Gabiano (Gabian in

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 regard ...

) is a rural ''

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 ...

'' in the northwest of the

province of Alessandria The Province of Alessandria ( it, Provincia di Alessandria; pms, Provincia ëd Lissandria; in Piedmontese of Alessandria: ''Provinsa ëd Lissändria'') is an Italian province, with a population of some 425,000, which forms the southeastern part o ...

, some west of

Casale Monferrato Casale Monferrato () is a town in the Piedmont region of Italy, in the province of Alessandria. It is situated about east of Turin on the right bank of the Po, where the river runs at the foot of the Montferrat hills. Beyond the river lies the ...

. This area straddles the lowland immediately south of the Po and the furthest extension of the

Monferrato Montferrat (, ; it, Monferrato ; pms, Monfrà , locally ; la, Mons Ferratus) is part of the region of Piedmont in northern Italy. It comprises roughly (and its extent has varied over time) the modern provinces of Alessandria and Asti. Mon ...

hills. Its current population of some 1,250 has halved since mid-1930s. In addition to the village of Gabiano itself, and to Varengo, which was a commune in its own right until 1928, the 2001 census listed Cantavenna, Piagera and Sessana as the municipality’s primary centres of population. The secondary centres identified were Casaletto, Chioalengo, Martinengo, Mincengo, Serra and Zoalengo. Further localities include Borgatello, Brusasca, Garimanno, Le Ghiaie and Montechiaro.Istat
‘Popolazione residente - Alessandria (dettaglio loc. abitate)’
2001 Census.Sandro Lombardini
‘Comune di Gabiano’
Schede storico-territoriali dei comuni del Piemonte, (Regione Piemonte, 2002).
, Comune di Gabiano. The village of Gabiano lies on the southern slopes of a hill dominated by a castle of ancient origins, which was reconstructed in the early twentieth century in the

Neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style. At the foot of the hill—the original site of the village—is a parish church dedicated to

Saint Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupa ...

. Although rebuilt in 1690, it retains the twin bell towers from the original medieval building. Cantavenna, largely rebuilt after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, has two works of interest by the sculptor Giannino Castiglioni: a

bas relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

celebrating the “Peasant Defender of Liberty” and the “Fountain of the Emigrants”, which was commissioned by the Italians of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

. In the nineteenth century the parish church of San Carpoforo was erected here on the spot where the

Jacobins , logo = JacobinVignette03.jpg , logo_size = 180px , logo_caption = Seal of the Jacobin Club (1792–1794) , motto = "Live free or die"(french: Vivre libre ou mourir) , successor = P ...

had planted their tree of liberty.

Wine

Two

DOC DOC, Doc, doc or DoC may refer to: In film and television * ''Doc'' (2001 TV series), a 2001–2004 PAX series * ''Doc'' (1975 TV series), a 1975–1976 CBS sitcom * "D.O.C." (''Lost''), a television episode * ''Doc'' (film), a 1971 Wester ...

wines with very limited zones of production are produced in the commune.

Gabiano Gabiano (Gabian in Piedmontese) is a rural ''comune'' in the northwest of the province of Alessandria, some west of Casale Monferrato. This area straddles the lowland immediately south of the Po and the furthest extension of the Monferrato hill ...

is made here and in the neighbouring commune of

Moncestino Moncestino (Monsëstin in Piedmontese) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about east of Turin and about northwest of Alessandria. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2 ...

, using the

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 le ...

grape together with 5%–10% of

Freisa Freisa is a red Italian wine grape variety grown in the Piedmont region of north-west Italy, primarily in Monferrato and in the Langhe, but also further north in the provinces of Turin and Biella. Freisa is a vigorous and productive vine whose roun ...

and/or

Grignolino Grignolino () is a red Italian wine grape variety commonly grown in the Piedmont region. It makes light colored wines and rosés with very fruity aromas, strong acidity and tannins. The name Grignolino derives from the word ''grignole'' which m ...

Rubino di Cantavenna Piemonte wine is the range of Italian wines made in the region of Piedmont in the northwestern corner of Italy. The best-known wines from the region include Barolo and Barbaresco. They are made from the Nebbiolo grape. These wines are ideal for ...

is made in Gabiano, Montecestino,

Villamiroglio Villamiroglio (Vilamireu in Piedmontese) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about east of Turin and about northwest of Alessandria. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of ...

and part of Camino. Again the predominant grape is Barbera (75%–90%) with Freisa and/or Grignolino making up the remainder.

References and further reading

Gabiano at www.piemondo.it

by the local historian Luigi Calvo from the site www.ilmonferrato.info.

at the official site of the Piedmont Region.

at the official site of the Piedmont Region. {{authority control Cities and towns in Piedmont