village was invaded in 1796 by French, the castle was robbed of valuable furniture and furnishings. In 1825 Carlo Felice took possession of the castle and entrusted the restoration to the architect Borda di Saluzzo, who also built the small internal theater.
How to orient yourself
Agliè: full screen map.How to get
How to get around
What see
Church of Santa Marta
Palace of the Counts Bardesono de Pavignano
- 1 Ducal castle. It is part of the circuit of the castles of Canavese. Dating back to the 12th century, it was originally owned by the counts of San Martino di Agliè. Transformed in the seventeenth century into a noble palace by Count Filippo di Agliè, it was devastated during the French invasion of 1706; it was then purchased in 1765 by Carlo Emanuele III of Savoy to be radically renovated ten years later based on a design by Ignazio Renato Birago di Borgaro. Summer residence of the Savoy family, the castle has a monumental facade with two access ramps and a large garden with a fountain. It currently consists of 300 rooms, for the most part furnished with period furniture. The building is surrounded by English and Italian gardens and a large park full of rare flowers and centuries-old trees, embellished with a monumental fountain, designed by the Collino brothers.
- Church of Santa Marta. It is a precious example of Baroque architecture, the work of Costanzo Michela, who was also responsible for the construction of the Sanctuary of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Macugnano. The bell tower built with an unusual triangular plan is very particular.
- Parish church of San Massimo. It stands in Piazza Castello and was built by Ignazio Birago di Borgaro.
- Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Rotonda (The Rotonda). It stands on top of the hill. Originating from a pagan temple, the primitive chapel was rebuilt several times to its present form (late 18th century).
- Church of San Gaudenzio. From 1300 to 1580 it was the parish church of Agliè; on the main altar you can admire the wooden Crucifix, the work of the sculptor Carlo Giuseppe Plura di Lugano (1663-1737); in the second chapel on the right side is the tomb of Guido Gozzano.
- Sanctuary of the Madonna delle Grazie. Designed by Costanzo Michela on a pre-existing chapel. It is also known as Three Ciochè (Three bell towers), as it has a spire and two bell towers.
- Facta building (Palazzo de Pavignano), Piazza Castello (On the opposite side of the Doge's Palace and next to the Parish Church). In a very bad state of conservation. It belonged to the Bardesono de Pavignano Counts, then passed to the Savoy family, to the State Italian and in 2017 to individuals.
- Agliè silk factory. Founded in the 18th century, in the 19th century it had several hundred employees. It rises along the stream that crosses the town, with an interesting rough side facade in striped stones. The eighteenth-century portal on Piazza Setificio is noteworthy, where there is also a balance weight still used today.
The Viale del Meleto
The dining room in style liberty
- Villa Il Meleto. So called because the driveway and the neighboring land were planted with orchards, it was the summer residence of the poet Guido Gozzano.
- Construction dating back to the second half of the nineteenth century, it was owned by Senator Massimo Mautino. The villa was donated by the senator to his daughter Deodata on the occasion of his wedding with the engineer Fausto Gozzano and was used as a summer residence for the family, after the transfer of the residence to Turin. In 1904 Guido Gozzano and his mother began the restoration of the building reaching the result still visible today: a villa with a balcony on the first floor and the facade frescoed by wisteria, according to the taste liberty which was spreading; around a romantic garden and not far from the orchard and a pond with the islet of chalet (now demolished).
- In 1945 the villa was bought by Mrs. Edvige Gatti Facchini who tried to find the missing furnishings. In 1972 the villa passed to Doctor Francesco Conrieri who restored it by doing meticulous research in order to bring it back to a state very similar to that described by Gozzano in his poems.
- Gozzano, during his long stays at the Meleto, which he alternated with stays in Turin, gave life to a great poetic production with D'Annunzio tones first, with bourgeois and realistic irony and then with the tones of scapigliatura. Elegance and aestheticism not only characterized his literary work: his coherence with the ideal of life that pushed him to merge life and poetry, left his character to appear dandy and refined. The famous living room of Nonna Speranza, furnished in Art Nouveau style, is immortalized in poetry Nonna Speranza's friend. Today it is possible to visit the orchard with the garden and, inside the building, the living room of Nonna Speranza, the dining room, the study with the library and the bedroom of Guido Gozzano.
- In memory of the great poet from Canavese, cultural events linked to different forms of artistic expression have been organized for some years.
