Cuneo (Italian:[ˈkuːneo]^ⓘ;Piedmontese:Coni[ˈkʊni];Occitan:Coni[ˈkuni];French:Coni[kɔni]) is a city andcomune inPiedmont,Italy, the capital of theprovince of Cuneo, the fourth largest ofItaly’s provinces by area.

Cuneo Coni (Piedmontese)
Comune
Comune di Cuneo
Via Roma
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Cuneo
Cuneo Location of Cuneo in Italy Show map of Italy Cuneo Cuneo (Piedmont) Show map of Piedmont
Coordinates:44°23′22″N7°32′52″E / 44.38944°N 7.54778°E /44.38944; 7.54778
Country	Italy
Region	Piedmont
Province	Cuneo (CN)
Frazioni	Borgo Gesso, Borgo San Giuseppe, Confreria, Madonna Dell'Olmo, Madonna Delle Grazie, Passatore, Roata Rossi, Ronchi, San Benigno, San Pietro Del Gallo, San Rocco Castagnaretta, Spinetta, Bombonina Soprana, Cascina Barca, Cascina Belvedere, Cascina Bombonina Sottana, Cascina Bonada, Cascina Cartignano, Cascina Combe, Cascina Cordero, Cascina Filatura, Cascina Forfice, Cascina Grangia, Cascina La Provvidenza, Cascina Malaspina, Cascina Mombasiglia, Cascina Rivagnola, Cascina Roero, Cascina Sciolla, Cascina Tortagrassa, Cascina Tre Tetti, Cascina Zumaglia, Cascinali Della Trinità, Cascinali Di Torre Roa, Colombaro Ferraris, Filatoio Quaranta, La Battistina, Ruata Gauteri, Segheria Torrette, Tetti Brignone, Tetti Milano, Tetti Pesio, Tetti Ravot, Tetto Buon Riposo, Tetto Coniglio, Tetto Cordonotto, Tetto Corvo, Tetto Delle Figlie, Tetto Farina, Tetto Menone, Tetto Patta, Tetto Plonasso, Tetto Ratti, Tetto Rubatti Soprano, Tetto Rubatti Sottano, Tetto San Giacomo, Torre Acceglio Inferiore, Torre Bianca, Torre Di Bava, Torre Di Brizio, Trucchi
Government
• Mayor	Patrizia Manassero (PD)
Area [1]
• Total	119.67 km2 (46.20 sq mi)
Elevation	534 m (1,752 ft)
Highest elevation	615 m (2,018 ft)
Lowest elevation	431 m (1,414 ft)
Population  (18 July 2024)[2]
• Total	55,990
• Density	470/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
Demonym	Italian:cuneese (pl.-i)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	12100
Dialing code	0171
ISTAT code	004078
Patron saint	Saint Michael
Saint day	29 September
Website	Official website

It is located at 550 metres (1,804 ft) in the south-west ofPiedmont, at the confluence of the riversStura andGesso.

Cuneo is bounded by the municipalities ofBeinette,Borgo San Dalmazzo,Boves,Busca,Caraglio,Castelletto Stura,Centallo,Cervasca,Morozzo,Peveragno,Tarantasca andVignolo.^[3]

It is located near six mountain passes:

• Colle della Maddalena at 1,996 metres (6,549 ft)
• Colle di Tenda at 1,871 metres (6,138 ft) –Tunnel of Tenda at 1,300 metres (4,300 ft), 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) long
• Colle del Melogno at 1,027 metres (3,369 ft)
• Colle San Bernardo at 957 metres (3,140 ft)
• Colle di Nava at 934 metres (3,064 ft)
• Colle di Cadibona at 459 metres (1,506 ft).

Cuneo was founded in 1198 by the local population, who declared it an independent commune, freeing themselves from the authority of the bishops ofAsti and themarquisses of Montferrat andSaluzzo. In 1210, the latter occupied it, and in 1231 theCuneesi rebelled. In 1238, they were recognized as a free commune byEmperor Frederick II.

In 1259, the independence of Cuneo ceased forever, as it gave itself, also to take protection against its more powerful neighbours, toCharles I of Anjou, who was then theCount of Provence. Together withAlba, it was the main Angevine possession in Northern Italy; Angevine rule interrupted by periods under the control of Saluzzo, Savoy, and theVisconti of Milan was ended in 1382 when Cuneo was acquired by theDuchy of Savoy.

Cuneo became an important stronghold of the expanding Savoy state. The city was thus besieged several times by France: first in 1515 by Swiss troops ofFrancis I of France, then again in 1542, 1557, 1639, 1641, 1691 and, during theWar of the Austrian Succession, in 1741. Cuneo resisted each siege successfully. The city was taken byFrance only during theNapoleonic Wars and was made the capital of theStura department. After the restoration of theKingdom of Sardinia, and theunification of Italy, Cuneo became the capital of its namesake province in 1859. In 1862, Cuneo was the location of a Polish Military School moved fromGenoa, which trained Polish officers in exile, the overwhelming majority of whom then fought in the PolishJanuary Uprising in theRussian Partition of Poland in 1863–1864 (see alsoItaly–Poland relations).^[4]

DuringWorld War II, from 1943 to 1945, it was one of the main centres ofpartisan resistance against the German occupation of Italy.^{[citation needed]}In 1943, Cuneo's Jewish citizens were briefly arrested and imprisoned at the nearbyBorgo San Dalmazzo concentration camp by the order of Minister of the InteriorGuido Buffarini Guidi. They were freed before the Minister's orders came into effect and most community members fled Cuneo into hiding.

However, on 9 December 1944, the Cuneo Police Department reopened the camp and imprisoned the remaining Jewish residents of Cuneo most of whom were then deported toAuschwitz. Few survived according to reports. Italian partisans liberated Cuneo from the German and Italian fascist occupation on 25 April 1945. The retreating fascist forces murdered the remaining six Jewish prisoners being held at Cuneo's local prison.^[5][6][7][8]

• VillaOldofredi Tadini, built in the 14th and 15th centuries as a watchtower. It is now a museum housing collections of the owners, the Mocchia and Oldofredi Tadini families.
• Villa Tornaforte, surrounded by an English-style park.
• Civic Museum
• Railway Museum
• Churches of Santa Croce, San Giovanni Decollato and Santissima Annunziata, housing paintings byGiovan Francesco Gaggini.
• Panoramic funicular that connects plateau to Gesso river.^[9]
• Monument of Stura and Gesso in Torino Square
• The median way of the plateau (Rome Avenue, Galimberti Square and Nice Avenue): the commercial heart of Cuneo.^[10]
• New Bridge (Ponte Nuovo) between the center of the city and Madonna dell' Olmo
• Monument at Peano's curve
• Palazzo Uffici Finanziari (PUF), highest edifice in the city at about 50 metres (160 ft)^[11]
• Parri’s Park, a big green park under construction in the suburbs of the city.

Most important and populated: Centro storico, Cuneo centro, Cuneo nuova, San Paolo, Donatello, Gramsci, San Rocco, Cerialdo, Confreria and Borgo San Giuseppe.^[12]

Cuneo has a temperate sub-continental climate, with cold winters and hot, dry summers. However, it is situated more than 500 metres (1,640 feet)above sea level, which helps to make summers more bearable: the hottest month, July, has an average temperature of 21.6 °C (70.9 °F). The coldest, January, averages 1.7 °C (35.1 °F). Annual precipitation is about 962 mm (37.9 in), distributed over 81 days. The rainfall pattern is similar to that of Turin, with two maxima—one primary and one secondary (spring and autumn) and two minima (summer and winter). The driest month is July, 44 millimetres (1.7 in). Snowfalls are frequent owing to high elevation and wind patterns.

Cuneo's specialty isCuneesi al rhum, small meringues with dark chocolate coating and a rum-based chocolate filling. They are a creation of Andrea Arione (1923), who also registered the name, and sold them in the bar still located in the central square, Piazza Galimberti; another claim makes them a creation of pastry chef Pietro Galletti from Dronero. Another specialty is "raviolini al plin", a small ravioli pasta made with meat and vegetables.

There is an important volleyball club,Piemonte Volley who won 1Italian Volleyball League, 3CEV Cup, 2 CEV SuperCup, 4 Italian Volleyball Cup and 3 Italian Volleyball SuperCup.

Associazione Calcio Cuneo 1905 (A.C. Cuneo 1905) who plays in the 3rd level of Italian football.

Cuneo has also a Rugby Team called "Cuneo Pedona Rugby", currently playing in the National "Serie C" League. The team is playing in the Municipal Field of Madonna dell'Olmo.

Many times stage ofGiro d'Italia. In 2016, for the first time in the Giro history, the race arrived in Sant'Anna di Vinadio sanctuary, the highest sanctuary in Europe, 2035 m, and the day after, on 29 May, the race started from Cuneo.

Since 1987 Cuneo has been the start and arrival point of the amateur international race "La Fausto Coppi".

• Venchi
• Ferrero SpA
• Cemetery

• Annibale Santorre di Rossi de Pomarolo, Count of Santarosa (1783–1825), earlyRisorgimento leader.
• Franco Andrea Bonelli (1784–1830), ornithologist, entomologist and collector.
• Giuseppe Peano (1858–1932), mathematician.
• Giovanni Battista Ceirano (1860) – automobile pioneer, joint founder ofCeirano, Well-Eyes bicycles, Well-Eyes cars – the firstF.I.A.T.,SCAT (Società Ceirano Automobili Torino)
• Matteo Ceirano 1870 – automobile pioneer, joint founder ofItala Fabrica Automobile andS.P.A. (Società Piemontese Automobili)
• Ernesto Ceirano 1875 – Winner of 1911 and 1914Targa Florio inSCAT automobiles.
• Giorgio Federico Ghedini (1892–1965), composer.
• Bartolomeo Vanzetti (1888-1927), anarchist.
• Tancredi "Duccio" Galimberti (1906–1944), anti-fascist lawyer
• Nuto Revelli (1919–2004), partisan and writer.^[15]
• Cesare Damiano (born 1948), politician.
• Carlo Petrini (born 22 June 1949), born in the province of Cuneo in the commune ofBra in Italy, is the founder of the InternationalSlow Food Movement. In 2004, he founded theUniversity of Gastronomic Sciences, a school intended to bridge the gap between agriculture and gastronomy.
• Piergiorgio Odifreddi (born 1950), mathematician, logician and aficionado of the history of science.
• Alviero Martini (born 1950), fashion designer.
• Celestino Migliore (born 1952), Papal diplomat.
• Livia Turco (born 1955), politician.
• Michele Ferrero (1925–2015), patriarch of Italian chocolate dynasty Ferrero Group. He inherited the company from his father Pietro in the 1950s and turned it into one of the world's largest confectionery makers, whose brands includeFerrero Rocher hazelnut chocolates,Nutella andTic Tac.
• Elisa Balsamo (born 1998), professional road cyclist and winner in 2021 of theUCI Elite Women's Road World Championship.

Cuneo is twinned with:^[16]

•  Santa Fe, Argentina
•  Nice, France
•  Richard Toll, Senegal
•  Fürstenberg/Havel, Germany

• Cuneo homepage, comune.cuneo.it(in Italian)
• Parco Fluviale Gesso e Stura, www.parcofluvialegessostura.it(in Italian)