The Castle

When the ‘new town’ or ‘villanova’ of Canale  was first planned during the Middle Ages, an area to the south east was circled with a defence wall and a tower was built within it.  During the last ten years of the 14th century, the Roero family built their castle on the same land, which can still be seen and corresponds to the higher part of the building we see today. The walls of the castle are 3 metres thick as the castle occupies a vulnerable position on the plain and could easily come under fire from cannon, one of the period’s military inventions. An equally thick wall was built to protect the courtyard and the castle was surrounded by wide moats, which were converted into fish farms in the 16th century and then filled in.

Until the beginning of the 17th century, the castle remained in the possession of various branches of the Roero dynasty, mostly from the villages of Monticello and Piea, although family members did not live in the building.

The Malabaila family began to acquire power in the area, becoming intimately involved with the Roeros in 1512 through marriage. About halfway through the 16th century, they bought the Roeros out of the castle and lands and set about modifying the building until it assumed its present-day appearance.

Within the castle, it is possible to admire the dining hall and other rooms. Of particular interest, are the cellars where parts of the original 13th century masonry can be seen.