Diano Castello Dian Castello | |
|---|---|
| Comune di Diano Castello | |
 Church of Nicholas of Bari | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Diano Castello  | |
  Diano Castello Location of Diano Castello in Italy Show map of Italy Diano Castello Diano Castello (Liguria) Show map of Liguria | |
| Coordinates:43°55′N8°4′E / 43.917°N 8.067°E /43.917; 8.067 | |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Liguria |
| Province | Province of Imperia (IM) |
| Area | |
• Total | 6.0 km2 (2.3 sq mi) |
| Population (Dec. 2004)[2] | |
• Total | 2,061 |
| • Density | 340/km2 (890/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 18010 |
| Dialing code | 0183 |
Diano Castello (Ligurian:Dian Castello[3]) is acomune (municipality) in theProvince of Imperia in theItalian regionLiguria, located about 90 kilometres (56 mi) southwest ofGenoa and about 5 kilometres (3 mi) northeast ofImperia. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,061 and an area of 6.0 square kilometres (2.3 sq mi).[4]
Diano Castello borders the following municipalities:Diano Arentino,Diano Marina,Diano San Pietro,Imperia, andSan Bartolomeo al Mare. The hills surrounding the village are covered with olive groves and with vineyards that produceVermentino, a white wine. It is one ofI Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy").[5]
As the name of the municipality suggests, it was originally built in the 10th century as a fortification (Castrum Diani) against incursions by theSaracen pirates. As with many villages aroundSavona, it later became a fief of the Clavesana marquisate, who built a fortress and ruled till the second half of the 12th century. In the 14th century, Diano Castello became a free municipality (Communitas Diani), that controlled the surrounding villages. It later became part of theRepublic of Genoa. The people of this village fought along withGenoa againstPisa in theBattle of Meloria (1284). In 1747 it became part of theAustro-Hungarian Empire. In 1797 it came under French rule when it was conquered byNapoleon Bonaparte. In 1815 it was assigned to theKingdom of Sardinia. Finally, in 1860 it became part of theKingdom of Italy. The earthquake of 1887 inflicted serious damage to the churches and the historical monuments
