Perched atop a hill at 300 meters above sea level, surrounded by vineyards and cultivated fields, lies the village of Grazzano Badoglio, dominated by the ancient abbey and the parish church.
Home to just over 600 residents, the village has ancient Roman origins dating back to the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. This is evidenced by numerous archaeological finds, particularly an ancient inscribed stele, still visible in the parish house, which holds significant historical and archaeological value.
Originally called Gratius or Gratianus in Roman times, the village was named Grazzano Monferrato in 1868 and later changed in 1938 to Grazzano Badoglio in honor of the Marshal who was born here in 1871 and later became head of the Italian government from July 1943 to June 1944. The Marshal’s birthplace, converted at his request into a free kindergarten, is now a museum dedicated to his life and legacy.
While this is relatively recent history, the village boasts a millennia-old heritage. The ancient abbey, over a thousand years old, was founded in 961 by Aleramo of Monferrato on the ruins of an old Castrum and dedicated to the Savior and the Virgin Mary. The founder and his family supported the abbey for many years; the monks belonged to the Benedictine order. Two centuries later, the abbey was rededicated to Saints Vettore and Corona, a devotion likely introduced from the West by the Crusaders. Their relics are still preserved beneath the main altar.
In the early 16th century, the monks abandoned the abbey, which was then administered by an abbot appointed by the Marquises of Monferrato. In 1708, the abbey passed to the House of Savoy, and in 1802 it was suppressed under Napoleonic laws.
Today, the former abbey forms part of the parish church. Surviving elements of the original structure include the Romanesque bell tower with walls two meters thick, period decorations, the cloister, the exterior of the apse, the portico, and the balcony of the old parish house.
The church now features a mid-19th-century façade, a single nave with three Baroque-style chapels on each side, and a beautifully carved wooden portal dating from 1766, restored multiple times. In one chapel, dedicated to the Madonna of the Rosary, lies the tomb of Aleramo, originally interred in the abbey and moved here in 1581.
The tomb is accompanied by a 12th-century two-tone mosaic depicting two mythical animals and two frescoes attributed to Moncalvo (the painter Guglielmo Caccia). Notable features also include the 16th-century wooden choir, finely executed frescoes, and original stucco decorations.
