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Fossano
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Fossano is a town and commune of Piedmont, Italy, in the province of Cuneo.
It lies on the main railway line from Turin to Cuneo and to Savona, and has a branch line to Mondově.
Chief industries of the town include confectionery (with Italian industries Balocco and Maina), chemicals, metallurgy, and textiles.
ano appeared as a commune in 1236, founded by a Guelph league of cities, but in 1251 had to yield to Asti.
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Encyclopedia
Fossano is a town and commune of Piedmont, Italy, in the province of Cuneo.
It lies on the main railway line from Turin to Cuneo and to Savona, and has a branch line to Mondově.
Chief industries of the town include confectionery (with Italian industries Balocco and Maina), chemicals, metallurgy, and textiles.
History
Fossano appeared as a commune in 1236, founded by a Guelph league of cities, but in 1251 had to yield to Asti. In 1304 it was acquired by the Marquisate of Saluzzo. It finally surrendered in 1314 to Filippo d'Acaia, whose successor handed it over to the house of Savoy.
The name
The name Fossano could be the transformation of the name "locus" or "fundus faucianus", from the Roman first name Faucius, or derive from the word "fossato" (ditch), in Piedmontese "fossŕ", from which "fossan" (inhabitant of the ditch).The sinkings are in fact characteristic of the hill on which the first city village rose. The historians agree speaking about “great ditch of the Chiotto”in dialect Ciot, hole, pit..
Another alternative hypothesis is that the name derive from “fons sana" (healthy spring), to indicate the presence in the vicinities of a drinkable water spring.
Main sights
It has a massive castle with four high towers, begun by Filippo d'Acaia in 1314 and finished in 1332. It has a square plan with four powerful towers at each side, connected by passages with merlons. One century later Amadeus VIII of Savoy turned it into a ducal residence; the beautiful inner courtyard, designed by Gaspare Solari, is from the late 15th century. The castle, after serving as jail and barracks, is now the seat of cultural events and of one of the biggest libraries of the region.
The cathedral was reconstructed at the end of the 18th century in Neoclassicist style, replacing the former 13th century c church.
The town's hospital and the Trinity Church were designed by Francesco Gallo in the 18th century. The Palazzo del Comandante is a Baroque building constructed in the 17th century. There are also mineral baths and a center for agriculture and cattle-breeding.
Notable people
- See also :Category:People from Fossano
- Margaret of Savoy (1390–1464), born in Fossano, was one of the last of the Acaia branch of the House of Savoy. She became Marquise of Montferrat and, on being widowed, a nun at Alba.
- Ambrogio Borgognone (c. 1470s -1523/1524), Italian Renaissance painter, is said to have been born here.
- Giovanni Giovenale Ancina (1545–1604), priest, scholar and composer, was beatified in the late nineteenth century.
- Fiorenzo Bava-Beccaris (1831–1924), a general, especially remembered for the Bava-Beccaris massacre was born in Fossano.
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