Capriglio is “pink”: from Margherita Occhiena to Maria Luigia Agagliate, women protagonists in the town of the precious heart-shaped pepper.
Landscape.
Capriglio rises in the north of Asti, in a hilly position.
The town covers an area of 5.06 km² and has a population of about 280 inhabitants.
It is about 30 km from Asti, the provincial capital.
History.
The first evidence of Capriglio dates back to the ninth century, although we have confirmation that the area was already inhabited in Roman times.
Capriglio is mentioned in written documents in 1153.
It was a possession of the Asti Committee and the ancient county of Cocconato (of the Radicati family).
The dominion of the Radicati ended in 1500: the Savoy subsequently came to power.
Administration.
Food and wine and typical products.
The absolute protagonist of the territory is the Peperone di Capriglio, the heart-shaped fruit grown exclusively in Capriglio for almost two centuries. The producers of Peperone di Capriglio are gathered in the association Un Cuore di Peperone.
Peperone di Capriglio is protected and safeguarded by Fondazione Slow Food.
Since 2002, Peperone di Capriglio has also been declared a traditional product by Regione Piemonte.
In Capriglio, zucchini and local wine, the Freisa, are also very popular.
To be seen.
In the town hall, the plaster ceilings are preserved. The construction technique, typical of 1600/1700, is also found in some properties for private use in the area.
To be seen, the parish church of Natività della Vergine Maria and the Church of Saint Martino.
Capriglio is the birthplace of Margherita Occhiena, for all Mamma Margherita, mother of St. Giovanni Bosco: in Cecca hamlet is visible the house, where she was born on April 1, 1788 (now privately owned), while near the municipal palace can be visited the museum dedicated to her figure.
In the village, there are several votive pylons: the most interesting is undoubtedly the Pilon dla Cros.
Finally, in the Serra hamlet, we find instead the chapel dedicated to Saint Sebastiano.
There are also two spring sources (Fonte Bacolla e Fonte Carabina), a paleontological geosite and the "PanCapriglio", a giant bench in the hamlet of Serra.
Curiosity.
The municipal library is dedicated to the teacher Maria Luigia Agagliate: elected mayor of Capriglio in 1956, a position that she covered until 1975, was the first woman ever to play this role in the province of Asti and among the first in Italy.
Information synthesis and/or re-elaboration was taken from the website of the Municipality of Capriglio
Cover image source: Provincia di Asti