Vaglierano
Vaglierano: a small historic hamlet in Asti
Hello everyone! Today I am going to talk about a small village called Vaglierano. It is a geographical hamlet of Asti, but in the past it was the capital of an autonomous municipality. The hamlet is located at 192 meters on top of a hill overlooking a bend of the Borbore stream from the south.
The history of Vaglierano
The village has very ancient origins and its name is said to come from the ancient Roman family of the "Valerii". In the Middle Ages it followed the fortunes of Asti, and belonged to the Visconti of Milan, then to the Marquises of Monferrato, and finally to the House of Savoy following the Treaty of Cherasco.
The title of Count of Vaglierano passed over time to various families, among which we can remember the Ceca di Mombello, the Mellica di Celle, the Mestias di Graglia and Celle, and finally the Rameli di Solbrito.
In 1837 Attilio Zuccagni-Orlandini, in his "Physical, historical, and statistical chorography of Italy and its islands, accompanied by an atlas of geographic and topographic maps, and other illustrative plates", described the village as "a small town with a community school, and a parish rectory dedicated to S.Maria de Orticis".
The municipality, which belonged to the district of San Damiano d'Asti, had 346 inhabitants in 1854. In its territory "wines of some goodness" were produced, as well as corn and wheat; the breeding of livestock was also practiced.
With the royal decree no. 736 of 21 June 1869, the municipality of Vaglierano was abolished and its territory was merged with the municipality of Asti.
A bill proposal of 23 November 1949 that provided for the reconstitution of the Municipality of Vaglierano, presented by the deputies Giuseppe Armosino, Enzo Giacchero, and Sodano, did not have any follow-up. Among the reasons in favor of this proposal, it was mentioned that the municipality, before its dissolution, had its own budget in surplus. Furthermore, several other municipalities in the area, even smaller ones, had already been reconstituted. The eight km that separated Vaglierano from Asti were then seen as a cause of inconvenience for the "handling of bureaucratic procedures" by the population (during a time when mass motorization had not yet been realized).
Infrastructure and transport
Vaglierano is served by the provincial road 58, which connects Vaglierano with San Damiano d'Asti (to the west) and with the Strada statale 10 Padana Inferiore, and by the provincial road 12 bis, which connects Vaglierano Basso with Baldichieri. The village also has a railway station located in the flat area north of the town center, between the Borbore and Triversa streams in the locality of Vaglierano Basso.
In conclusion, if you are passionate about history and want to discover the ancient origins of these places, then Vaglierano is a stop you cannot miss. Take the provincial road and explore the ancient treasures of this historic hamlet in Asti!
