The first document concerning the Ricetto of San Mauro in Almese dates back to 1029, the year in which the Marquis of Turin Olderico Manfredi gives a third of its valsusini possessions to the Abbey of S.Giusto in Susa, including “curtis” of San Mauro. In that period already exists, very probably, a church with a bell tower, built on a rocky outcrop. Between 1281 and 1285 the Curtis is transformed into a fortified village, i.e. in “castrum”, while the bell tower becomes the tower that even today we see. It is the best preserved parts of the village.
The Church assumes the warehouse functions of foodstuffs, the seat of the Court and the Castellano Abbey. In fact it is the place where the castellano collects the crops due to the abbot as goods in nature or rights of decimation, where you store the productions of the fields which surround the “castrum” cultivated under the orders of the provost. It also becomes the main center of the defense of the territory in which to take refuge in the event of danger and also defend the foodstuffs from the raids of enemies.
With the growth of the village of Almese along the course of the river Mass and with the suppression of the Abbey of San Giusto in Susa, in 1772, the ancient ricetto gradually looses of importance, degraded to agricultural residence gradually divided among more owners. On the north side is still visible part of the ditch, the passage in the masonry to access the borgo, which today replaces the old drawbridge, the embattled walls guelph, the door of access. The tower, whose walls in stone and bricks bear the signs of various rearrangements, is high 26 meters and consists of seven shelves connected by a staircase up to the daring top overview.
The tower and the Ricetto were the subject of an intervention of restoration and renovation completed at the end of 2006 and have become an exhibition space and hosts cultural events.
cultura@comune.almese.to.it