Crissolo is located at the top of the Po Valley at an altitude of 1333 meters; it has seven hamlets and about 170 inhabitants. On the etymology of the name there are several hypotheses: in fact, it seems it may derive from creus, or hollowed site, or from the union of the words criptos and eolo, a place hidden from the winds, or from the Greek crysos, gold, to designate an area where this metal must have been present in the past.
It could also derive from christianorum solum, shortened to cri.solum, meaning a soil of Christians, or also from cri (christus) solus to mean a place where only Jesus Christ was worshipped; Eventually, on a mid-19th century coat of arms of the municipality the inscription Crisolito, or precious stone, is reproduced, endorsing the theory of the town being rich in precious stones.
Curious legends also circulate in Crissolo, for example that of de la maire del bial (the mother of the Po), according to which a beautiful fantasy figure hid under a large boulder placed next to the old, now destroyed bridge in the centre of the village and caught children who got too close to the water.
