Giovanni Battista Schellino (1818-1905), an extravagant architect born in Dogliani, marked the urban texture of his town through the construction of a series of eclectic buildings, such as the Hospital, the Cemetery, the Cessi Tower, the Spinning Mill, the Church of the Immaculate Conception and St. Joseph, the Shrine of Our Lady of Grace, and the Rosary Pillars.
The present appearance of the town is thus due to the inspiration of this illustrious town planner, who gave it unusual angles that were foreign to the canons, styles and common sense of the time, so that it came to be called, “An eclectic riot of neoclassical domes and neo-Gothic spires, medieval towers and Wagnerian scenery.”