Monteu Roero is a 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:...

(municipality) in the Province of Cuneo

Province of Cuneo

ayr is a province in the southwest of the Piedmont region of Italy. To the west it borders on the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur ....

 in the Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 region Piedmont

Piedmont

Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...

, located about 35 km (22 mi) southeast of Turin

Turin

Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...

 and about 50 km (31 mi) northeast of Cuneo

Cuneo

Cuneo is a city and comune in Piedmont, Northern Italy, the capital of the province of Cuneo, the third largest of Italy’s provinces by area...

.

Monteu Roero borders the following municipalities: Canale

Canale (Cuneo)

Canale is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 40 km southeast of Turin and about 60 km northeast of Cuneo...

, Ceresole Alba

Ceresole Alba

Ceresole Alba is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 30 km southeast of Turin and about 50 km northeast of Cuneo...

, Montaldo Roero

Montaldo Roero

Montaldo Roero is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 35 km southeast of Turin and about 50 km northeast of Cuneo...

, Pralormo

Pralormo

Pralormo is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 25 km southeast of Turin. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,827 and an area of 29.8 km²....

, Santo Stefano Roero

Santo Stefano Roero

Santo Stefano Roero is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 35 km southeast of Turin and about 50 km northeast of Cuneo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,314 and an area of 13.4 km².Santo Stefano Roero borders the following...

, and Vezza d'Alba

Vezza d'Alba

Vezza d'Alba is a comune in Piedmont....

.

The main economic activities are the production of wine

Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...

 and chestnut

Chestnut

Chestnut , some species called chinkapin or chinquapin, is a genus of eight or nine species of deciduous trees and shrubs in the beech family Fagaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.-Species:The chestnut belongs to the...

s.

History

In ancient times the site was known as Monte Acuto ("Sharp Mount"). In 1041 emperor Henry III

Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor

Henry III , called the Black or the Pious, was a member of the Salian Dynasty of Holy Roman Emperors...

 gave it to the bishops of Asti, who, a century later, ceded it to the count Guy of Biandrate, who had the first castle built here. The latter's family held the castle for three centuries until 1299 when, defeated by Asti's troops, they sold it to the Roero (or Rotari) family. The current castle was built by new feudataries in the 15th century on the former one's ruin.

The castle passed to the house of Savoy

House of Savoy

The House of Savoy was formed in the early 11th century in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, it grew from ruling a small county in that region to eventually rule the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 until the end of World War II, king of Croatia and King of Armenia...

in 1784.

Main sights

• The castle, including 14th centuries capitals in the armory and 17th century frescoes and decorations.
• Church of San Bernardino, enlarged in Baroque times.