Pinerolo

Pinerolo
Comune
Città di Pinerolo

Coat of arms
Pinerolo
Location of Pinerolo in Italy
Coordinates: 44°53′N 07°20′E / 44.883°N 7.333°E / 44.883; 7.333Coordinates: 44°53′N 07°20′E / 44.883°N 7.333°E / 44.883; 7.333
Country Italy
Region Piedmont
Metropolitan city Turin (TO)
Frazioni Abbadia Alpina, Ainana, Avaro/Tron, Bacchiasso, Batur, Baudenasca, Biscornetto, Borgata Colombaio, Borgata Orba, C.E.P., Cascina della Cappella, Cascina Ghiotta, Cascina Gili, Cascina Nuova, Cascina Pol, Case Bianche, Case Nuove, Colletto, Gerbido di Costagrande, Gerbido di Riva, Graniera, Losani, Motta Grossa, Pascaretto, Riauna, Riva, Rubiani, Salera, San Martino, Stazione di Riva, Talucco, Villa Motta Rasini
Government
 • Mayor Luca Salvai
Area
 • Total 50 km2 (20 sq mi)
Elevation 376 m (1,234 ft)
Population (30 September 2015)
 • Total 35,805
 • Density 720/km2 (1,900/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Pinerolesi
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code 10064
Dialing code 0121
Patron saint St. Donatus
Saint day Monday after last Sunday of August
Website Official website
The Sanctuary of Madonna delle Grazie.

Pinerolo (French: Pignerol ; Piemontese: Pinareul) is a town and comune in the Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont, northwestern Italy, 50 kilometres (31 mi) southwest of Turin on the river Chisone. The Lemina torrent has its source at the boundary between Pinerolo and San Pietro Val di Lemina.

History

Archaeological remains found in the center of Pinerolo in the early 1970s testify the human presence in the area in prehistoric times[1] Remains of the Roman necropolis of Dama Rossa, found during works for the Pinerolo-Turin highway in 2003, show that the area at the time was the seat of agricultural activities[2]

The toponym of Pinerolo appears only in the Middle Ages, in an imperial diplom dating from 981, by which Otto II confirmed its possession, within the March of Turin, to the Bishops of Turin. The town of Pinerolo was one of the main crossroads in Italy, and was therefore one of the principal fortresses of the dukes of Savoy. Its military importance was the origin of the well-known military school that still exists today. The fortress of Fenestrelle is nearby. Later, Pinerolo was ruled by the abbot nullius of Pinerolo, who ran the abbey of Abbadia Alpina, even after the city had established itself as a municipality (1247) under the government of Thomas II of Savoy.

From 1235, Amadeus IV of Savoy exercised over the town a kind of protectorate, which became absolute in 1243, and was continued thereafter by either the House of Savoy, or its cadet-branch, the House of Savoy-Acaia.

When French troops invaded Piedmont (1536), Pinerolo was conquered; it remained under French control until 1574. It fell again to France in 1631 with the treaty of Cherasco.

France agreed to hand Pinerolo back to the house of Savoy under the Treaty of Turin (1696), with the conditions that its stronghold's fortifications be demolished and that Savoy withdraw from the League of Augsburg against Louis XIV.

Economy

It is around Pinerolo that revolves the economy of the waldensian valleys (right slope of Val Chisone, Valle Germanasca and Val Pellice) and of the plain between these valleys and the Po (river) course.

Several industries have their base in this area, particularly mechanical, paper making, chemical and textile industries, and also absorb manpower from the nearby centres.

The leading companies are Corcos, which produces seals for rotating shafts and valves sterns, Raspini, a meat processing company, NN Inc., which manufactures ball bearings, the Trombini Group (ex Annovati), which supplies the furniture industry with chipboard, and PMT Italia, which supplies the pulp and paper industry with paper machines. Moreover, Pinerolo is the trade center of the surrounding mountain area.

The agriculture and the breeding of the livestock are conducted with advanced techniques. Pinerolo is the centre of the community called Comunità Montana Pinerolese Pedemontano.

Main sights

  • the Cathedral, which dates back to the 9th century, has a Romanesque bell tower and a Gothic façade (restored after the 1808 earthquake)[3]
  • the church of San Maurizio, in Gothic style
  • the Galup factory, which is famous for the local sweets and cake
  • the beautiful historical center
  • the train station
  • the town hall

People

People born in Pinerolo include:

  • Lidia Poët (born 1855), the first Italian female lawyer and an important figure in female emancipation
  • Luigi Facta (1861–1930), politician, journalist and last Prime Minister of Italy before the dictatorship of Benito Mussolini
  • Ferruccio Parri (1890–1981), partisan and politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy for several months in 1945

People who died here include:

Sports

The venue Pinerolo Palaghiaccio hosted curling events at the 2006 Winter Olympics.[4] The 2011 Tour de France featured a stage in the area.

The Uruguayan football team Peñarol takes its name from the Montevideo neighbourhood of Peñarol, which in turn takes its name from this town.

Twin cities

See also

References

  1. ↑ Perrot,, Mauro Maria (2012). Storia di Pinerolo e del suo territorio. Turin: LAR Editore.
  2. ↑ Page at Pinerolo website Archived 2016-03-05 at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ↑ Marchiando-Pacchiola, Mario. Il Duomo di San Donato in Pinerolo. I Quaderni della collezione civica d’Arte di Pinerolo, Q. 24.
  4. ↑ 2006 Winter Olympics official report. Volume 3. pp. 68-9.


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