Terruggia, our home
Among the hilltop villages closest to Casale Monferrato, we are in Terruggia, a small village with less than a thousand inhabitants for the first time is mentioned in an official document of the thirteenth century with the name of Turricola (small tower). Later we also find it with the name of Terricula (small land) but the origin of the name Terruggia seems to derive from Terra and Rugi or Roggen (land cultivated with rye).
The heart of the village is the square, a meeting point especially for children, where there is an ancient restored swing dating back to the early '900. Next to it is the church of San Martino, with the characteristic slender bell tower in the shape of a "pencil" overlooking the main square. In 1200, a castle with a watchtower stood where the square now extends. The hill on which stood the tower and the castle, as high as the church, was leveled by force of arms at the end of '800 and the work lasted twenty years.
Next to the square we find the elementary school, the Town Hall, under which there is a infernot (a tipycal hypogeal construction) built in the late nineteenth century, and the "Le Muse" Theater with the vault adorned with floral decorations and ten panels depicting the Muses and the god Apollo
Among the streets of the village you could pass in front of the church of San Gerolamo and that of San Grato, dating back to 1600, some glimpses such as the brick wall with the solitary olive tree in via Enrico Prato or the majestic Ginkgo Biloba in the garden of the Palazzo Arborio di Gattinara that in autumn, visible from the street, catches the eye with a vibrant yellow.
But the real symbols of Terruggia are the park of Villa Poggio and the Veglio Tower.
Born as a garden of the Villa Poggio, now a public park, it is an unusual green lung for a country village. It is home to several tree species, including rare spontaneous orchids (Orchis Purpurea), and is accessible from the square via a small street surrounded by greenery. Under an imposing Cedar of Lebanon, the Green Hall, donated by a cultural association of the country to the elementary school of Terruggia.
The Veglio Tower, also depicted on the coat of arms of Terruggia, dates back to the late nineteenth century and is located on the top of a hill on the border with Rosignano. In tuff and brick, it takes up the typical colors of Monferrato buildings, and from the terrace on its top you can enjoy an incredible 360 ° view.
We are waiting for you in Terruggia to introduce you to our country and the hills of Monferrato
Sources:
Luigina Genovese, "Terruggia, storia e bellezze da scoprire"
Manuela Meni, Claudio Simone Colli,”Terruggia il paese, i suoi luoghi , le sue stoie”, Ed. Comune di Terruggia, Diffusioni Grafiche S.P.A. Villanova (A),, 2009