Montemagno, Piedmont
Montemagno ("Montmagn" in Piedmontese) is a "comune" (municipality) in the Province of Asti in the Italian region Piedmont, located about east of Turin and about northeast of Asti. As of 31 December 2010 it had a population of 1,228 and an area of . The municipality of Montemagno contains the "frazioni" (subdivisions, mainly villages and hamlets) Santo Stefano and San Carlo. Montemagno borders the following municipalities: Altavilla Monferrato (AL), Casorzo, Castagnole Monferrato, Grana, Refrancore, and Viarigi. Founded around the year 1000, Montemagno is a hamlet consisting of twelve alleys labeled by Roman numerals connoting its identity, and is included  in the "Castelli Aperti" circuit in southern Piedmont. Attractions and landmarks. The "Casa sul portone", the last remaining gate of the defensive wall, and the Baroque Cumiana-stone staircase are historically valuable. The "chiesa di San Vittore", the Romanesque church dedicated to Saint Victor, with a high bell tower at its side, is appreciable from an architectural standpoint. The "chiesa campestre di Santa Maria di Vallinò", the small country church dedicated to Vallinò's Madonna, where the local population makes frequent pilgrimages to, is immersed in the countryside. In the last years the small church has been a picnicking place  for tourists, thanks to its privileged location at the center of a valley among the hills of the village. On "La Stampa" daily newspaper, the square of the "chiesa parrocchiale dei Santi Martino e Stefano" was mentioned as one of the most beautiful squares in Piedmont, because the staircase and the church dominating it are very similar to the ones at Piazza di Spagna in Rome.