Moncalieri - Moncalieri

Moncalieri is a city of Piedmont bordering to the north with Turin

To know

Geographical notes

In some respects, the territory of Moncalieri follows that of the capital Turin. In fact, as it extends partly in the hills and partly in the plain and is crossed by the Po in the central areas of the city. The inhabited area consists of three main streams, in addition to the largest Italian river, also the Sangone torrent and the Chisola torrent, as well as numerous other minor streams that descend from the nearby hills. The highest point of the city laps the Faro della Vittoria, located in the Parco della Rimembranza on the Colle della Maddalena. This is located in the territory of the municipality of Turin at a height of 716 m a.s.l.

Background

The village of Moncalieri dates back to 1228, founded by a group of inhabitants of Testona, the current Moncalierese hamlet, who sought shelter in the highest part of the territory to escape the assault of the Chieri. In the following centuries the city experienced a remarkable development thanks to the easy access to the Po, of which it controlled the strategic bridge, and the easy defensibility, as it is located on the hill. In fact, the bridge, for a long time in the hands of the Templars, was the only access to Turin for those coming from the south. At the end of the fifteenth century a German prince Bernard of Baden Baden died of the plague within the city walls; following some miracles he was beatified and became the patron saint of Moncalieri. Until the sixteenth century the municipality controlled a vast territory, including today's municipalities of Nichelino and La Loggia. Inside it housed many religious orders, including the Templars, the friars of the Carmelite Order and the Capuchin friars, as well as the Friars Minor of San Francesco, the Humiliated of San Giacomo and the Canons of Santa Maria della Scala. Their contribution was growing with time and with them the merchant class grew; the union between the two classes led to the foundation of numerous schools in the area. In the seventeenth century Moncalieri could already boast the title of city that was given to it by King Carlo Emanuele I of Savoy on the occasion of the wedding of his son Vittorio Amedeo I of Savoy, which took place in 1619 in Moncalieri. Later the fate of the community was linked to the House of Savoy, who on several occasions wrote decisive historical pages in the castle of Moncalieri (in the eighteenth century it housed the members of the royal house for the whole summer period). Important episodes of the Italian Risorgimento took place in the city, such as, for example, the enunciation of the famous Proclamation of Moncalieri and the minds of royal children were educated through the establishment of the Real Collegio Carlo Alberto. In the nineteenth century the city industrialized and became a holiday destination for part of the following century, especially for the Turinese. Witnesses of the tourist phenomenon are the numerous historical postcards that can still be purchased in some city shops. Today Moncalieri hosts a considerable number of high-tech industrial settlements, such as the prototyping of cars.

How to orient yourself

Center

The historic center of Moncalieri develops around Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, located a few tens of meters south of the Royal Castle, and located on a hill about 50 meters above the rest of the city. On the square, the most important in Moncalieri, are the churches of Santa Maria della Scala and San Francesco, the Palazzo del Comune and numerous medieval buildings. A short distance from the square is the Real Collegio Carlo Alberto.

The street that connects the station to the square is called Via S. Martino and, together with Via Alfieri and Via Real Collegio, represents one of the three axes that cross the center.

The historic center is bordered to the south by piazzale Caduti per la liberty and by Via Cristoforo Colombo, here is the church of S. Egidio, founded by the Templars in the thirteenth century. To the west the historic center is bordered by via Torino, to the north by viale del castello and to the east by Viale Rimembranza.

Other neighborhoods

• Borgo Navile located at the foot of the historic center there is the railway station
• Borgo San Pietro placed beyond the Sangone river it borders directly with the city of Turin. It will be connected to the center of Turin by Line 1 of the Turin Metro at the end of the extension works, currently underway.

Fractions

The territory of the Municipality of Moncalieri is very extensive and includes several hamlets. Among the most important are:

• Big head where is the Romanesque church of Santa Maria built at the beginning of the 11th century, with crypt, bell tower and side elevations in pure Romanesque style.
• Revigliasco where there is a castle built in the eighteenth century

How to get

By plane

The nearest airport is that of Turin.

By car

The city is served by the Turin South Ring Road through three junctions:

• SS20 - The Loggia
• Turin South - Corso Unita d'Italia - Lingotto Fiere - Moncalieri
• A6 motorway Turin-Savona

On the train

Moncalieri is served by two railway stations:

• the Moncalieri station (located near the historic center), located on the section common to the Turin-Genoa and Turin-Savona lines, served by the lines SFM1, SFM4, SFM6 is SFM7 of the Turin metropolitan railway system;
• the Moncalieri Sangone station, located on the Turin-Pinerolo line, served by the line SFM2 of the metropolitan railway system of Turin.

The journey time from Turin is about 10 minutes from the Turin Porta Nuova and Turin Porta Susa stations and 4 minutes from the Turin Lingotto station.

By bus

• Troiolo Bus, Corso Garibaldi, 185 - Siderno, ☎ 39 0964 381325, fax: 39 0964 381325, @[email protected]. The company allows the direct connection of Moncalieri with Africo, Ardor, Badolato, White, Bovalino, Brancaleone, Catanzaro, Catanzaro Lido, Caulonia, Davoli, Guardavalle, Isca on the Ionian Sea, Lamezia Terme, Locri, Marina of Gioiosa Ionica, Monasterace, Montepaone, Polistena, Riace, Roccella Jonica, Rosarno, Sant'Andrea Apostolo dello Jonio, Saint Catherine, Siderno, Soverato, Squillace, Taurianova is Vibo Valentia; not all connections are daily. 

How to get around

Once in Moncalieri, given the small size of the historic center, it is advisable to move on foot.

What see

• 45.002197.687541 Moncalieri Castle, Baden Baden Square, 4, ☎ 39 011 6402883, @[email protected]. Full 7 € Reduced 5 €. Wed and Fri 10am - 6pm. The Castle which is part of the Savoy residences of Piedmont is located in the upper part of Moncalieri. Inside there is the "Alfredo Serranti" major carabinieri barracks.  
• 44.999797.683432 Whistles Museum (Museum of Subièt), via Real Collegio, 20, ☎ 39 389 8303466, @[email protected]. The Museum houses a collection of about 1500 whistles built with the following materials: terracotta, metal, wood, cane, bone and plastic. 

Events and parties

What to do

Shopping

How to have fun

Where to eat

Where stay

Safety

How to keep in touch

Around

Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Moncalieri
• Commons contains images or other files on Moncalieri

Draft : the article respects the standard template contains useful information for a tourist and gives brief information on the tourist destination. Header and footer are correctly filled out.