Pinerolo

For the infantry division, see 24th Infantry Division Pinerolo. For the Italian Army brigade, see Pinerolo Mechanized Brigade.
Pinerolo
Comune
Città di Pinerolo

Coat of arms
Pinerolo

Location of Pinerolo in Italy

Coordinates: IT 44°53′N 07°20′E / 44.883°N 7.333°E / 44.883; 7.333
Country Italy
Region Piedmont
Province / Metropolitan city Turin (TO)
Frazioni Abbadia Alpina, Baudenasca, Riva di Pinerolo, Talucco
Government
  Mayor Eugenio Buttiero (PD)
Area
  Total 50 km2 (20 sq mi)
Elevation 376 m (1,234 ft)
Population (30 September 2015)
  Total 35,805
  Density 720/km2 (1,900/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Pinerolesi
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
  Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 10064
Dialing code 0121
Patron saint St. Donatus
Saint day Monday after last Sunday of August
Website Official website

Pinerolo (French: Pignerol ; Piemontese: Pinareul) is a town and comune in northwestern Italy, 40 kilometres (25 mi) southwest of Turin on the river Chisone.

History

In the Middle Ages, the town of Pinerolo was one of the main crossroads in Italy, and was therefore one of the principal fortresses of the dukes of Savoy. Its military importance was the origin of the well-known military school that still exists today. The fortress of Fenestrelle is nearby.

The earliest mention of Pinerolo is in the 10th century, when it belonged to the March of Turin and was governed by the abbot nullius of Pinerolo who ran the abbey of Abbadia Alpina, even after the city had established itself as a municipality (1247) under the government of Thomas Savoy.

From 1235, Amadeus IV of Savoy exercised over the town a kind of protectorate which became absolute in 1243, and was continued thereafter either by the house of Savoy, or of Savoy-Acaia.

When French troops invaded Piedmont (1536), Pinerolo was conquered and it remained under their control until 1574.

With the treaty of Cherasco it again fell to France (1631).

France agreed to hand back Pinerolo to the house of Savoy under the Treaty of Turin (1696) with the conditions that its stronghold's fortifications be demolished and that Savoy withdraw from the League of Augsburg against Louis XIV.

The 2011 Tour de France featured a stage in the area.

Economy

It is around Pinerolo that revolves the economy of the waldensian valleys (right slope of Val Chisone, Valle Germanasca and Val Pellice) and of the plain between these valleys and the Po (river) course.

Several industries have their base in this area, particularly mechanical, paper making, chemical and textile industries, and also absorb manpower from the nearby centres.

The leading companies are Corcos which produces seals for rotating shafts and valves sterns, Raspini, a meat processing company, Euroball which manufactures ball bearings, the Trombini Group (ex Annovati) which supplies the furniture industry with chipboard and PMT Italia which supplies the pulp and paper industry with paper machines. Moreover, Pinerolo is the trade center of the surrounding mountain area.

The agriculture and the breeding of the livestock are conducted with advanced techniques. Pinerolo is the centre of the community called Comunità Montana Pinerolese Pedemontano. [1]

Main sights

Notable Pinerolesi

People born in Pinerolo include:

People who died here include:

Sports

Trivia

Twin cities

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pinerolo.

See also

References


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, April 23, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.