Rione Dazio | Moncalvo (vintage photos)
The toponymy of the place suggests the presence of the duty, where duties were paid on the goods.
Evidence of the historical exercise of the duties can be found in Vittorio Amedeo's confirmation licenses of 1774.
The text confirms the right of the Municipality of Moncalvo to apply the duties and gabelles, already in force since at least 1565, which represented the income of the city.
In 1962 the disembowel of the Dazio district began.
The stretch of Corso XXV Aprile, then Corso Umberto, between the small square of Dazio and the corner of via Roma was demolished.
The Albergo dell'Aquila closed its doors and the Albergo Principe moved to the new apartment building; thus a new large urban area was created.
Via San Francesco was named after Monsignor Bolla, who died in 1952.
Via Avedano disappeared and the Piazzetta del Dazio was renamed Piazza Romita.
A particular phenomenon involved the Rinchiuso district: the inhabitants moved gradually towards the Dazio, which, offering more services, was the commercial center of the city.
The opening of this square created the so-called "Via Maestra", a commercial street that connected the church of San Francesco to the arch of the San Marco hospital. A street full of shops, the backbone of the city.
This demolition was, as in the case of the Castle, a commercial choice, which however left indelible marks in the structure and appearance of the city, which has in fact lost valuable historic buildings.
