For some historians the town's name has Roman origin and derives from the personal name "Rubius", while for others, it derives from the Latin word "ruber (red, because of the unusual color of the soil in the area, rich in iron) and for others from the name of a Celtic god, "Arubianus.
A mountain village in the province of Turin, located on the left hand side of the Dora Riparia, in a valley completely surrounded by mountains, the town's territory, is crossed the river Messa and its several tributaries. Built between 520 and 2230 meters above sea level, the municipality is divided into approx. one hundred smaller villages and districts, surrounded by a rich variety of trees and meadows and features particularly beautiful villas, built between the XVIII - XX centuries. The favorable climate, the possibility of excursions along the dense network of trails, surrounded by natural beauties, make of Rubiana, an ideal tourist destination.
The town has ancient origins, already a settlement in the pre-Roman Ages with a strong presence of Ligurians and Celts. Even though an important transit station in Roman times, it was mentioned for the first time in an official document of the XI century, a deed in which the territories were ceded by the Marquis of Turin Manfredi to the Abbey of San Giusto. Between the XV and the XVIII centuries the town depended on by the monks of Susa, then it belonged to the Count Chiavarrina. During the XVI and XVII centuries there was a strong extractive production of iron from the local mines and until the XIX century there was also an important production of charcoal.
Not to miss:
- the Parish of St. Joseph in Favella, a building completed in 1890, which was consecrated only in 1929. It features an altar and a pulpit made of the wood of olive trees and an original stone tabernacle.
- the Parish Church of St. Grato and Mary Magdalene in Mompellato, built back in the early XIX century with Neo-classical elements and decorations. It was restored in the late XIX century.
- the parish church of Sant'Egidio Abate, of ancient origins, but rebuilt in 1600, it features frescoes by Luciano Bartoli and a small exhibition of sacred objects and religious clothing.
- the Shrine of Our Lady of the Bassa, built at the beginning of 1700, it presents a façade of great simplicity and equilibrium characterized by an arcade.
- the commemorative monument of Col de Lys which consists in a tall tower.