Sommariva del Bosco
Discover Sommariva del Bosco: the gateway to Roero
Hello friends, today I'm taking you to discover Sommariva del Bosco, an Italian municipality located in the province of Cuneo, Piedmont. The city has around 6294 inhabitants.
Physical geography
Sommariva del Bosco is considered the gateway to Roero. The hilly territory has its natural outlet in this area. The Castle and the Parish Church can be seen from a considerable distance from the village, along with the bell towers of its 11 churches. In the city centre, there is a high density of religious buildings, partly due to the competition between the various Confraternities and the citizens of the ancient four districts.
The municipal territory is characterised by an area in the plain and another in the hills. Despite the short distance, there are notable ecological differences between the two areas.
History
The city first appears in documents in 1059. The territory was contested several times between the Casa Savoia and the Casa Roero. In 1733, it was ceded to the Seyssel d'Aix marquises, who have maintained ownership of the castle over the centuries.
Monuments and places of interest
Sommariva del Bosco is rich in monuments and places of interest worth visiting.
The Roman rustic villa
In 2009, work on the construction of the western branch of SP661 unearthed the remains of a Roman rustic villa, a rural dwelling that stood to the west of the village. The find attests to the colonization of the area since Roman times and presupposes the presence of a commercial and road network previously unknown to archaeologists.
Seyssel d'Aix Castle
The imposing Seyssel d'Aix Castle overlooks the village. The complex is one of the oldest and best-preserved buildings in all of Roero. It is composed half of modifications made by the Savoia over the centuries, and half of the original building that perhaps dates back to before the year 1000.
Municipal Palace
The municipal building, originally part of the castle, consists of two parts built in different eras: the older wing dates from the seventeenth century, while the nineteenth-century wing houses the council chamber. Inside, you will find the city standard, dating back to the fifteenth century and bearing witness to the oaths of loyalty sworn by citizens at the castle gates, promising allegiance to one lord after another.
Old walls
These are what remains of the imposing medieval fortifications: they are visible in some points of the village, at the foot of the castle park. For example, they are present in the courtyard of the Municipal Palace, where they were used to defend the "borgus vetus" of Sommariva.
I recommend taking a walk through the historic streets of the city centre, letting yourself be enchanted by the beauties that the city offers. Now that you know this little gem of Roero, you cannot miss visiting it!
