Canavese ( French: ''Canavais'';

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

: ''Canavèis'') is a subalpine geographical and historical area of North-West Italy which lies today within the

Metropolitan City of Turin The Metropolitan City of Turin (; Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ''sità metropolitan-a 'd Turin'') is a Metropolitan cities of Italy, metropolitan city in the Piedmont region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Turin. It replaced the prov ...

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

. Its main town is Ivrea and it is famous for its

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

Location

To the North it borders on the

Aosta Valley The Aosta Valley ( ; ; ; or ), officially the Autonomous Region of Aosta Valley, is a mountainous Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region in northwestern Italy. It is bordered by Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Fr ...

and to the East on the provinces of

Biella Biella (; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the northern Italy, Italian region of Piedmont, the capital of the Province of Biella, province of the same name, with a population of 44,324 as of 31 December 2017. It is located about northeast of ...

and

Vercelli Vercelli (; ) is a city and ''comune'' of 46,552 inhabitants (January 1, 2017) in the Province of Vercelli, Piedmont, northern Italy. One of the oldest urban sites in northern Italy, it was founded, according to most historians, around 600 BC. ...

. To the South and West the borders have varied over time but might be taken as being the rivers

Stura di Lanzo Stura di Lanzo () is a long river in north-western Italy (Piedmont), in the Metropolitan City of Turin. It is formed from several tributaries near Lanzo Torinese. It flows into the river Po in Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and ...

and Po. The valley of the river Orco and the area around Corio fall within the Canavese. Turin, however, is entirely excluded. The main centres, in addition to Ivrea, are Caluso,

Chivasso Chivasso (; ) is a communes of Italy, comune in the Metropolitan City of Turin, in the Italy, Italian region of Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin. Chivasso has a population of about 27,000. It is situated on the :wikt:left bank, left bank ...

, Cirié, Cuorgnè and Rivarolo Canavese.

List of places in Canavese

* Agliè * Albiano d'Ivrea * Alpette * Andrate * Azeglio * Bairo * Baldissero Canavese *

Banchette Banchette is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin. Banchette borders the following municipalities: Ivrea, Fiorano Canavese Fiorano Canavese is a ''comune' ...

* Barbania * Barone Canavese * Bollengo * Borgiallo * Borgofranco d'Ivrea * Borgomasino * Bosconero * Brandizzo * Brosso * Burolo * Busano * Caluso *

Candia Canavese Candia Canavese (in Piedmontese language: ''Cándia'') is a ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Turin situated in the historical region of the Canavese in Piedmont, Italy about northeast of Turin. It borders the following municipalities: S ...

* Canischio * Caravino * Carema * Cascinette d'Ivrea * Castellamonte * Castelnuovo Nigra * Ceresole Reale * Chiaverano * Chiesanuova *

* Ciconio * Cintano * Cirié * Colleretto Castelnuovo *

Colleretto Giacosa Colleretto Giacosa is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about north of Turin. Colleretto Giacosa borders the following municipalities: Samone, Loranzè, Pavone Canavese, Parell ...

* Corio * Cossano Canavese * Cuceglio * Cuorgnè * Favria * Feletto *

Fiorano Canavese Fiorano Canavese is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about north of Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy ...

* Foglizzo * Forno Canavese * Frassinetto * Front * Grosso *

Ingria Ingria (; ; ; ) is a historical region including, and adjacent to, what is now the city of Saint Petersburg in northwestern Russia. The region lies along the southeastern shore of the Gulf of Finland, bordered by Lake Ladoga on the Karelian ...

* Issiglio * Ivrea * Leinì * Lessolo * Levone * Locana * Lombardore *

Loranzè Loranzè is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about north of Turin. Loranzè borders the following municipalities: Fiorano Canavese, Salerano Canavese Salerano Canavese is a ''c ...

* Lusigliè * Maglione * Mathi * Mazzè * Mercenasco * Moncrivello * Montalenghe * Montalto Dora * Montanaro * Noasca * Nole * Nomaglio * Oglianico * Orio Canavese * Ozegna * Palazzo Canavese * Parella *

Pavone Canavese Pavone Canavese is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 45 km northeast of Turin. Pavone Canavese borders the following municipalities: Ivrea, Banchette Banchette is a ' ...

* Perosa Canavese * Pertusio * Piverone * Pont Canavese * Prascorsano * Pratiglione * Quagliuzzo * Quassolo * Quincinetto * Ribordone * Rivara * Rivarolo Canavese * Rivarossa * Rocca Canavese * Romano Canavese * Ronco Canavese * Rondissone * Roppolo * Rueglio * Salassa *

Salerano Canavese Salerano Canavese is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about north of Turin. Salerano Canavese borders the following municipalities: Ivrea, Fiorano Canavese, Banchette Banchet ...

* Samone * San Benigno Canavese * San Carlo Canavese * San Colombano Belmonte * San Francesco al Campo * San Giorgio Canavese * San Giusto Canavese * San Martino Canavese * San Maurizio Canavese * San Ponso * Scarmagno * Settimo Rottaro * Settimo Vittone * Sparone * Strambinello *

Strambino Strambino is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italy, Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin. As of 1 December 2021, it had a population of 6,132 and an area of .All demographics and other stat ...

* Tavagnasco * Torrazza Piemonte *

Torre Canavese Torre Canavese ( Piedmontese: ''La Tor Bèr'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about north of Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cu ...

* Traversella * Valchiusa * Val di Chy * Valperga * Valprato Soana * Vauda Canavese * Verolengo * Vestignè * Vialfrè * Vidracco * Villanova Canavese * Villareggia * Vische * Vistrorio * Viverone * Volpiano

History

The first inhabitants of Canavese were the Salassi, a tribe of Celto- Ligurian roots; the Romans arrived in 22 BCE. When the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

fell, Canavese fell under the domination of

Byzantium Byzantium () or Byzantion () was an ancient Greek city in classical antiquity that became known as Constantinople in late antiquity and Istanbul today. The Greek name ''Byzantion'' and its Latinization ''Byzantium'' continued to be used as a n ...

. It was then conquered by

Lombards The Lombards () or Longobards () were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written betwee ...

and later by

Franks file:Frankish arms.JPG, Aristocratic Frankish burial items from the Merovingian dynasty The Franks ( or ; ; ) were originally a group of Germanic peoples who lived near the Rhine river, Rhine-river military border of Germania Inferior, which wa ...

. After the death of Arduino, marquis of Ivrea and the first to bear the title of king of Italy (1015), the Counts of Canavese part of the House of Ivrea (who all claimed to be his descendants) shared out the region. This was the beginning of the big families of Canavese: San Martino, Valperga, de Candia, Castellamonte, and later the Biandrate family from

Novara Novara (; Novarese Lombard, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous ...

. The

House of Savoy The House of Savoy (, ) is a royal house (formally a dynasty) of Franco-Italian origin that was established in 1003 in the historical region of Savoy, which was originally part of the Kingdom of Burgundy and now lies mostly within southeastern F ...

started its political expansion in Canavese in the 14th century, and the Commune of Ivrea as well as the Canavese Counts became their subjects. In the 16th century, Canavese came under French domination, then Spanish domination, then back to French domination. Napoleon's defeat in 1814 returned Canavese under the House of Savoy.

Main sights

* Sacro Monte di Belmonte *House of King Arduin at Cuorgnè *Cathedral and Church of St. Bernardino at Ivrea * Fruttuaria Abbey Canavese is also home to numerous castles of medieval origin, such as those Ivrea Castle, Parella Castle, Malgrà Castle, Agliè Castle, and others.

References

External links