The morainic area on which the town of Torre Canavese is located was already inhabited in the Bronze Age. The Romans occupied the area after the victorious war against the Salassi (143 BC). The construction of a tower at the crossroads between the Romea road and a second road that led to Valchiusella dates back to Roman times: from this the town took its name. In the highest part of the town there is a castle built at the time of King Arduino (955-1014). The town is mentioned for the first time in a document from the 11th century where it appears with the name of Turre Canepitii; at that time it already belonged to the fiefdom of the Counts of San Martino, a noble family that greatly influenced the historical events of the Canavese. The regency of the fiefdom was held for centuries by the Counts of San Martino, vassals of the House of Savoy. One of the cadets of the dynasty is responsible for the construction, towards the middle of the 16th century, of a noble residence, called the Palace, which stands near the castle. The castle, which has undergone progressive transformations and modernizations over time, is owned by the family of the antique dealer and art dealer Marco Datrino, to whose initiative we owe a series of prestigious exhibitions, which have brought fame to the town. A large representation of artists from the former Soviet Union and other foreign countries have embellished the walls of the houses with painted panels, a sort of ‘en plein air’ museum, which also hosts works by some artists from Canavese. In the town there is also a small art gallery named after Raissa Gorbaciova.
Translated by Google •
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