The “brickwork“ town

Towards the end of the 15^th century Chieri had approximately ten thousand inhabitants as opposed to four thousand in Turin. The earnings from multiple economic activities were used to finance the construction of the new city, which was tinged with the red and brown of terracotta, with stamped designs of geometric palmettes and naturalistic foliage. In the 1500’s, the century of major economic development, luxurious palaces and towers were erected in the centre of town, some of which were renovated homes and others which incorporated the towers of previous centuries.  Some of these palaces are still exist today. The wealthiest local families (Tabussi, Buschetti, Tana, Broglia, Villa, Gallieri and many others) financed the building or the renovation of the ancient churches Santa Maria della Scala (Cathedral), San Domenico and San Francesco in the Gothic-Lombard style. At the end of the century a new convent of Sant’Agostino was built with an eye to the new renaissance influence.