Today Ceresole is an important centre for zoo technical and agricultural production, important is its typical food and wine product, the “ceresolesetench”.
Most of the territory is characterized by the presence of humid soils which have favoured the formation of artificial lakes commonly called fish ponds or tampons.
Most of the territory of the municipality is characterized by the presence of humid soils which have favoured the formation of artificial lakes commonly called fish ponds or tampons.
The settlement of the fishponds is certainly favoured by the clayey soils (red soils) characterized by impermeable horizons with little depth and by a continental climate that is anything but rainy which boasts the lowest average annual rainfall in the entire province of Cuneo.
The fishponds for centuries have represented a precious reserve of water, a source of watering for animals and above all the possibility of raising tench, which has always been the gastronomic specialty of the town. The fish ponds are of considerable importance in the context of environmental balance, wetlands inserted in a drought environment allow the survival of waterfowl, amphibians and fish as well as being water reserves for all local fauna: herons, moorhens and various types of anatrids.
HISOTRY BITES
The first evidence of human activity in this area dates back to prehistoric times, while there are no toponymic connections to the Roman era.
Ceresole entered history in 1041, with the confirmation by Emperor Henry III of possession to the Bishop of Asti. At the beginning of the thirteenth century, it was given to the “de Montaldo” and “de Anterixio” families by the bishop. After various feudal sales, the Roero family became part of the Ceresolese history, more precisely from Filippo Roero the so-called Roero di Ceresole originated. From the 15th century onwards, the town became the scene of French and Spanish battles. In the last quarter of the 1600s, the last Roero heir, Francesco Bernardino sold the building where he lived and died a few years later.
WHAT TO SEE
Castle.Residenzadei Roero di Ceresole, when in 1468 a division of the fiefdoms between the various branches of the family took place, mention was made of the castle, which therefore already existed for some time and was assigned to Filippo Roero. It preserves parts of the ‘500 on the north side while in the south it was transformed into a “palace” in the mid-1600s.
The Castle is open to the public on the last Sunday of the month for guided tours from May to October.
The muBATT – Museum of the Battle of 1544 in Ceresoled’Alba.
The muBATT, created by redeveloping the environments of the old market wing of the Municipality of Ceresoled’Alba, is dedicated to one of the most important battles fought by foreign armies in Italian territory.
Protagonists of the clash, which took place on April 14, 1544, the French army of Francis I and the army of the Imperials led by Charles V, who challenged each other to obtain hegemony in Italian territory. The clash, which saw around 30,000 soldiers as protagonists, ended with the victory of the French army, causing over 10,000 deaths
Madonna del Buontempo (15th century). Erected as a vow by Roero Percivalle, in late Romanesque forms in the mid-15th century, it is now isolated among the fields of Novareisa. It was characterized by the presence of an apse adorned with a cycle of frescoes which are now saved from advanced decay and are kept in the Town Hall.
Frescoes of the Madonna del Buontempo (16th century)
The frescoes represent the main artistic testimony present in the municipality of Ceresoled’Alba.
Today housed in the frescoes room of the Town Hall, they were removed in the 90s by the Superintendence for Artistic Heritage from the church of the Madonna del Buontempo (XV century) to remove them from the advanced degradation of the building.
The church of the Madonna del Buontempowas characterized by the presence of an apse decorated with a cycle of frescoes (1553) by the Macriniana school (attributed to followers of the painters Spanzotto and Macrino).
The paintings represent the Pietà, San Giovanni Battista, San Bernardino, San Nicola da Tolentino, San Rocco, the Virgin with S. Antonio Abate while the popular “Crucifixion” is from later times.
CURIOSITY In an area devoted to the vine, here we find one of the craft breweries in the area: the CALIGOLA BREWERY, a name that recalls ancient Rome, with one of its most famous emperors, and the ancient brewing tradition that has governed the production of a drink that has always been considered magical and even has healing properties. And it is precisely this tradition that the Caligola brewery adheres to, perfectly combining it with modern machinery capable of processing highly selected raw materials.