San Raffaele Cimena
San Raffaele Cimena: a municipality with a unique microclimate and ancient history
San Raffaele Cimena is an Italian municipality located in the metropolitan city of Turin, in Piedmont. With a population of about 3,127 inhabitants, it is a place rich in ancient history and natural peculiarities. In this summary, I will talk about the unique microclimate of the Valle Baudana area, its history, and its geological characteristics.
Physical Geography
Territory
San Raffaele Cimena is located in a privileged position between the Alps and the Po Valley. The territory is characterized by a hilly and flat topography with altitudes ranging from 200 to 300 meters above sea level. The area is rich in forests, cultivated fields, and waterways that form valleys and interesting gorges from a landscape point of view.
Climate
The Valle Baudana district, located in the municipality of San Raffaele Cimena, is famous for its unique microclimate that guarantees mild temperatures in winter and cool in summer. This phenomenon is due to the particular morphology of the territory and the unique characteristics of the flora, especially that of the valley floor. Thanks to this microclimate, many typically tropical plant varieties, such as citrus, prickly pears, bananas, palms, and papaya, can be grown in this area, making it unique in northern Italy. Various institutions, including the National Research Council (CNR), have studied this interesting phenomenon.
History
San Raffaele Cimena has an ancient history dating back to the 4th century when Byzantine soldiers built a chapel in honor of the Archangel Saint Raphael as a good omen for travelers crossing the area. Around the church, built in an area that is now the cemetery, the first houses arose. In the 10th century, due to Saracen raids, the population moved higher around the Castle, located where the Rimembranza Park is today, for greater protection. The village that developed around the fortress, ''San Raffaele'', still today differs markedly from the other two main localities of the municipal territory, Cimena and La Piana.
The municipality of Cimena existed even before the Roman era, and its name probably derives from an Ancient Ligurian term that meant mountain or height. Became an autonomous municipality in 1596, it was an important center both for its military-strategic position and for its geography, which favored agriculture. In 1818, Cimena was merged with San Raffaele, hence the municipal designation of "San Raffaele e Cimena", which lasted until 1928.
In the 17th century, the Ayrali developed in the area between the road that ran along the hill and the altitude itself: it is the current old village of La Piana. Thanks to its position, which made trade and travel easier, the locality became an important center of exchange.
Conclusions
San Raffaele Cimena is a municipality with a unique charm, thanks to its peculiar microclimate, ancient history, and geographical features. The particular morphology of the territory and the unique flora of the valley floor make the Valle Baudana area an ideal place for the cultivation of many plant varieties typical of tropical areas. San Raffaele Cimena has an ancient history, evidenced by traces of Byzantine and Roman settlements in the area, and by the medieval settlements of San Raffaele and Cimena. All these elements give the municipality a unique charm that deserves to be discovered and appreciated.
