History
Some archaeological discoveries would indicate Roman origins for Albaretto, however the historical documentation allows to go back only to the XII century when the tower was built.
In the following century the tower was flanked by a castle built by Manfredo Del Carretto, then destroyed during the seventeenth century. The brotherhood of the Immaculate Conception was recently restored, used as a venue for cultural events, concerts and exhibitions. Even the memory of the elderly has preserved interesting testimonies such as those relating to two popular games: the turkey race and the launch of the cod that once enlivened summer occasions. The latter competition saw the young people of the country compete for cod on a bench, showing strength in launching one of them.
As for the origin of the name, there are those who claim that the term Albaretto includes the Piedmontese “arbra” and indicates a place rich in vegetation, in particular poplars. The municipal archive does not shed light on these controversies, even if it preserves an interesting letter from the notorious commander “of the Piedmontese Christian mass” Brandale Lucioni, also known as Branda de Lucioni, with the theorization of the guerrilla tactics useful to defeat the French Jacobins invaders with the use of spears, poles, tridents and sentry shifts on the bell tower of the villages, so that the countryside could be hammered when the enemies approached.
Tower
The tower that stands in the centre of the houses, dominating the square and the parish church, is what remains of the castle built by the lords Del Carretto and destroyed, it seems, in 1630 by the French artillery, used in the Langhe during the war of succession of Monferrato .
With a square plan, refined only by a series of arches on the top, it is currently owned by the municipality.
Access to it has recently been possible, even if the stairs are particularly steep in the last stretch. From the top, you can enjoy the splendid panorama of the Langhe and the Cuneo mountains.