Saluzzo is a small but charming town in the province of Cuneo, a place where the Monviso valleys gently fade into a plain rich with fruit trees. Saluzzo has been the capital of a marquisate for four centuries, and its oldest part has kept its medieval urban plan almost unchanged. Formerly the town - sprawling on the hill - was circled by two rows of walls. The towering Castle (known as La Castiglia) looks down on a borough crammed with cobbled narrow streets and steep steps, churches and elegant palaces with balconies or roof-terraces. There are plenty of tourist itineraries for the visitors, both in Saluzzo itself and its surroundings. The whole area is a splendid testimony of art, handicraft and history, dating back to the late Gothic period when the nobles, the monastic orders and the Diocese (which was granted to Saluzzo in 1511) were eager to spend their wealth in beautiful things.The "curtis" of Saluzzo dates back to the year 1000. It reached its heyday in the XV century under the rule of Ludovico I and Ludovico II, at a time when economic prosperity and cultural finery seemed so closely intertwined. The decadence started the following century, when the small marquisate (an independent state in its own right until then) was crushed by the war between France and the Empire and eventually became part of the Dukedom of Savoy (1601). In the fields of antiques, antique furniture and art restoration Saluzzo is among the most renowned areas in Italy. Wood work and metal work are century-old handicrafts as well, and the tradition has been carried on by numerous workshops: their products are on show at the Antiques Exhibition (held every year in May) and the Interior Decoration Exhibition (in September). Saluzzo est une charmante petite ville dans la province de Cun