History and Places

Roddino stands at the edge of the southwestern Langa 610 meters above sea level. It covers an area of 1045 hectares, equivalent to a 2740 days’ walk. Of these, most are cultivated with specialized vineyards, fields, and grass. A significant amount is also taken up by copses and moorland. A community of 391 inhabitants make their home here, most of whom live in the the suburbs of the capital city: Costepomo, San Lorenzo-Noé, S. Maria, Pozzetti, Lopiano, S. Margherita-Corini, and other numerous groups of scattered settlements. Roddino most likely derives its name from the Latin noun Randus, which means "barren land".
In fact, it is well known that forests and bushes once covered the hills on which the village stands. During the tenth century, a group of soldiers built first a watchtower and then a reinforced castle on the hill where the capital now stands. Thanks to its privileged location it soon became a war fortress. Over the years, the village developed around the castle, which is now roughly located at the center of the town.
During the early Middle Ages as part of the process of enfeoffment, Roddino Castle belonged to the Alba council and then to the Marquis del Vasto or Savona. At the beginning of the twelfth century, the famous Boniface the Great gained possession of it. In 1142, Boniface bestowed his ample inheritance on his his son, also known as Boniface, the Marquis of Cortemilia.
As the second Boniface had no children, he left Roddino and his other villas to his brother Manfred, the Marquis of Saluzzo upon his death in 1197.

Towards the end of the twelfth century, the power of the nobility dwindled and rural communities were consolidated into the towns. A feudal lord, the mayor, two consuls and the honorable councilor ruled Roddino. The feudal lord, known also as the warden (as he lived in the castle), was the lofty patron of the town. The mayor, who was always an outsider, administered civil and criminal justice. The two consuls, who were also local townsmen, compiled budgets and verified the implementation of municipal regulations.
This institution lasted several years, after which the consuls were replaced by the noble figure of the mayor and all the householders of the town formed a council. The council, in the absence of an official city hall building, gathered in the communal piazza of the church or the castle. One interesting point: all goods passing from one marquisate to another were subject to payment of duty or a toll at the “Pedagger” or customs point on the road between Roddino and Cerretto, a term which is still used today.

With the Treaty of Lyons in 1601, Carlo Emanuele I of Savoy became lord of all the Marquises of Saluzzo, and thus also Roddino. Roddino Castle, which stood on the site of the present day rectory was destroyed during the civil wars of this era (1637-1642). The community of Roddino had to endure a long period of instability, injustice and corruption. Disastrous weather and deadly epidemic diseases added to make an already bad situation, worse. For these reasons, the municipalities did not collect taxes instead appealing to the Turin Senate for aid.
One document from the era states: "Have mercy on us! Roddino is a poor town with no resources; we have no livestock, no grain and no vine shoots. If the soldiers of justice come once again to harass us, we will be forced to abandon it.” From that time, administrative responsibilities were restructured; although Roddino fell under the direct authority of the government of Turin, the diocese of Saluzzo oversaw the town’s religious life and the Province of Alba, supervised its civil administration.