San Michele Mondovì
San Michele Mondovì: a town surrounded by the Maritime Alps
If you're looking for a place immersed in nature, San Michele Mondovì is the right place to go. This municipality of 1,875 inhabitants is located in the southern part of the province of Cuneo, completely surrounded by the valleys of the Maritime Alps. The town is crossed by the Corsaglia river and is 41 kilometers away from the city of Cuneo.
A typical Maritime Alps climate
The climate of San Michele Mondovì is typical of the Maritime Alps area. Winters are cold, with an average temperature of the coldest month (January) at +2.9°C. There are many snowfalls during the winter. On the other hand, summers are hot thanks to the influence of the Ligurian Sea, with an average temperature of the warmest month (July) at +22.1°C. The average annual precipitation is around 800 mm, distributed over 68 days, with minimums in winter and summer and peak maximums in spring and autumn.
The history of San Michele Mondovì
The first written sources that mention San Michele Mondovì date back to 1113, where a rich lord's donation to the church of the small village of San Michele is recorded. Probably the first inhabitants of these places were the Ligurians and the Romans, of which there are still testimonies in the territories of Mombasiglio, Vico and Torre. It can be assumed that the roads that connected these villages crossed the point where San Michele Mondovì is located and that the first houses of the town were built in this place.
The origin of the name of San Michele Mondovì
The name of San Michele Mondovì comes from the devotion of the Lombards, who settled in the Monregalese valleys, to the Archangel Michael.
Lombard society and the farmers of San Michele Mondovì
Between the sixth and ninth centuries, during the Lombard lordship, three classes of farmers lived in the San Michele Mondovì area. The first included free farmers, tied to lords only by a contract. The second was composed of dependent farmers, bound to the master as servants with the land they cultivated. Finally, the third class was that of the tenants or tenants, whose obligations were determined by local customs and the condition of the land they cultivated.
In conclusion, San Michele Mondovì is a lovely place where you can enjoy the nature of the Maritime Alps and immerse yourself in Lombard history and culture.
