FOSSANO  , a

town and episcopal see of Piedmont, Italy, in the province of Cuneo, 15 M . N.E. of it by rail, 118o ft. above sea-level . Pop . (1901) 7696 (town), 18,195 (commune) . It has an imposing castle with four towers, begun by Filippo d'Acaia in 1314 . The cathedral was reconstructed at the end of the 18th century . The place began to acquire some importance in the 13th century . It appears as a commune in 1237, but in 1251 had to yield to Asti . It finally surrendered in 1314 to Fillippo d'Acaia, whose successor handed it over to the house of Savoy . It lies on the main line from Turin to Cuneo, and has a branch line to Mondovi .