Cuneo

Cuneo (Italian: [ˈkuːneo] (listen); Piedmontese: Coni [ˈkʊni]; Occitan: Coni/Couni [ˈkʊni]; French: Coni [kɔni]) is a city and comune in Piedmont, Northern Italy, the capital of the province of Cuneo, the third largest of Italy’s provinces by area.

This article is about the town in Italy. For persons named Cuneo, see Cuneo (surname). For the infantry division, see 6 Infantry Division Cuneo.

Cuneo

Coni  (Piedmontese)
Comune
Comune di Cuneo
Piazza Galimberti
Coat of arms
Location of Cuneo
Cuneo
Location of Cuneo in Italy
Cuneo
Cuneo (Piedmont)
Coordinates: 44°23′22″N 7°32′52″E
CountryItaly
RegionPiedmont
ProvinceCuneo (CN)
FrazioniBombonina, Borgo San Giuseppe, Cerialdo, Confreria, Madonna delle Grazie, Madonna dell'Olmo, Passatore, Roata Canale, Roata Rossi, Ronchi, San Benigno, San Pietro del Gallo, San Rocco Castagnaretta, Spinetta, Tetti Pesio
Government
 • MayorFederico Borgna
Area
 • Total119.67 km2 (46.20 sq mi)
Elevation
534 m (1,752 ft)
Highest elevation
615 m (2,018 ft)
Lowest elevation
431 m (1,414 ft)
Population
 (31 December 2017)[2]
 • Total56,281
 • Density470/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Cuneesi
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
12100
Dialing code0171
Patron saintSaint Michael
Saint daySeptember 29
WebsiteOfficial website

It is located at 550 metres (1,804 ft) in the south-west of Piedmont, at the confluence of the rivers Stura and Gesso.

Cuneo is bounded by the municipalities of Beinette, Borgo San Dalmazzo, Boves, Busca, Caraglio, Castelletto Stura, Centallo, Cervasca, Morozzo, Peveragno, Tarantasca and Vignolo.[3]

It is located near six mountain passes:

History

Cuneo was founded in 1198 by the local population, who declared it an independent commune, freeing themselves from the authority of the bishops of Asti and the marquisses of Montferrat and Saluzzo. In 1210, the latter occupied it, and in 1231 the Cuneesi rebelled. In 1238, they were recognized as a free commune by Emperor Frederick II.

In 1259, the independence of Cuneo ceased forever, as it gave itself, also to take protection against its more powerful neighbours, to Charles I of Anjou, who was then King of Naples and Count of Provence. Together with Alba, it was the main Angevine possession in Northern Italy; Angevine rule interrupted by periods under the control of Saluzzo, Savoy, and the [[Visconti of Milan) was ended in 1382 when Cuneo was acquired by the Duchy of Savoy.

Cuneo became an important stronghold of the expanding Savoy state. The city was thus besieged several times by France: first in 1515 by Swiss troops of Francis I of France, then again in 1542, 1557, 1639, 1641, 1691 and, during the War of the Austrian Succession, in 1741. Cuneo resisted each siege successfully. The city was taken by France only during the Napoleonic Wars and was made the capital of the Stura department. After the restoration of the Kingdom of Sardinia, and the unification of Italy, Cuneo became the capital of its namesake province in 1859.

During World War II, from 1943 to 1945, it was one of the main centres of partisan resistance against the German occupation of Italy. In 1943, Cuneo's Jewish residents were briefly arrested and imprisoned at the nearby Borgo San Dalmazzo concentration camp by the order of Minister of the Interior Guido Buffarini Guidi. They were freed before the Minister's orders came into effect and most community members fled Cuneo into hiding. However, on December 9, 1944, the Cuneo Police Department reopened the camp and imprisoned the remaining Jewish residents of Cuneo most of whom were then deported to Auschwitz. Few survived according to reports. Italian partisans liberated Cuneo from the German and Italian fascist occupation on April 25, 1945. The retreating fascist forces murdered the remaining six Jewish prisoners being held at Cuneo's local prison.[4][5][6][7]

Government
See also: List of mayors of Cuneo

Main sights
Main sights of Cuneo
  • Villa Oldofredi Tadini, built in the 14th and 15th centuries as a watchtower. It is now a museum housing collections of the owners, the Mocchia and Oldofredi Tadini families.
  • Villa Tornaforte, surrounded by an English-style park.
  • Civic Museum
  • Railway Museum
  • Churches of Santa Croce, San Giovanni Decollato and Santissima Annunziata, housing paintings by Giovan Francesco Gaggini.
  • Panoramic funicular that connects plateau to Gesso river.[8]
  • Monument of Stura and Gesso in Torino Square
  • The median way of the plateau (Rome Avenue, Galimberti Square and Nice Avenue): the commercial heart of Cuneo.[9]
  • New Bridge (Ponte Nuovo) between the center of the city and Madonna dell' Olmo
  • Monument at Peano's curve
  • Palazzo Uffici Finanziari (PUF), highest edifice in the city at about 50 metres (160 ft)[10]

Subdivisions

Most important and populated: Centro storico, Cuneo centro, Cuneo nuova, San Paolo, Donatello, Gramsci, San Rocco, Cerialdo, Confreria and Borgo San Giuseppe.[11]

Climate

Cuneo has a temperate sub-continental climate, with cold winters and hot, dry summers. However, it is situated more than 500 metres (1,640 feet) above sea level, which helps to make summers more bearable: the hottest month, July, has an average temperature of 21.6 °C (70.9 °F). The coldest, January, averages 1.7 °C (35.1 °F). Annual precipitation is about 962 mm (37.9 in), distributed over 81 days. The rainfall pattern is similar to that of Turin, with two maxima—one primary and one secondary (spring and autumn) and two minima (summer and winter). The driest month is July, 44 millimetres (1.7 in). Snowfalls are frequent owing to high elevation and wind patterns.

Climate data for Cuneo
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 5.3
(41.5)		 7.0
(44.6)		 10.9
(51.6)		 14.7
(58.5)		 19.1
(66.4)		 23.6
(74.5)		 26.6
(79.9)		 25.4
(77.7)		 21.5
(70.7)		 15.4
(59.7)		 9.6
(49.3)		 6.3
(43.3)		 15.5
(59.8)
Daily mean °C (°F) 1.7
(35.1)		 3.1
(37.6)		 6.7
(44.1)		 10.4
(50.7)		 14.5
(58.1)		 18.7
(65.7)		 21.6
(70.9)		 20.7
(69.3)		 17.2
(63.0)		 11.6
(52.9)		 6.2
(43.2)		 2.9
(37.2)		 11.3
(52.3)
Average low °C (°F) −1.8
(28.8)		 −0.7
(30.7)		 2.6
(36.7)		 6.1
(43.0)		 9.9
(49.8)		 13.9
(57.0)		 16.6
(61.9)		 16.1
(61.0)		 13.0
(55.4)		 7.8
(46.0)		 2.9
(37.2)		 −0.4
(31.3)		 7.2
(44.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 52
(2.0)		 51
(2.0)		 88
(3.5)		 116
(4.6)		 126
(5.0)		 88
(3.5)		 44
(1.7)		 53
(2.1)		 77
(3.0)		 109
(4.3)		 94
(3.7)		 64
(2.5)		 962
(37.9)
Average rainy days 5 5 8 9 10 8 5 5 6 8 7 5 81

Cuisine and food

Cuneo's specialty is Cuneesi al rhum, small meringues with dark chocolate coating and a rum-based chocolate filling. They are a creation of Andrea Arione (1923), who also registered the name, and sold them in the bar still located in the central square, Piazza Galimberti; another claim makes them a creation of pastry chef Pietro Galletti from Dronero. Another specialty is "raviolini al plin", a small ravioli pasta made with meat and vegetables. The most famous brand there is Pastificio Boetti, also located close to the central square.

Sport

Volleyball

There is an important volleyball club, Piemonte Volley who won 1 Italian Volleyball League, 3 CEV Cup, 2 CEV SuperCup, 4 Italian Volleyball Cup and 3 Italian Volleyball SuperCup.

Football

Associazione Calcio Cuneo 1905 (A.C. Cuneo 1905) who plays in the 3rd level of Italian football.

Cycling

Many times stage of Giro d'Italia. In 2016, for the first time in the Giro history, the race arrived in Sant'Anna di Vinadio sanctuary, the highest sanctuary in Europe, 2035 m, and the day after, on May 29, the race started from Cuneo. Since 1987 Cuneo has been the start and arrival point of the amateur international race "La Fausto Coppi".

See also

Notable people

Twin towns - sister cities

Cuneo is twinned with:[13]

References
  1. "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Istat. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Istat. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  3. "inhabitants Cuneo and bordering municipalities". Comuniverso.it. Retrieved 2013-06-24.
  4. "Cuneo". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org.
  5. P. Bianchi-Andrea Merlotti, Cuneo in età moderna (2003), 103–13, 301–14
  6. A. Cavaglion, "Nella notte straniera. Gli ebrei di St Martin Vésubie e il campo di concentramento di Borgo S. Dalmazzo," in: Cuneo: L'Arciere (1981, 2004)
  7. A. Muncinelli, Gli ebrei nella provincia di Cuneo (1994)
  8. "Comune di Cuneo - Portale Istituzionale - Home Page". www.comune.cuneo.it.
  9. "Comune di Cuneo - Portale Istituzionale - Foto Gallery". www.comune.cuneo.it.
  10. "La Stampa.it Panorama Cuneo".
  11. "Quartieri di Cuneo" (in Italian). Comune di Cuneo. Retrieved 2013-06-24.
  12. "Fondazione Nuto Revelli onlus". www.nutorevelli.org.
  13. "Gemellaggi". comune.cuneo.it (in Italian). Cuneo. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
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