Mondovì (; , ) is a town and ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' (township) in

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

, northern Italy, about from

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) 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 city is main ...

. The area around it is known as the Monregalese. The town, located on the Monte Regale hill, is divided into several '' rioni'' (ancient quarters): Piazza (the most ancient), Breo, Pian della Valle, Carassone, Altipiano, Borgato and Rinchiuso, lower, next to the Ellero stream, developed from the 18th century when industries developed in Mondovì and when it was reached by the railway. The Funicolare di Mondovì, a

funicular railway A funicular ( ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite ends ...

reopened in 2006, links Breo with Piazza. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mondovì.

History

Founded on a hilltop in 1198 by survivors of the destroyed village of Bredolo and by inhabitants of the neighboring villages of Vico (now Vicoforte), Vasco (now Monastero di Vasco) and Carassone (which was abandoned after the founding of the new city): an independent comune named ''Ël Mont ëd Vi'', meaning "The Mount of Vico" in

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

, was formed. Their independence proved to be short-lived because the bishop of Asti and the marquis of Ceva stormed it in 1200 and destroyed it in 1231. The commune resisted, however, and the following year it was able to sustain another attack from

Asti Asti ( , ; ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) of 74,348 inhabitants (1–1–2021) located in the Italy, Italian region of Piedmont, about east of Turin, in the plain of the Tanaro, Tanaro River. It is the capital of the province of Asti and ...

. In 1260 it was occupied by

Charles I of Anjou Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou or Charles d'Anjou, was King of Sicily from 1266 to 1285. He was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the House of Anjou-Sicily. Between 1246 a ...

(then

King of Naples The following is a list of rulers of the Kingdom of Naples, from its first Sicilian Vespers, separation from the Kingdom of Sicily to its merger with the same into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Kingdom of Naples (1282–1501) House of Anjou ...

and one of the most powerful landlords in Provence and north-western Italy), while in 1274 it returned under the bishops of Asti. In 1290 he was however able to buy back its communal independence, under the new name of ''Mons Regalis'' ("Royal Mount") due to its large privileges. In 1305 it fell again under the Angevins, followed by the Visconti, the Marquisate of Montferrat, the Acaja and, from 1418, the

House of Savoy The House of Savoy (, ) is a royal house (formally a dynasty) of Franco-Italian origin that was established in 1003 in the historical region of Savoy, which was originally part of the Kingdom of Burgundy and now lies mostly within southeastern F ...

. Mondovì continued to grow until the 16th century when it was the largest city in

. In 1537 it was occupied by France, under which it mostly remained until 1559. In 1560, Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy restored it to Piedmont, which held it until the

Italian unification The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the annexation of various states of the Italian peninsula and its outlying isles to the Kingdom of ...

, apart from the

Napoleonic period The Napoleonic era is a period in the history of France and history of Europe, Europe. It is generally classified as including the fourth and final stage of the French Revolution, the first being the National Assembly (French Revoluti ...

(1796–1814). Piedmont's first printing press was created in Mondovì in 1472. From 1560 to 1566, Mondovì was the seat of Piedmont's first university.

Music

It is home of the Academia Montis Regalis orchestra led by conductor Alessandro De Marchi.

Main sights

* Church of ''San Francesco Saverio'' (1664–1678), with works by Andrea Pozzo. * Cathedral of ''San Donato'', designed by Francesco Gallo. * ''Santa Croce'' Chapel, with a Gothic fresco cycle. * Medieval walls and towers (12th century). * ''Piazza Maggiore'' (Main Square, 14th-16th century), in Gothic style . * Church of ''Santa Chiara''. * Church of the ''Misericordia'' (1708–1717), designed by Francesco Gallo. * Convent of ''Nostra Donna''. * ''Palazzo Fauzone''. * Chapel of ''San Rocco delle Carceri''. * Chapel of ''San Borgato delle Forche'', with notable Gothic paintings. Nearby is the Baroque sanctuary of Vicoforte.

Climate

Mondovì has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Cfa'') with cold winters and warm to hot summers. Spring and fall are rainy, while summer and winter are relatively dry.

Gallery

File:Mondovi01.png, Mondovì File:Piazza04.png, Piazza Maggiore File:SSPietroPaolo.png, SS Pietro & Paolo File:Piazza01.png, Piazza Battisti File:SignageMondovi.png, Bilingual street signs File:Meridiana02.png, Via della Meridiana File:Meridiana01.png, Sundial detail File:Langa Monregalese.png, Langa Monregalese

Notable people

Mondovì is the birthplace of * John Bona (1609–1674), Italian cardinal and author. * Giovanni Battista Beccaria (1716–1781), physicist. * Francis Vigo (1747–1836), fur trader, American Revolutionary War hero * Francesco Canaveri (1753-1836), physician, anatomist, and professor * Clemente Solaro, Count La Margherita (1792–1869), a

statesman. * Giacomo Durando (1807–1894), a general and statesman. * Teresa De Giuli Borsi (1817–1877), opera singer *

Giovanni Giolitti Giovanni Giolitti (; 27 October 1842 – 17 July 1928) was an Italian statesman. He was the prime minister of Italy five times between 1892 and 1921. He is the longest-serving democratically elected prime minister in Italian history, and the sec ...

(1842–1928), five-time

Prime Minister of Italy The prime minister of Italy, officially the president of the Council of Ministers (), is the head of government of the Italy, Italian Republic. The office of president of the Council of Ministers is established by articles 92–96 of the Co ...

. * Giovanni Bertone (1884–1972), automobile designer * Michele Baranowicz (born 1989), volleyball player

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mondovi 1198 establishments in Europe 12th-century establishments in Italy Populated places established in the 12th century