There is proof that Costigliole has existed since the second half of the 12th century, even if recent excavations have brought to light traces of an extensive Roman settlement, probable a colony of Augusta Begiennorum, the ancient Bene Vagienna. In medieval times, the fortunes of the village were linked to those of the Marquisate of Saluzzo, until the rich and noble Saviglianese Crotti family took control of the area,later destined to pass under the Savoy dominion.

The glories of the nobility of the past are still distinguishable today in Palazzo Giriodi di Monastero, now the town hall, and Palazzo Sarriod de La Tour, currently used as the municipal library and exhibition centre. The eighteenth-century bridge over the Varaita river offers a special bird’s eye view of the town; from the seventeenth-century noble residence of Castello Rosso, today a hotel and wellness centre, to the defensive complex consisting of Castello Reynaudi and the Castellotto, and as far as the medieval Chiesa Parrocchiale di Santa Maria Maddalena, in whose cemetery chapel the Christ of Pietà attributed to Flemish artist Hans Clemer is painted.

Heading on foot or by bicycle towards the Chiesa della Madonna della Neve, you soon lose yourself in the orchards of the plain. Instead, turning your gaze towards the maze of alleys in the historic centre, from Via Siccardi - past Porta Grafiona, the last gateway to the ancient village - you retrace the perimeter of the fortification walls demolished in 1487.

The village is part of the Saluzzo fruit area. Quagliano red wine grapes are grown on a short hilly strip that extends as far as nearby Busca. Its unique microclimate and its location in the foothills make it excellent for growing apples, while the typical round apricot of Costigliole has been grown in small, family-run orchards there since the nineteenth century.