Archaeological finds (an epigraph and a cippus) show that the area around Sale San Giovanni has been inhabited since Roman times. The village is mentioned in medieval documents, the first dating from 998. Around the middle of the 12th century it came under the control of the marquisate of Ceva.
Date: 11th century, modifications in the 13th and 17th centuries.
The current centre, which has an altitude of around 600 metres above sea level, is located in a picturesque spot, offering an excellent panorama of the surrounding valleys.
One of the most interesting buildings is the pieve of San Giovanni, the old parish church. It was built at the start of the 11th century out of carved stone, in the Romanesque-Lombard style. However, older finds suggest an earlier settlement.
The building has three naves with walls made of chisel-carved stone, initially on two levels, modified in the 17th century with the raising of the side walls and the construction of a single dual-pitched roof, supported by rafters. The building is supported by four-sided pilasters. The apsidal sections with typical Lombard band decoration are still visible.
Inside, frescoes from various eras between the 14th and 17th century can be seen. Recent restoration works have brought to light a central apsidal painting dating to the 12th or 14th century: Christ in a mandorla holding an open Gospel and surrounded by the symbols of the four Evangelists.
The bell tower, also in chiselled stone, is topped with an octagonal spire.
