Its historical background is one with that of Alto, since in the past the two municipalities constituted a single fief. The origin of the place name is uncertain: there is a lack of reliable Latin attestations to support the rather dubious statements of some scholars, who suggest “Caprania,” “Capraunia,” and “Capravina,” from “Capranica,” a derivative of “capra”, (=goat). Many believe that the name of the village should be traced back to the Latin CLAVIS UNA, having the meaning of ‘faithful to one’.
Being part of the marquisate of Savona in the 11th century and then assigned to Bonifacio del Vasto, it was later given to the noble house of Del Carretto, who, in the first half of the 1300s, handed it over to the Cepollini.
It later reverted back to the hands of the Marquises of Savona, who were confirmed as the regent of the fief until the second half of the 16th century.
In 1700, following the Treaty of Vienna, it was annexed to the Savoy state. A place of transit for various armies, during the 18th century it became part of the French empire during the Napoleonic invasion. Severely damaged by an earthquake in the late 1800s, it participated in subsequent national and international events.
The most interesting elements of the historical-artistic heritage belong to sacred architecture: the recently
restored 16th-century parish church of St. Antonio, with a fine Baroque altar and an elegant bell tower, dating to the 18th century; the adjacent small church of the confraternity of St. Bartolomeo, of ancient foundation; and a stone building of Baroque design, built in honor of St. Rocco, in Ruora.