Castelnuovo Don Bosco, formerly Castelnuovo d'Asti (

Piedmontese Piedmontese (; autonym: or , in it, piemontese) is a language spoken by some 2,000,000 people mostly in Piedmont, northwestern region of Italy. Although considered by most linguists a separate language, in Italy it is often mistakenly regard ...

: ''Castelneuv d'Ast'') is a ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces ('' province''). The can ...

'' (municipality) in the

province of Asti The Province of Asti ( it, Provincia di Asti, Piedmontese: ''Provincia d’Ast'') is a province in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. Its capital is the city of Asti. To the northwest it borders on the Metropolitan City of Turin; to the so ...

in the Italian region

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

, located about east of

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. Th ...

and about northwest of

Asti Asti ( , , ; pms, Ast ) is a '' comune'' of 74,348 inhabitants (1-1-2021) located in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, about east of Turin in the plain of the Tanaro River. It is the capital of the province of Asti and it is deeme ...

, on a hill near the confluence of the Nevissano and Bardella. Castelnuovo Don Bosco borders the following municipalities:

Albugnano Albugnano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Asti in the Italian region Piedmont, located about east of Turin and about northwest of Asti. Albugnano borders the following municipalities: Aramengo, Berzano di San Pietro, Castelnuo ...

Buttigliera d'Asti Buttigliera d'Asti is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Asti in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southeast of Turin and about northwest of Asti Asti ( , , ; pms, Ast ) is a ''comune'' of 74,348 inhabitants (1-1-2021) ...

, Capriglio,

Moncucco Torinese Moncucco Torinese is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Asti in the Italian region Piedmont, located about east of Turin and about northwest of Asti. It has a castle (14th century), housing a Museum of Chalk. Moncucco Torinese borde ...

Moriondo Torinese Moriondo Torinese is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about east of Turin. Moriondo Torinese borders the following municipalities: Moncucco Torinese, Castelnuovo Don Bosco, Mom ...

, Passerano Marmorito, and

Pino d'Asti Pino d'Asti is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Asti in the Italian region Piedmont, located about east of Turin and about northwest of Asti. Pino d'Asti borders the following municipalities: Albugnano, Castelnuovo Don Bosco, and ...

History

Castenlnuovo's origins, as attested by the name (meaning "New Castle") are connected to a castle built before 1000 AD, around which a burgh grew as time passed. It was once divided in two by the lords of

Riva Riva may refer to: People * Riva (surname) * Riva Castleman (1930–2014), American art historian, art curator and author * Riva Ganguly Das (born 1961), Indian diplomat * Riva (footballer), Brazilian former footballer Rivadávio Alves Pereira (b ...

and the counts of Biandrate, until it was given by the German emperors to the

marquesses of Montferrat The Marquises and Dukes of Montferrat were the rulers of a territory in Piedmont south of the Po and east of Turin called Montferrat. The March of Montferrat was created by Berengar II of Italy in 950 during a redistribution of power in the ...

. Subsequently, it was under the commune of Asti, then a fief of the lords of

Rivalba Rivalba is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, about northeast of Turin. Rivalba borders the following municipalities: Castagneto Po, San Raffaele Cimena, Gassino Torinese, Casalborgone, ...

and of those of Piea, until it returned to

Montferrat Montferrat (, ; it, Monferrato ; pms, Monfrà , locally ; la, Mons Ferratus) is part of the region of Piedmont in northern Italy. It comprises roughly (and its extent has varied over time) the modern provinces of Alessandria and Asti. M ...

. Later it was acquired by the

house of Savoy The House of Savoy ( it, Casa Savoia) was a royal dynasty that was established in 1003 in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, the family grew in power from ruling a small Alpine county north-west of Italy to absolute rule of ...

. It was a fief of the Simiana until the late 18th century. It was named Castelnuovo d'Asti, prior to being renamed in honor of

John Bosco John Melchior Bosco ( it, Giovanni Melchiorre Bosco; pms, Gioann Melchior Bòsch; 16 August 181531 January 1888), popularly known as Don Bosco , was an Italian Catholic priest, educator, writer and saint of the 19th century. While working ...

Main sights

*Medieval tower, one of the few remains of the castle once overlooking the burgh. In the nearby is a Baroque sanctuary of the Madonna. *''Parrocchiale of Sant'Andrea''. *''Villa Filipello'', in

Liberty style Liberty style ( it, Stile Liberty) was the Italian variant of Art Nouveau, which flourished between about 1890 and 1914. It was also sometimes known as ''stile floreale'', ''arte nuova'', or ''stile moderno''. It took its name from Arthur Lasenby ...

. *''Palazzo dei Rivalba''. *'' Basilica of Don Bosco'', in the saint's native quarter. *Romanesque church of ''Sant'Eusebio'', on the road leading to Berzano San Pietro. *Also in Romanesque style is ''Santa Maria di Rasetto'', in the locality of Garesio outside the town. In the ''

frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...

'' of Mondonio are the notable ''Castello di Rivalba'', with a large square tower, and a Baroque parish church.

Notable Castelnovesi

* Giuseppe Cafasso (1811–1860), saint, was born here. * Don Bosco (1815–1888), saint, was born in the ''

'' (hamlet) of Becchi. * Domenico Savio (1842–1857), saint, moved here from his birthplace,

Chieri Chieri (; pms, Cher) is a town and '' comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont ( Italy), located about southeast of Turin, by rail and by road. It borders the following municipalities: Baldissero Torinese, Pavarolo, Montaldo ...

, at the age of about 12 months.

References

External links

Official website
Castles in Italy {{Asti-geo-stub