Refrancore (

Piedmontese Piedmontese (; autonym: or , in it, piemontese) is a language spoken by some 2,000,000 people mostly in Piedmont, northwestern region of Italy. Although considered by most linguists a separate language, in Italy it is often mistakenly reg ...

: ''Ël Francó'' or ''Arfrancor'') is a village and ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' in the northwestern

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

province of Asti The Province of Asti ( it, Provincia di Asti, Piedmontese: ''Provincia d’Ast'') is a province in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. Its capital is the city of Asti. To the northwest it borders on the Metropolitan City of Turin; to the so ...

in the

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

region, located some east of

Asti Asti ( , , ; pms, Ast ) is a '' comune'' of 74,348 inhabitants (1-1-2021) located in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, about east of Turin in the plain of the Tanaro River. It is the capital of the province of Asti and it is deeme ...

in the Basso Monferrato. The territory of the ''

'' extends over an area of and is largely devoted to agriculture, in particular to vineyards growing the Grignolino and

Barbera Barbera is a red Italian wine grape variety that, as of 2000, was the third most-planted red grape variety in Italy (after Sangiovese and Montepulciano). It produces good yields and is known for deep color, full body, low tannins and high level ...

wine grapes. Although having only around 1,600 official residents, the population and activity within the village is enhanced by the presence of

holiday home A holiday cottage, holiday home, vacation home, or vacation property is accommodation used for holiday vacations, corporate travel, and temporary housing often for less than 30 days. Such properties are typically small homes, such as cottage ...

s and surrounding hamlets which officially lie within other village boundaries.

History and main sights

The name Refrancore derives from a battle fought between the

Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools ...

and

Lombards The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 an ...

. The battle was won by the Lombards and the blood spilt by the Franks tinted a local stream red giving the area the Latin name ''Rivus ex sanguine Francorum'' which literally means “A stream full of the Franks’ blood”. This became abbreviated to ''Rivusfrancorum'' and eventually Refrancore. At one time there was a small castle on the hill above the village, a drawing of which appears in the Codex Astensis. The last remains of the castle were razed in the 19th century in preparation for the construction of a church which was never actually built. On the hill near the site of the Castle there is a 15th-century ''

ricetto A ricetto was a small fortified area used in medieval Italian villages for storing agricultural products, livestock, and working tools. It was also sometimes used for protection of the residents in case of attack, particularly from marauders and b ...

'' fort which has remained almost entirely intact. Presently it is used as a kindergarten and old people's home. The chapel which was part of the fort has been restored. In the main square there is a clock tower which is all that remains of the 18th-century parish church which was demolished at the start of the 20th century.

References

Cities and towns in Piedmont {{Asti-geo-stub