Page 7 - Guida di Lanzo

history lania’ into numerous counties which were sold to the best offerer with annexed noble title. The

marquisate of Lanzo, was assigned to Giuseppe Ottaviano Cacherano della Rocca (founder of the
Hospital Mauriziano), upon payment of a good sum worth 65,000 lire.
At the time of the French revolution, on the passes of the valleys of Lanzo, the Savoy troups were
defeated by Napoleon Bonaparte (1796) starting the occupation of the Italian territory from the
Piedmont region. With the return of the Savoy (1814), Vittorio Emanuele I and later on (1821)
Carlo Felice, the carriage way Lanzo-Torino was built (1820) as well as the bridge over the
river Tesso (1823), upon the project of the architect Mosca and afterwards with king Vittorio
Emanuele II, Lanzo also obtained the railway line. Worth mentioning is the pasture activity in
Lanzo of the priest Don Federico Albert (1820-1876), recently beatified, and of Don Giovanni Bo-
sco (1815-1888) who opened the first premises of the missionary salesian nuns.
Over the 17th century the industrialization process developed the economy of Lanzo. The toolshop
Savant in Lanzo has been operating since 1812 and towards the end of the century the Prussian
businessmen Remmert, implemented some important textile factories. Furthermore many Lanzo
inhabitants were involved and were defeated in the wars of Independence, the colonial ones and
the two world wars of the last century.
On its mountains, among houses and hamlets, the first partisan groups were gathered in order
to fight the war of Independence and quite a few Lanzo inhabitants ended up in the German con-
centration camps without going back to their families. Later on after the reconstruction, followed
the slow economic growth and the big factory workers of Turin, who were evicted in the valleys,
returned to work. Some of them set up small workshops that later became factories. Nowadays
vestiges such as a medieval tower covered by the distinctive ‘lose’, some ancient churches of im-
pressive artistic value, the narrow streets of the town centre, an hazardous bridge over the river
Stura, represent the old testimonies of a community that deserves to be known and appreciated.
The city of Lanzo Torinese has been awarded the Silver Medal to the Military Value by Decree of
the President of the Republic, for its role in the Resistance movement.
Among the many characters of the long history of Lanzo, stand out Bartolomeo Bonesio, the
Marquis Giuseppe Ottavio of Cacherano and Beato Federico Albert. Bonesio, who mostly lived in
Rome at the court of Cardinal Aldobrandini. On his return to Lanzo in 1605 he built the convent of
the Capuchin friars on the ruins of the old Castle. He assigned an income of 2,000 scudi and the
picture of San Francesco kept in the Parish. The Count Giuseppe Ottavio Cacherano d’Osasco della
Rocca, was Marquis of Lanzo and founder of the hospital.
However, the most loved character by the Lanzo inhabitants is the Beato Federico Albert, priest
and theologian born in Torino on 15th October 1820, who was elected Vicar of Lanzo in 1852.
Strong personality, deep culture and sensitive attitude to the social problems of his time, allowed
him to become the protagonist of the community life. Not very far from the hospital he accompli-
shed the ‘Ospizio delle Orfanelle’ (the hospice of the orphan girls), in order to give shelter and a
good education to about forty young girls without a family; furthermore he founded the nursery
school and created a boarding school for women, where the young Lanzo girls received school
education and strong moral values.
All these works of art created by
Beato Albert were given to the Con-
gregation of the Nuns known as ‘Le
Vincenzine’, also founded by the Vicar
Albert. Named Bishop of Pinerolo on
28th September 1876 by Pope Pio IX,
Federico Albert, died prematurely fal-
ling from a scaffolding raised by some
builders who were carrying out some
works in the oratory of the Parish.
Chiesa Parrocchiale.