Nestled in the lush countryside of the Bassa Vercellese, not far from the course of the Po River, Fontanetto Po (Fontan\u00e8 in Piedmontese) is a village of extraordinary historical and environmental charm. Its very name recalls the once widespread presence of numerous fontanili, springs of pure water that still draw a dense network of irrigation ditches in the town center. It is a place where water, stone and culture intertwine, revealing an agricultural and spiritual vocation that spans the centuries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Fontanetto Po is a town of “land and water,” the hometown of violinist Giovanni Battista Viotti, famous for the French national anthem, the Marseillaise<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":312861,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"the-village":"
The original settlement dates back to Roman times, when the area was known as Vetusta Cestis. After the barbarian invasions, it was thanks to the Benedictine monks of San Genuario that, in the 9th century, the population was gathered into a unified center. In 1242 Vercelli erected Fontanetto as a \"borgofranco,\" but it was in 1323, under Marquis Teodoro Paleologo of Monferrato, that the village assumed municipal status and was provided with defensive walls.<\/p>\n
In the following centuries, Fontanetto's fate followed the ups and downs of the seigniories of northern Italy: from the rule of the Gonzaga family of Mantua, to the Guerrera family, and then being disputed by the Savoy, French and Spanish, until its final annexation to the Savoy Kingdom in the early 18th century.<\/p>\n