|
|
 Cuneo and its valleys
Route 2
From Mondovi to the Valli Monregalesi.
In the Mondovi and Valli Monregalesi area the point of reference
is Mondovi whose historical center conserves artistic and architectural
treasures, such as the medieval Piazza Maggiore; baroque church of San Francesco Saverio; 17th century Synagogue; Duomo; the frescoed halls of the ancient
university and the gardens of Belvedere with the medieval Torre dei Bressani.
About 5 kilometers away is the
Santuario Basilica Regina Montis Regalis di Vicoforte, commissioned by Carlo
Emanuele I of Savoia, the construction of which was commenced 1596. The work was
terminated in 1733 by Gallo who "closed" the structure with the dome (the
largest of the elliptic types in the world) and the cupola. The 6,032 sq. m
vault is the largest surface in the world painted with a single theme: the life
and glory of Maria (Opening hours: everyday 07.00/12.00 hrs. and 14.30/19.00
hrs., for information: tel. +39.0174.565555). Here you can try the local "Sorrisi
del Santuario" sweets and taste Dolcetto delle Langhe Monregalesi in one of the
wine cellars in the area.
Not to be missed is the
chapel of San Fiorenzo di Bastia (about 8 kilometers from Mondovi), built
between the 10th and 15th centuries with splendid frescoes from the 1400's (open
every Sunday from May to October 15.00/19.00 hrs. - information:
www.sanfiorenzo.org). At Niella Tanaro the
parish church of Maria Vergine Assunta, built over the remains of an ancient
pagan temple, conserves frescoes from the second half of the 15th century
(Information: tel. +39.0174.226105 and 226195). Not far from here we point out
the town of Carrö, capital of Piemonte's "bue grasso" boiled meat and Clavesana,
home of Dolcetto and locality of the area's wine cellars. In the Casotto valley,
Pamparato (about 25 kilometers from Mondov) is a classic example of a
medieval mountain village. You should see the little chapel dedicated to San
Bernardo di Chiaravalle with the cycle of frescoes dating from 1492 which
illustrate the life of the saint. (Information: c/o the parish church tel.
+39.0174.351133) and the ethnographic museum. Here maize flour biscuits are
produced and Raschera DOC cheese is matured. (It is possible to visit the
cellars where the cheeses are stored.) You should taste "polenta" made with
buckwheat, cupete (pastries containing dried fruit) and Dolcetto.
Nearby, in
the village of Valcasotto, is Castello Reale, summer residence of the Savoia
family (ref. Route 3). In a radius of 15-20 kilometers from Mondovi you can see
beautiful medieval frescoed chapels, such as the romanesque parish church of S.
Maurizio di Roccaforte Mondovi with two asymmetrical naves, two apses and cycle
of romanesque Byzantine frescoes (Information: c/o the parish church tel.
+39.0174.65154). Between Roccaforte and Villanova you can see the 13th century
sanctuary of Santa Lucia which clings on a rock face. In the upper part of
Villanova Mondovi is the 14th century parish church with prized frescoes
depicting the stories of San Sebastiano (Information: c/o the parish church tel.
+39.0174.699042). At San Michele Mondovi is the chapel of the
Madonna della Neve with a cycle of paintings dating from 1403 depicting the
Cittá Celeste and Opere di Misericordia counter-placed to Inferno and Cavalcata
dei Vizi (Information: c/o the parish church tel. +39.0174.222095). We point out
the splendid karst caves at Bossea (in the territory of the village of Frabosa
Soprana, about 30 kilometers from Mondovi), which are of spectacular vastness and
contain the remains of the extinct ursus speleus. Finally we mention the caves
of Dossi and Caudano in the territory of the villages of Villanova Mondovi and
Frabosa Sottana respectively.
Courtesy of ATR Piemonte - Regione Piemonte
(c) 1997-2008 E. Massetti
TangoItalia - Food Wine Travel in Italy - Home
|
