From Turin we travel just a few kilometers to reach Vallinotto and the small 18th century "Sanctuario della Visitazione". The chapel-sanctuary, with unusual pagoda-like dome, was designed by Bernardo Antonio Vittone, right at the start of his illustrious career.
We continue our journey, via the secondary roads which follow the flow of the river Po, as far as Villafranca Piemonte and the Missione Chapel (founded in the 11th century). The chapel is home to a fabulous series of recently restored frescoes dating back to the 15th century.
From Villafranca, by way of the SP151 road, we quickly come to the town of Cavour, where the legendary "Settimana della Carne" is held: a gastronomic week show-casing dishes made from the highly prized local beef. Not to be missed: a trip to the Rocca di Cavour, stronghold looming some 162m above the flood plains of the Po river.
A brief journey along the SP27 brings us to Bagnolo Piemonte and the 12th century Malingri castle, accessed by foot via a series of pathways through beautiful gardens. The castle, recently restored by the present owner, boasts an unusual triple perimeter wall.
From Bagnolo Piemonte, the SP27 takes us to the town of Barge, famous for its "batje": crunchy biscuits made with cornflower, eggs, and generous quantities of butter. Not far from Barge, within the commune of Revello, lies the Abbey of Santa Maria of Staffarda: an impressive monastic complex founded between 1135 and 1138 by the Cistercian order, with enchanting cloister and Romanesque-Gothic church.
From Revello we proceed along the SS662/SP26 to Saluzzo, the so-called "Florence of Piedmont". For over four centuries the capital of a powerful marquisate, Saluzzo boasts a perfectly conserved historic center with characteristic little roads and alleyways, and elegant patrician town houses complete with romantic loggias and terraces. Those in the area during the month of May should be sure not to miss the town's highly acclaimed National Antiques Show.
Close to Saluzzo lies the Castle of Manta. Built in the 1100's as small military outpost, over the centuries the stronghold was enlarged on various occasions until its final transformation in ostentatious residence of the Marquis of Saluzzo in the 15th century. The walls of the Baronial Hall are embellished with a nostalgic tribute to the albeit moribund chivalric period, in the form of an immense fresco depicting Prodi and Eroine, characters taken from Marquis Tommaso III's novel "Le Chevalier Errant".
