San Gillio
Hello everyone! Today I want to talk about San Gillio, a small town located northwest of Turin, in Piedmont. With its just over 3000 inhabitants and its territory crossed by the Casternone stream, a tributary of the Ceronda, San Gillio is a quiet place surrounded by nature.
Physical geography
The climate in the San Gillio area is of a sub-continental temperate type, with cold and mostly sunny winters, fairly abundant snowfall, and hot summers with breezes coming from the nearby Susa Valley. The municipality is classified as zone E and the climate as Cfa according to the Köppen climate classification.
History
San Gillio has an interesting history. According to the hypothesis supported by Goffredo Casalis and other scholars, there was a monastery dependent on the Templar priory of Sant'Egidio in Testona in the area of the municipality. Others believe that it was the Benedictine monks of the Abbey of Casanova who built a church dedicated to Sant'Egidio.
The first evidence of the existence of San Gillio dates back to the beginning of the 14th century with a sale made by the Visconti di Baratonia in 1306 and a convention signed in 1324 for the construction of a Villanova, which was already completed in 1331. The Villanova was located on a hill different from the current settlement, and inside it the church of Vera Croce was built.
The feudal history of San Gillio is rather complex, passing from a prince of the Kingdom of Achaea to several noble families of Piedmont, including the Romanzones and the Vignatis, until the title of count was attributed to Felice Maffei in 1835.
Demographic growth
After World War II, many inhabitants of San Gillio found work in the industries of the Turin area and the population grew rapidly, tripling from the 1970s to today. Nevertheless, the town has maintained its tranquility and its relationship with the surrounding nature.
San Gillio is famous for its parish church still dedicated to Sant'Egidio and for the church of Vera Croce, both dating back to the medieval period. In addition to these, the town has restaurants and shops selling local products, ideal for tasting Piedmontese cuisine and discovering the specialties of the area.
In conclusion, San Gillio is a quiet town surrounded by nature, perfect for those who want to spend their holidays away from the stress of the city. I hope this brief description has been useful and that you feel like visiting this beautiful village. See you soon!
