The original, ancient village sprang up in Roman times, by the side of one of the roads connecting Dertona (today’s Tortona) to Clastidium (today’s Casteggio), passing through Casalnoceto and Retorbido, which were most probably built underneath the existing roads, to a larger extent. Its old name was Lutae (the name of the torrent Luria has same root, that of the Latin word “lutum”, meaning “mud”), and it was mentioned back in 482 when, according to the historian Giuseppe Salice, a church was erected in “Lutae seu Caput Villae”, dedicated to the Saviour, named after St. Martin. Its particular microclimate has enabled the centennial cultivation of the kind of olive tree that generally thrives in the Mediterranean climate. Places of interest • Church of San Bernardo