Gabiano is a rural comune

Comune

In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...

in the north-west of the province of Alessandria

Province of Alessandria

The Province of Alessandria is an Italian province, with a population of some 430,000, which forms the southeastern part of the region of Piedmont. The provincial capital is the city of Alessandria....

, some 25 km west of Casale Monferrato

Casale Monferrato

Casale Monferrato, population 36,058, is a town and comune in the Piedmont region of north-west Italy, part of the province of Alessandria. It is situated about 60 km east of Turin on the right bank of the Po, where the river runs at the foot of the Montferrato hills. Beyond the river lies the...

. This area straddles the lowland immediately south of the Po

Po River

The Po |Ligurian]]: Bodincus or Bodencus) is a river that flows either or – considering the length of the Maira, a right bank tributary – eastward across northern Italy, from a spring seeping from a stony hillside at Pian del Re, a flat place at the head of the Val Po under the northwest face...

 and the furthest extension of the Monferrato hills. Its current population of some 1,250 has halved since mid 1930s.

In addition to the village of Gabiano itself, and to Varengo, which was a commune in its own right until 1928, the 2001 census listed Cantavenna, Piagera and Sessana as the municipality’s primary centres of population. The secondary centres identified were Casaletto, Chioalengo, Martinengo, Mincengo, Serra and Zoalengo. Further localities include Borgatello, Brusasca, Garimanno, Le Ghiaie and Montechiaro.

The village of Gabiano lies on the southern slopes of a hill dominated by a castle of ancient origins, which was reconstructed in the early twentieth century in the Neo-Gothic style. At the foot of the hill—the original site of the village—is a parish church dedicated to Saint Peter

Saint Peter

Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...

. Although rebuilt in 1690, it retains the twin bell towers from the original medieval building.

Cantavenna, largely rebuilt after the Second World War, has two works of interest by the sculptor Giannino Castiglioni: a bas relief celebrating the “Peasant Defender of Liberty” and the “Fountain of the Emigrants”, which was commissioned by the Italians of Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

.
In the nineteenth century the parish church of San Carpoforo was erected here on the spot where the Jacobins

Jacobin (politics)

A Jacobin , in the context of the French Revolution, was a member of the Jacobin Club, a revolutionary far-left political movement. The Jacobin Club was the most famous political club of the French Revolution. So called from the Dominican convent where they originally met, in the Rue St. Jacques ,...

 had planted their tree of liberty

Liberty pole

A liberty pole is a tall wooden pole, often used as a type of flagstaff, planted in the ground, which may be surmounted by an ensign or a liberty cap. They are associated with the Atlantic Revolutions of the late 18th century.-American Revolution:...

.

Wine

Two DOC

Denominazione di Origine Controllata

Denominazione di origine controllata is a quality assurance label for food products, especially wines and various formaggi . It is modelled after the French AOC...

 wines with very limited zones of production are produced in the commune. Gabiano is made here and in the neighbouring commune of Moncestino

Moncestino

Moncestino is a comune in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 40 km east of Turin and about 45 km northwest of Alessandria...

, using the Barbera

Barbera

Barbera is a red Italian wine grape variety that, as of 2000, was the third most-planted red grape variety in Italy . It produces good yields and is known for deep color, low tannins and high levels of acid...

 grape together with 5%–10% of Freisa

Freisa

Freisa is a red Italian wine grape variety grown in the Piedmont region of north-west Italy, primarily in Monferrato and in the Langhe, but also further north in the provinces of Turin and Biella. Freisa is a vigorous and productive vine whose round, blue-black grapes are harvested in early...

 and/or Grignolino

Grignolino

Grignolino is a red Italian wine grape variety commonly grown in the Piedmont region. It makes light colored wines and rosés with very fruity aromas, strong acidity and tannins. The name Grignolino derives from the word grignole which means "many pips" in the local Piedmontese dialect of the Asti...

. Rubino di Cantavenna is made in Gabiano, Montecestino, Villamiroglio

Villamiroglio

Villamiroglio is a comune in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 35 km east of Turin and about 45 km northwest of Alessandria...

 and part of Camino (AL)

Camino (AL)

Camino is a comune in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 45 km east of Turin and about 40 km northwest of Alessandria...

. Again the predominant grape is Barbera (75%–90%) with Freisa and/or Grignolino making up the remainder.