Arco di trionfo

In 1585 Carlo Emanuele I of Savoia visited the town of Savigliano, followed by his large wedding party, in celebration of his marriage to Catherine Michelle of Spain. The arco di trionfo was built to celebrate his visit.
The design project was given to the architect Giovanni Battista Riva from Turin, while the decorations were entrusted to Giovanni Angelo Dolce from Savigliano. The arch is ten metres high, five metres wide and four deep, and is imposing in the urban context of the square. The arch connects the central piazza Santa Rosa with via Sant’Andrea, then considered the aristocratic quarter with the most prestigious historical buildings in the town.
Around 1845 the architect Maurizio Eula created a side passageway that still connects the arch to the porticoes. In 1965 to celebrate twenty years of the resistance a Latin inscription was made at the top of the arch which reads , “ Vindicatae libertati sacrum” that is “ Dedicated to hard-earned freedom”. The most recent work on the building was carried out in 1997, to restore brilliance and splendour to the white columns and the coloured decorations.