San Marzano Oliveto 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 also ...

'' (municipality) in the Province of Asti in the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

region

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

, located about southeast 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. The ...

and about southeast of Asti. San Marzano Oliveto is located in a panoramic position above sea level. It is easily visible from the SS6 road that runs from

Canelli Canelli ( Piedmontese: ''Canèj'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) of 10,459 inhabitants in the Province of Asti in the Italian region of Piedmont. Canelli is located on a bend of the river Belbo in the ''Alto Monferrato'' (High Monferrat), close ...

to Asti.

History

Origins

San Marzano was named after St.

Marcian of Tortona Saint Marcian (Marciano, Marziano, Marcianus) of Tortona (died 117 or 120 AD) is a saint of Roman Catholic church. He is traditionally said to have been the first bishop of Tortona, in what is now north-western Italy, a post he held for forty-fiv ...

, the first Bishop of Tortona (or perhaps a bishop of Ravenna), who was martyred in 2nd century by the Roman emperor Hadrian. The suffix "Oliveto" was added in 1862 because olives were said to have prospered there in ancient times. This hypothesis is supported by the existence of an ancient olive press in nearby

Santo Stefano Belbo Santo Stefano Belbo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located southeast of Turin and northeast of Cuneo. It is the birthplace of 20th century author Cesare Pavese. On its hill are a medieval ...

, and by the fact that olives continue to thrive there, although not in any great quantity, to the present day. The first human settlers to the area came from

Liguria it, Ligure , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

, but the first extant buildings and documentary evidence of settlement date from Roman times. Tradition has it that the four towers, now collapsed, of the present castle were built by the Romans.

The Middle Ages

The history of San Marzano, like that of

Moasca Moasca is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Asti in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southeast of Turin and about southeast of Asti. Moasca borders the following municipalities: Agliano Terme, Calosso, Canelli, Castelnu ...

, Calamandrana,

Rocchetta Tanaro Rocchetta Tanaro is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Asti in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southeast of Turin and about southeast of Asti. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,454 and an area of .All demog ...

and Calosso, is linked to the history of

. All were involved in the struggle between Asti, Alessandria and the

Marquisate of Montferrat The March (also ''margraviate'' or ''marquisate'') of Montferrat was a frontier march of the Kingdom of Italy during the Middle Ages and a state of the Holy Roman Empire. The margraviate was raised to become the Duchy of Montferrat in 1574. O ...

. From the mid-14th century San Marzano Oliveto was a fief of the Asinari, who also owned

Costigliole d'Asti Costigliole d'Asti ( pms, Costiòle d'Ast) is a small Italian town in the Province of Asti, southern Piedmont. It lies about south of the city of Asti in the Alto Monferrato, on the edge of the Langhe, in the alluvial plain of the river Tanaro ...

and other villages. In 1280 Bonifacio Asinari, a rich merchant from Asti, left his wealth to his children, Bonifacio and Tommaso, who subsequently became the owners of San Marzano.

Modern era

In 1771, Philip Valentino Asinari became the first Marquis of San Marzano and

Caraglio Caraglio is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southwest of Turin and about northwest of Cuneo. As of 1 January 2018, it had a population of 6,782 and an area of .All demographics a ...

; his son Filippo Maria Antonio became a State Councilor, sent by

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

as ambassador to

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

. In 1808 he became a Count of the Empire, and then in 1813 a senator and regent of

. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, partisan resistance began earlier in San Marzano Oliveto than in other

comuni 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 ...

in the region. On 24 and 25 December 1943, arriving first from

Nizza Monferrato Nizza Monferrato (''Nissa dla Paja'' in Piedmontese) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Asti in the Italian region of Piedmont, located about southeast of Turin and about southeast of Asti. Nizza Monferrato borders the followin ...

and later from Asti, soldiers of the Italian Socialist Republic combed the area, searching every house for partisans, as the town was part of the partisan

Republic of Alto Monferrato The Republic of Alto Monferrato was a short lived partisan state existing from September to December 2, 1944. The state came to exist following the political union of two Italian resistance movements based in Nizza Monferrato and Costigliole d'Ast ...

. No partisans were found, but four hostages were taken and sent to Asti.

Heraldry

The old emblem of the municipality is formed by a crenellated tower, topped by a crown (gold on blue) with the motto "Virtus addidit". It incorporates the coat of arms of the Asinari family, lords of San Marzano between the thirteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Main sights

Cited by Alfieri as "San Marzano of Acquosana", the first documents that mention the castle date from the birth of the Contado of Acquosana - the ancient territory of

Acqui Terme Acqui Terme (; pms, Àich ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Alessandria, Piedmont, northern Italy. It is about south-southwest of Alessandria. It is one of the principal winemaking communes of the Italian DOCG wine Brachetto d'A ...

. The castle, probably of Roman origin, has a square tower that was added by the Asinari family. The tower has four square

crenellation A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interva ...

s, one in each corner: the

embrasure An embrasure (or crenel or crenelle; sometimes called gunhole in the domain of gunpowder-era architecture) is the opening in a battlement between two raised solid portions (merlons). Alternatively, an embrasure can be a space hollowed out ...

s of one of them can still be seen today. After the Spanish occupation of 1655, the castle returned to Asinari control. It was subsequently transformed into a country residence. The town hall dates from 1889. It is a multipurpose building that houses local government offices, a primary school, and the post office. The Parish Church of San Marziano was built in classic Renaissance style with a neoclassical nave, presbytery and choir. Located in front of the castle, it was founded in the thirteenth century, enlarged from 1758 to 1763, and restored in 1843.

Economy

The economy of San Marzano Oliveto is based on agriculture. The arable land constitutes 75% of the total area; about 300 people are engaged in agricultural work. 220 hectares are dedicated to fruit production - particularly apples and grapes, for which the mild climate, the topology and the soil composition are especially favourable. After a period of crisis due to competition from the north eastern regions of Italy, apple production has recovered well. The annual production of apples is about 40 thousand quintals, 80% of which are of the Golden Delicious variety. A few years ago, a group of San Marzano producers formed a consortium to promote apples with the "Divina" brand. San Marzano is also in the following wine-producing zones: * Moscato d'Asti DOC *

Barbera Barbera is a red Italian wine grape variety that, as of 2000, was the third most-planted red grape variety in Italy (after Sangiovese and Montepulciano). It produces good yields and is known for deep color, full body, low tannins and high level ...

d'Asti DOC *

del Monferrato DOC *

Cortese Cortese is a white Italian wine grape variety predominantly grown in the southeastern regions of Piedmont in the provinces of Alessandria and Asti. It is the primary grape of the ''Denominazione di origine controllata'' (DOC) wines of Cortese ...

dell'Alto Monferrato DOC *

Freisa Freisa is a red Italian wine grape variety grown in the Piedmont region of north-west Italy, primarily in Monferrato and in the Langhe, but also further north in the provinces of Turin and Biella. Freisa is a vigorous and productive vine whose rou ...

d'Asti DOC The quality of the

produced in the region is particularly noteworthy.

Tourism

San Marzano Oliveto pays a significant role in the promotion of

wine tourism Enotourism, oenotourism, wine tourism, or vinitourism refers to tourism whose purpose is or includes the tasting, consumption or purchase of wine, often at or near the source. Where other types of tourism are often passive in nature, enotourism ca ...

in the Piedmont region. Tourists are attracted to the many

wineries A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, b ...

and

vineyards A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...

in the region, many of which offer tasting facilities for visitors, and to the many restaurants that offer rare local

vintages Vintage, in winemaking, is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product—wine (see Harvest (wine)). A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certa ...

in addition to the highly renowned Piedmontese cuisine.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Cities and towns in Piedmont