The Langhe

Langhe. What's the background of this name?
It's a very old name with an unclear derivation and can signify the lands of the Liguri. Some hold that Langa could come from "Landa" meaning an uninhabited wilderness. Someone else claims that it comes from the Italian (and Latin) word for tongue "lingua" which is the general shape of the high craggy hills. Others assert that it could have its source in the German "Lange" meaning length.
At any rate, there is clear evidence that Langa was talked about even in ancient Rome.

The Langhe are a collection of hills with sharp crests. They are found between the Tanaro river (on the west), the Ligurian Apennines (on the south) and the Bormida river (on the East) .
(The Tanaro and the Bormida meet to the north on their way to the Po.) These hills are marked with deep, parallel valleys dug out by river torrents. The average altitude ranges from 550 meters (1800 feet) and reaches 950 meters (3100 feet) at Mombarcaro. The region's agriculture varies in different sections based on the lay of the land.

It's the Langa of medieval castles, architectural fortresses populated in the nineteenth century by kings and ministers, authors and beautiful women, nobles and courtesans. The Langa is a changing countryside with towers and castles silhouetted against its broad horizons and with the serenity of its silence only broken by bleating flocks and the rhythms of agricultural implements at work.

In the piazza di la Morra there stands a monument to the vineyard worker responsible for the care of the vines and who is the hero in this land. He works the vineyards with continual courage and incessant labor forging and changing the customs and the man of the Langa. The vineyard worker is the hill artist whose masterpiece is the vine rows aligned, ordered and trimmed.

The hillsides that escape the rays of the sun are patches of woods holding truffles and wild game. The Langhe is distinguished by its much appreciated and unique regional products. But, each range of hills, each valley, has its own ways and traditions, different dialects - a little universe with an infinity of surprises that you can discover and appreciate by living in contact with the people and the land.

The origins of this area's reputation for a fine table were humble. As a matter of fact all the ingredients are found in the home and fields: tajarin (a unique handmade local pasta), sauce from livers of fowl, blood sausage, minestrones, back ribs, chicken and pork roasts, "frisse" (a unique sausage and liver patty, slightly fried in butter with onions and red wine), "grive" (a baked patty made of liver, eggs, soft bread, and milk), omelets, hazelnut cake, zabajone unique eggnogs with Marsala and white wine.
But in the 19th century the table began to get more refined with new tastes and ingredients. We began then to have fritto misto alla Piemontese a special fried of mixed meats and vegetables; raviolis with sauce and meat; wild game steeped in wine, breaded, fried and served in a spicy aromatic sauce; hares al "civet", a local marinade with a red wine base for game; truffle fondues; and bônet a fantastic desert of eggs, sugar, flour, amaretto and Langhe magic.

We owe the first treatise about the most mysterious tuber of the universe to Alfonso Ciccarelli, a doctor in Bevagna who unfortunately wound up on the gallows. We're talking about His Majesty the truffle that Pliny, for lack of other words defined as "the callus of the earth".
To be sure the unfortunate doctor never imagined the formidable destiny that put its blessing on the humble tuber magnatum.
Truffles and wine are the greatest treasures of the area.
But we have to remember that the truffle owes much to the genius of one man, Giacomo Morra. Dedicated to developing fine palates, he pushed this subterranean fungus to front stage around the world. As a result of his efforts the truffle from Alba is at the top of the list when it comes to desirable taste experiences. Obviously this truffle treasure existing in the same place and time as the finest vineyards makes for an exceptional marriage between gastronomy and oenology - wonderful foods and fine wines.
The wines of the Langhe, with their worldwide renown, encourage tourism and lately have been appearing in the leading tourist guidebooks.

So, here in the Langhe you will find a delicious table, resounding wines, cities, villages, castles, the joys of a unique countryside, and the pleasure of meeting the people of Langa.

The Dogliani region

Nestled in a natural basin and surrounded by bright hills, Dogliani is considered the capital of the southwest Langhe. It's an urban center at about 300 meters above sea level. It becomes more populated at the riverbed of the Rea torrent, a tributary of the Tanaro. It can be easily looked at as two sectors: one the lower, the Borgo; the other higher, the Castello.
Dogliani has always been an important agricultural center. And even today, despite of a definite industry and artisan growth, it is definitely characterized by an agricultural economy.

The name of this lovely town comes from Doglia and Lano, which could be a corruption of Janus da Giano the most notable Roman god and lord of the heavens and sunlight. Legend tells that Giano was on vacation in the Langhe he made a stop at Dogliani drawn there by the delights of the local wine - the Dolcetto di Dogliani..

Clavesana

This comune or municipality in southwestern lower Langa now has a population of 1,315. They live in four outlying sectors or wards as well as in town. These are the sectors of Sbaranzo, Surie, and Ghigliani that stretch across the hills to the right (east) of the Tanaro while about half of the population of the municipality lives in the Madonna della Neve sector on the alluvial plain of the left bank (west) of the river.

The town has a predominantly agricultural economy. Its principal product is grapes followed by some crops of hazelnuts, cereals, and hay.

The altitude of the district's territory varies from 280 meters above sea level in the Madonna della Neve sector to more than 500 meters in the Surie sector.

The town of Clavesana undoubtedly had its greatest historical splendor during the high Middle Ages when it was the seat of the Aleramic dynasty.

The Alermanic stock, with Salian-Frank roots, came down from the house of Kent in the sixth century. From this source would come the Italian kings of Provenza, the counts of Savoy and Aunate, the marquis of Romagnano, the dukes of Aquitaine, the counts of Toluse and Orange, the Capetians, the Valois, the Bourbons, and the dukes of Orleans.
This dynasty took its name from Aleramo, the marquis of western Liguria. This was one of the three great marquessates created from the Piedmont and Liguria by the emperor Otto I. The other two were that of eastern Liguria and that of Torino or Arduinica or Auriate.
At the death of Aleramo about 1000 the marquessate was divided into three parts that resulted in two branches of the family tree: the Alermanic marquis of Monferrato and the marquis of Savona.

From the second branch came Tete II who received a prize from the emperor Henry II, the lands of the count of Vasto in Abruzzo. His son Boniface was thus called the marquis of Vasto. Among the various princes that fought over the inheritance of the countess Adelaide it was Boniface that certainly did best by succeeding to conquer a territory that corresponds to the present province of Cuneo.

After the death of Boniface, marquis di Vasto, sometime between 1130 and 1135, the sons including the disinherited firstborn, started many of the noble Ligurian and Piedmont families. From Boniface the disinherited came the marquis of Incisa; from Manfred I the marquis of Saluzzo; From William the marquis of Busca; from Hugo or Hugone (big Hugo) the marquis of Clavesana; from Anselmo the marquis of Ceva and Carretto; from Henry I the succeeding marquis of Savona; from Boniface the younger came the marquis of Cortemilia, and from Oddone the marquis of Loreto.

The marquessate of Clavesana besides the town itself, to the north took in the castles of Somano, Dogliani, Monchiero, La Morra, and Farigliano. To the east it included Mombarcaro, Gottasecca, Monesiglio, Camerana, Saliceto, Cengio, Rocchetta, Bormida, the entire Millesimo area including town and castle, Olazza and the land of Cairo to past Bormida, Carretto, Vignale and Vignarola along with the castle of Croce Ferrata (Wrought Iron Cross) and Biestro. Furthermore it controlled, in league with the marquis of Ceva, the lands and castles of the Renzo and Cedano valleys, along with the vassalage of the lords of Pornassio and Cusio, of Docio, of Almo towards the west, of Lavagna, of Aquila and Gavenola, of Castelvecchio, of Zuccarello and Balestrino. Additionally the marquessate would acquire part of the heritage of the marquis of Cortemilia who died without heirs, as well as Oneglia and its valley.

In 1170 the first marquis of Clavesana, Ugone, died without heirs. His properties passed to his brother Anselmo of Ceva. At his death in 1178 the properties were left to the firstborn son, Boniface I, along with the marquessate of Albenga.
Boniface I, who didn't have any sons, in 1211 married his daughter, Berta, to the marquis of Monferrato, William. He gave her a dowry of Mombarcaro and the part of the marquessate of Cortemilia that had been inherited from Ugone of Clavesana because in those days the women couldn't hold a royal title such as marquise (Salic law) but could only hold the title of countess. According to the chronicles of the time, Berta was "a woman of singular beauty and exemplary honesty." It seems that Boccaccio talked specifically about her when he told how the marquise of Monferrato with a feast of chickens and a few pretty words turned away the advances of the king of France who had come to meet her while her husband was off on a crusade.
Boniface I of Clavesana, who had already exempted the Carthusian monks of Casotto from all taxes (a provision extended in 1204 to the abbey of Casanova near Carmagnola), in 1216 subjected his castle of Clavesana under the protection of the Knights of the Order of Jerusalem to have a legal basis for their protection.

But on his death in 1221 at Andora the marquessate of Clavesana passed to the Cevesian princes, specifically to the sons of his brother, Oddone and Boniface II. Boniface II in 1219 was one of the commanders of the forces of Genoa. He had stormed the city of Ventimiglia and for the courage he showed was called Tagliaferro (blacksmith's chisel). The two brothers kept the marquessate together till 1226 when the marquessate was divided.
Boniface Tagliaferro got the western Liburia and a small piece of the marquessate that included Clavesana. The other brother Oddone received the larger part of the marquessate.
Oddone died sometime before 1233 in which year on the 16th of December his four sons (Boniface III, Pietrino, Manuele, and Francesco) with their uncle Boniface Tagliaferro became citizens of Genoa. In return for a remarkable annuity they sold Porto San Maurizio, Diano, and Duicedo successively as well as Andora. In recompense Genoa committed to defend the marquis of Clavesana from internal and foreign enemies. It was in fact the soldiers from Genoa that put down the revolt against Boniface Tagliaferro by the people of the valleys of Ormea and Arroscia.

During the extended wars between Mondovi and Alba, which dragged on despite of the intervention in 1250 by the imperial vicar count Tommaso of Savoy and finally wrapped up by the treaty of 1256, the marquis of Clavesana became allied with Alba. Also the Aleramic marquis of Ceva, of Saluzzo, of Caretto, and the municipality of Cherasco went over to Alba. In the end, Alba and its allies came out victors.
In the treaty of 1256, among other things, it was determined that the Mondovians and the Bressani, natives of the city of Bressano and holders of the castle of Carru would allow Boniface Tagliaferro to peacefully occupy the territory of his marquessate. He would have the same boundaries that his uncle in the days when the lords of Manzano were rulers of the villa and castle of Carru. This was established with the understanding that any disputes that should arise should be resolved in each instance without formality. A judicial panel, selected from the elders of the region with the mutual agreement of the parties, would review, make a determination and make an agreement securing the boundaries of Clavesana, Carru and old Carassone.

After the death of Boniface Tagliaferro, the marquessate of Clavesana on the 30th of April in 1268 passed to Emanuele, son of Oddone. This latter made an alliance with the marquis William IV of Ceva and with the municipality of Mondovi to wage war against the other marquis of Ceva, George II, called Nano (the Dwarf). He had been trying to centralize all the marquessates of Alermanic heritage under his control.
George the Dwarf made an alliance with the municipality of Asti by pledging his allegiance. This forced Mondovi and its allies to accept the hard peace of June 25th 1297.
Among other things this peace stipulated that Oddone II and Francis II, sons of Emanuele, would be exiled from the lands of Mondovi where they had been living since the beginning of the war. Oddone II and Francis II, however, in 1310 in Chieri received restitution of their dominions from the emperor Arrigo VII.

Oddone II left his part of the marquessate to his son Federico I who was called the Beast because of his terrible temper. In turn, on the 16th of January 1357, he turned control over to his sons: Oddone III, Boniface, Manuele and Francis III.
In 1381, however, the marquessate was run solely by Manuele. He had given half the valley of Arroscia to the Republic of Genoa that in turn restored the rest of the territory to him.
The line of Federico the Beast died out in the first half of the fifteenth century.
Francis II, brother of Oddone II, only had two daughters: Argentina and Catherine. He married the first to Giacomo di Saluzzo. She was already the widow of Raffael Doria a Genoa captain and knight and admiral of king Robert of Naples. The marriage was the 11th of September 1322. The second daughter went in marriage to Enrico of Carretto. Thus the marquessate of Clavesana belonging to Francis II passed to three different houses - the houses of Doria, Saluzzo, and Carretto.

In the families of Alermanic descent and especially in the Vasto family (with the exception of the marquis of Saluzzo and of Monferrato) the law of primogeniture was not recognized as far as inheritance of property and title. Because of this the fragmentation of power among the various marquis made it impossible for any of the marquessates, neither Ceva, Busca, Clavesana, nor Carretto to gain complete control of the area. Had this happened, it would certainly have become a principality as happened for Saluzzo and Monferrato.
In the fifteenth century the marquessate of Clavesana was divided between the Republic of Genoa, the marquis of Finale, the marquis of Saluzzo, and the lords of Dogliani who retained their holdings until the end of the seventeenth century.
Since about 1700 then the marquessate of Clavesana, reduced to only the castle and its land {assuming erritorio=territorio} passed by way of mothers to the Assinari from Asti lords of Cusasco, to the Corvi of Cuneo, to the Mussi and Bava of Fossano, to the Caramelli of Cavallermaggiore, to the Devalle, to the Beggiani of San Albano, to the Fauaoni Vegnaben of Mondovi and in the end to the Alvernia of Alessandria.

ORIGIN OF THE NAME AND THE COAT OF ARMS

OF CLAVESANA

The historical proofs of the rights of the various municipalities to their individual coats of arms are difficult to find. In 1798 the Piedmont Jacobeans, in the name of liberty, burned the parchments that contained among other papers the charters of heraldic arms that were held in the archives of Turin.
The only information retrievable, as regards Clavesana, is a coat of arms drawn in watercolor by the engineer Filippi about 1880 in the municipal register.

Filippi depicted a shield with a blue background with two gold crossed keys under a black "C". The shield, entwined in oak branches supported a crown formed by a circular wall in turn supporting four Guelf blackbirds.

When the present community of Clavesana came into being, in contrast to the feudal rights of the various successor lords from the old marquis, it wanted affirm that the power had passed to the new community which would unfurl its own flag carrying the heraldic colors.

Although it is easy to discover the origin of the coat of arms' colors, it is equally difficult to resolve the other two elements
- the crossed keys and the "C". There is a reference to a geographical naming error from the seventeenth century by monsignor Agostino della Chiesa. He thought that the name Clavesana came from the old Roman "Clavis Januae" (keys to Genoa). But this isn't possible because although the suffix "ana" could apply to "Januae" the same can't be said for "Clavis." As a matter of fact the Latin form "Clavis " came into the local dialect as "ciau" or "ciav." If Agostino's theory were correct the place's name would be pronounced "Ciausana" or even "Ciavesana." Besides, Clavesana isn't in any strategic geographic position where it could be called the "keys to Genoa."

According to the research of professor Pietro Massia, the name of the town comes instead from a base of "Calvisiana, " the name of a southern Piedmont "gens" (family) which frequently appears on the tombstones of Roman nobles. The name "Caivisiana" (transformed then into "Clavisiana" by accidental switching of beginning sounds by a subsequent weakening of the "i ") was originally an adjective derived from "villa " or "domus" and meant the land of the Calvisia family.

From this, one deduces that the keys of the coat of arms were only introduced after 1600. At the same time, following the research of the Saluzzian Agostino della Chiesa, the "C" in black probably made its first appearance. Even that has a Saluzzian flavor in so much as the first letter of the name of the town on the communal coat of arms is that of the lands of the old marquessate of Saluzzo (Saluzzo itself, Carmagnola, Racconigi, etc.). It is, thus, difficult to see how it could have appeared otherwise.

The present Clavesana coat of arms was probably the design of monsignor Agostino della Chiesa or by some learned person who was familiar with his writings. Before 1600 Clavesana probably only raised the blue and gold of the ancient Alermanic marquis on its flag.

Clavesana definitely has the requisites to become a tourist destination. It has a magnificent countryside that you can admire as you go up into the Langa either along the range of Sbraranzo-Surie or along that of Ghigliani. It has its famous Perches (Perticali). It has a genuine cuisine that you can enjoy in the villages' trattorie. It has the best wine made and the truffles that grow in its forests easily compete with those from Alba.

The village is 7 kilometers east of the toll plaza of Carrù on the autostrada and is 40 kilometers from Alba.

Translation by M. Kenny (martykenny@worldnet.att.net)