Cirié
Cirié (; or "Siriè") is a "comune" (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northwest of Turin. Cirié borders the following municipalities: Nole, San Carlo Canavese, San Maurizio Canavese and Robassomero. Geography. Cirié, about 18 km northwest of Turin, is located at the end of the Lanzo valleys, close to a plateau called "Vauda", a Celtic origin term indicating a forest. The area is close to the Stura di Lanzo, a creek which flows west northwest of the city. History. The area around Cirié, since about the third century BC, was inhabited by  the Salassi, a Celtic tribe settlement. Before the Roman rule, according to Polybius, this area was covered in thick forests, with very few glades, some small villages and sparse tracks linking the settlements. In 143 BC, the Romans, led by consul Appius Claudius Pulcher (consul 143 BC), moved against the tribes living in the Orco and Dora Baltea valleys, to open a way towards Elvetia and Gaul. The Romans thought of a fast victory, but the Celtic tribes fought back with such a strength that the legions had initially to retreat. For this reason, the Romans set up several camps , for a better control of roads and adjacent areas. Castra were set up in the current neighbors of Ivrea, Turin and Cirié, where the soldiers could easily control access to the Lanzo valleys. The "castrum stativum" (permanent camp) in the Cirié area was called "Castra Cerreti", deriving this name from the turkish oak ("Quercus Cerri"), an oak tree whose forests were abundant in the neighbors. In later years, it became known as "Cerretum" for short. The decumanus maximus (or "via principalis"), of the ancient castrum roughly coincides with via Vittorio Emanuele II, the current main street. After the complete defeat  of the Salassi and the peace treaties, the castrum rapidly became a main business crossroads and several houses, initially wooden then in bricks and stones, were built around the military camp. When Christianity expanded in the Roman Empire, Cirié picked up Cyriacus (martyrized in Rome in 303) as patron saint, due to the similarity of his name with the ancient castrum denomination. The famous Il celebre "Theatrum Statuum Sabaudiae" (1682, a sort of guide of the Savoy territories) gives a long and detailed description of Cirié (""Septimo Taurinense ad Urbe lapide, Septentrionem versus, non longe ab Alpium Graiarum radicibus, occurrit  Ciriacum Oppidum, insigne Marchionatus titulo, qui sub se S.Mauritium, Nolas & Robasomerium minora Oppida comprehendit"") and cites the probable origin of the village name as being related to the martyr (""Pedemontanis dicitur Cirié, fortasse a peculiari Incolarum erga Divum Cyriacum Martyrem cultu, cujus festum s.Idus Augusti inibi summa celebritate recolitur""). Roman presence in Cirié is testified by several Roman coins, shards of vases and funerary stele (preserved in the San Martino church). Starting from the Fall of the Western Roman Empire and the barbaric invasions, there are no further information on Cirié for almost a millennium: the next historical fact  known is the occupation of Cirié's area by the Marquis of Montferrat in 1229. In 1296 Marguerite of Savoy married John I, Marquess of Montferrat, getting ruling rights over the territories of Caselle, Cirié and Lanzo. When her husband died prematurely, Marguerite moved into the great Castle of Cirié, a big fortress standing where nowadays is the piazza Castello. The coming of Marguerite to Cirié (1306), is celebrated with the "Palio dei Borghi", a medieval festival held every two years with tournaments and games. Marguerite began great works in the castle, which rapidly became one of the most renowned  mansions of the area, with nobles visiting from all over Europe. The many servants coming along with the nobles were hosted by the citizens of Cirié and Marguerite issued ""patenti"", important acknowledgments of their service to the Marquess. Marguerite also cut taxes and commanded a weekly market to be held each Friday, a commercial venue which attracted many people and business from the neighbors. This market is still held today. The castle was destroyed during the French invasion of 1536 and the few remains were completely scattered about 1900 when the square was "modernized". Some friezes, the only remains of  the once powerful castle, are now preserved in the San Martino church. In 1576 the Savoy family exchanged the Cirié area for an access to the sea with the Doria Marquis of Genoa: Gian Gerolamo D'Oria established his residence in Cirié, starting the long dynasty (the D'Oria e del Maro di Cirié) which ruled the city till the last Marquis Emanuele D'Oria, who became the first mayor when Cirié, in force of a royal decree, is established a "city" in 1905.