Grugliasco
The City of Grugliasco: Its Territory and Origins
Hello friends! Today we will talk about Grugliasco, an Italian municipality located just 5 km to the west of Turin, in the Piedmont region. With a population of 36,538, Grugliasco is a city in the metropolitan city of Turin, with a conurbation in the metropolitan area of Turin. In this text, we will talk about the physical geography and origins of the name of this fascinating city.
Physical Geography
The territory of Grugliasco extends to the east and south with Turin, to the west with Rivoli (Tetti Neirotti and Levi fractions), and to the north with Collegno. Its territory is mostly flat, with some Aeolian hills. There are no rivers or streams, which has influenced the slow urbanization of the city.
Origin of the Name
The name Grugliasco may derive from the term 'Gruglascum' or 'Curlascum', which was the ancient name of the Roman colonist who was assigned part of these lands during the Roman centuriazione of the western suburbs of Turin. However, there are also other studies that suggest that the toponym Grugliasco may refer to the Gruidae birds, which probably stopped here during their seasonal migrations.
In fact, the Grugliasco community has chosen the bird called "gruidae" as the heraldic symbol of its coat of arms, attested for the first time in 1613.
History
The history of Grugliasco has its roots in 1047, when Emperor Henry III the Black cited the canonical chapter of the Turin Cathedral with rights over its possessions, including the curtis Grugliascum and the church of Cassiano of Imola. This gave rise to the Grugliasco community, which developed over time around the nucleus of the properties of the Turin canons, which corresponds to the current historic center, next to the ancient church dedicated to Cassiano of Imola.
However, in 1599, the people of Grugliasco placed themselves under the "protection" of San Rocco against the looming plague, which led to the affirmation of the saint as the protector of the city. In 1619, the Duke of Savoy, Charles Emmanuel I of Savoy, erected Grugliasco as a county, feuding it to the City of Turin. The county expanded economically and geographically throughout the sixteenth century, up to the limits of an ancient city wall.
The Bealera of San Vito
However, the vestiges of the Middle Ages are scarce and limited to the civic tower and a fresco. Moreover, the non-existent irrigation of the territory, devoid of streams or rivers, has led to a relatively slow urbanization. The creation in the fifteenth century of a Bealere of Turin, which is still used for the irrigation of fields in Strada del Gerbido, has determined a more rapid economic development of the city.
So, friends, this is the history of Grugliasco. An ancient and fascinating city that has maintained the charm of the past in its architecture and symbols. It could be said that the flight of birds and the irrigation of the land in the countryside are what have made this city what it is today. Thank you for reading this friendly text about the city of Grugliasco!
