Cherasco

Cherasco is 50 km (31 miles) south from Torino. It is a peaceful terrace of land between river Stura and river Tànaro. Cherasco developed from a Roman site on November 12th 1243, during the Middle Ages. It is well known for its geometrical map ordered like a chessboard.

Cherasco is filled with medieval buildings and palazzi, monasteries and it also hosts a Jewish cemetery and a Synangogue. Despite the size of the town and its less than ten thousand inhabitants, Cherasco played very important roles in history, being stage of wars, political changes, a Napoleonic defeat and then city of Peace.

Today Cherasco is art, magic and chocolate!

Take a stroll along the city centre and its historical pastry shops, try the famous Cherasco dark chocolate, the hazelnut Baci di Cherasco invented by the Barbero bakery, explore the Castello Visconteo, discover the innovative Magician Sales Museum… and don’t miss the Antiquarian Markets!

Less than 6 km (4 miles) away you can also visit the city of Bra famous around the world for its DOP cheese and the Salsiccia di Bra!

Saluzzo

Saluzzo is the setting of Boccaccio’s Decameron final story and also the one for the Clerk Tale in The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer!

The city, southwest of Turin, is famous for the restoration of antique furniture, for its old castle that dominates Saluzzo from its centre, and for its maze of narrow streets and medieval buildings. The city developed from a pre-Roman site and has been the seat of the marquisate of Saluzzo from 1142 to 1548, when it then passed to France until it was ceded to Savoy in 1601. 

Saluzzo is not much of a touristic place, and it can still offer its authentic and untouched charm. The medieval village, its ancient walls and the view over the Alps are just priceless!

Don’t forget to take a look at the cathedral and numerous churches. In particular, San Giovanni (San John) Church is famous for the unique staircase at the entrance: you will have to go down a few steps of the stone staircase to reach the central nave that is lower than the street level!

Avigliana

We first hear about Avigliana around the 15^th century, but there are ruins of a castle that date back to the 10^th century just above the hills that overlooks the town. Avigliana is in the Susa Valley surrounded by lakes and mountains.

Avigliana is famous for its two lakes, Lago Grande e Lago Piccolo. But there is also another attraction that is very well known and it’s just a few miles away. Avigliana is in fact very close to the Sacra di San Michele, the religious complex and symbolic monument of Piedmont that inspired Umberto Eco to write The Name of the Rose.

The monumental abbey of San Michele is majestic even from the bottom and there is an endless staircase known as the Great Staircase of the Dead that leads to it. This was once used for the burial of distinguished men, abbots and worthies of the monastery. Some of the tombs were decorated with marble, others were plastered and painted: today there remain only five of these. The staircase ends at Portal of the Zodiac

This symbolic site that inspired the Name of The Rose is the centre of a pilgrimage route 2000 km long that connects Sant’Angelo in Puglia to Mont Saint Michel in Normandy.

Stresa