Moncalieri (; pms, Moncalé ) is a town and ''

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 also ...

'' of 56,134 inhabitants (31 January 2022) about directly south of downtown

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, 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 ...

(to whose

Metropolitan City A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big ci ...

it belongs), in

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

, Italy. It is the most populous suburb of Turin and it is notable for its castle, built in the 12th century and enlarged in the 15th century, which later became the favorite residence of King

Victor Emmanuel II of Italy en, Victor Emmanuel Maria Albert Eugene Ferdinand Thomas , house = Savoy , father = Charles Albert of Sardinia , mother = Maria Theresa of Austria , religion = Roman Catholicism , image_size = 252px , succession1 ...

and of his daughter

Princess Maria Clotilde of Savoy french: Louise Thérèse Marie Clotilde , spouse = , issue = Victor, Prince Napoléon Prince Louis Princess Maria Letizia, Duchess of Aosta , house = Savoy , father = Victor Emmanuel II of Italy , mother = Adelaide ...

. It is part of the

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

Residences of the Royal House of Savoy The Residences of the Royal House of Savoy are a group of buildings in Turin and the Metropolitan City of Turin, in Piedmont (northern Italy). It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in 1997. History The House of Savoy is an ancient r ...

''.

History

Moncalieri was founded in 1228 by some inhabitants of Testona (now a ''

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 the ''comune ''of Moncalieri) as a refuge from the assaults from

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 Torine ...

. The easy access to the

Po River The Po ( , ; la, Padus or ; Ligurian language (ancient), Ancient Ligurian: or ) is the longest river in Italy. It flows eastward across northern Italy starting from the Cottian Alps. The river's length is either or , if the Maira (river), Mair ...

and the bridge (a

Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

possession for a long time) that it commanded granted a certain flourishing to the city, which became a free ''comune'' and housed a number of monastic institutions. In the 17th century 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 ...

, whose members often lived in their castle here during the summer. During the unification of Italy it was the site of the famous

Proclamation of Moncalieri A proclamation (Lat. ''proclamare'', to make public by announcement) is an official declaration issued by a person of authority to make certain announcements known. Proclamations are currently used within the governing framework of some nations ...

. Having maintained its tradition as a summer resort, today Moncalieri is also home to many high technology companies.

Main sights

The

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

is one of the Savoy Residences listed as a World Heritage Site. It hosts since 1919 a prestigious

carabinieri The Carabinieri (, also , ; formally ''Arma dei Carabinieri'', "Arm of Carabineers"; previously ''Corpo dei Carabinieri Reali'', "Royal Carabineers Corps") are the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic and foreign polic ...

school. Close to the castle, the descending square of Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II was in the past the major centre for the Moncalieri activities. Its cobbled pavement was built back in 1825, and a sculpture-fountain of Neptune (''Il Saturnio'') can be found in the top part of it. For aesthetic as well as practical reasons, the Neptune fountain was several times moved back and forth. A small passage connects this square to the prestigious Real Collegio Carlo Alberto, school aimed for aristocratic descendants. Nowadays, the

Collegio Carlo Alberto The Collegio Carlo Alberto is a private research and teaching institution, located in the city of Turin, northern Italy, in the province of Turin. The institution was created in 2004 as a joint initiative of the Compagnia di San Paolo and the Un ...

is managed by a joint initiative of the Compagnia di San Paolo and the

University of Turin The University of Turin (Italian: ''Università degli Studi di Torino'', UNITO) is a public research university in the city of Turin, in the Piedmont region of Italy. It is one of the oldest universities in Europe and continues to play an impo ...

; their mission is to foster research and teaching in law, economics, finance and political science. The Gothic church of ''Santa Maria della Scala'' houses the remains of the local patron. Other churches of interest are the later ''San Francesco'', ''Sant'Egidio'' and the ''Chiesa del Gesù''.

Culture

Moncalieri is devoted to Beato Bernardo: around the day dedicated to him (July 12), a historical reconstruction of his arrival in Moncalieri from

Baden-Baden Baden-Baden () is a spa town in the states of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, south-western Germany, at the north-western border of the Black Forest mountain range on the small river Oos (river), Oos, ten kilometres (six miles) east of the ...

in 1458 is held. Libraries and Research Centers *Biblioteca Europea di Cultura "Victor Del Litto" *C.I.R.V.I. (Centro Interuniversitario di Ricerche sul Viaggio in Italia)

Notable people

Pietro Canonica Pietro Canonica (1 March 1869 – 8 June 1959) was an Italian sculptor, painter, opera composer, professor of arts and senator for life. Biography He was born in Moncalieri, a town in the Province of Turin, northern Italy. His long and presti ...

(1869 – 1959), sculptor and senator for life *

Luca Frigo Luca Frigo (born May 30, 1993) is an Italian professional ice hockey player currently playing for HC Bolzano in the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL) and the Italian national team. He participated at the 2017 IIHF World Championship The 2017 IIHF Wo ...

(born 1993), ice hockey player * Gabriele Ponte (born 1982), DJ and producer

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Moncalieri is twinned with: *

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Argyroupoli Argyroupoli ( el, Αργυρούπολη) is a suburb in the southern part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the Elliniko-Argyroupoli municipality, of which it is the seat and ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

References

External links

{{authority control Cities and towns in Piedmont