Casale Monferrato & Lu Monferrato (24/12/2024)

On a nice sunny day we left to visit a couple of places north of Alessandria. Our first stop was the city of Casale Monferrato which we reached in just over half hour. Along the way, due to the crispy clear morning, we admired a beautiful view of the snow-capped mountains in the distance including the imposing 4,600m high Monte Rosa. Once in the city we parked right in the city center and then walked to explore the old town. We started out by visiting the church of Santa Caterina, a beautiful baroque building dating to the early 18th century. The interior was marvelous to look at, filled with marbels, altars, patingins and a decorated cupola. From the church we then headed deeper into the old town walking along some narrow streets sided by nice buildings. At one point we reached the large Piazza Mazzini with at its center the bronze equestrian monument to Charles Albert from 1843. Not far from there we then reached the Cathedral. In front of it, a small square, named Largo Monsignor Angrisani, caught our interest. He was Bishop of Casale from 1940 and 1971, and was actually a relative of my great grandfather. We then entered the Duomo of Sant'Evasio, which is one of the best examples of Lombard Romanesque buildings. Built in 1107 over a pre-exisiting 8th century church it was then refurbished between the 18th and 19th century but mostly retained its medieval aspect. It features a facade rebuilt during the 19th century sided by two towers. Inside, before the church nave proper, is the narthex with beautiful arches, quite unique in its style compared to others, and with old traces including some ancient roman columns. Then inside the nave we admired the decoration, dating mostly to the 19th century refurbishment, however with some altars and chapels dating to the 18th century in a baroque form. Additionally much older is the crucifix hanging above the main altar, an over two meter high wooden sculpture covered in silver and copper foil weighing 130kg and dating to the 12th century. Originally the crucifix was inside the Cathedral of Alessandria but it was stolen in 1403 by the by the mercenary captain Facino Cane. After visiting the cathedral we continued on our walk and reached another large church, San Domenico. Built at the beginning of the 16th century it features a mix of gothic and renaissance but unfortunately as we got there we found it closed. Right next to it stood another church, Mater Misericordiae, also closed but not functioning as a religious building since a while. We did find open though the tiny church of San Pietro also in the immediate vicinity with a nice 18th century frescoed interior. Continuing onwards on our walk we walked a larger street which featured a series of impressive and important palaces. We started out with Palazzo Sannazzaro, of late medieval origin but profoundly refurbished during the 18th century, and then passed by the baroque Palazzo Treville until we reached the church of San Paolo, which was closed, and in front of it the Palazzo San Giorgio, built at the end of the 18th century in a mix of Rococo and Neoclassicals stles. Moving on we reached another palace, Palazzo Langosco, which featured a nice courtyard once the 15th century cloister of the convent of Santa Croce. The palace now holds a museum and the local library. From there we walked through the main street and then headed westwards intending to visit the Jewish Museum. It is hosted inside the 16th century Jewish Synagogue which predates by more than a century the establishment of the jewish ghetto in the city in the early eighteenth century. Once established the community, which was now forced to live in a small tight area of the city, required more space for prayer and thus the synagogue was expanded and refurbished in its current baroque form. The jeiwsh population of the city was among the largest in the country. Unfortunately though we found the museum closed for that day so we couldn't see the synagogue. Moving on we reached the church of Santo Stefano with the civic tower annexed to it. The tower, reaching a height of 60m dominates the whole city and was originally built during the 11th century with an upper part and the clock added during the 16th century and the tip then added in the 18th century. The church is a 17th century building replacing an older 12th century church and features nice paintings from the 18th century as well as the main altar painting from the 16th century. At that point we headed back to the Mazzini square and decided to set down at the Krumireria Antica Drogheria Corino. This establishment makes krumiri, a typical cookie of the city. We had a hot chocolate with a classic krumiro, as well as trying some savory ones too. After the break we then continued on our walk through town and decided to try and visit the castle, located on the western side, where we had parked our car, now that the weekly market that was set around it was closing up. The castle was built in the 14th century and then expanded in the 15th and again 16th centuries and features outward fortifications known as rivelins and a low structure. We walked around it as it was closed and then headed back to the city. It was time to eat so we opted for the Locanda Rossignoli where we had a whole lunch menu with vitello tonnato as appetizer, agnolotti as first course, and bunet for dessert couple with a glass of wine. After lunch we headed back to the car and on the way home decided to take a more scenic drive through the Monferrato hills. We stopped at the hilltop town of Lu, and after parking the car started exploring on foot. We first passed by the church of San Giacomo which was closed and then the main church of Santa Maria Nuova, a 16th century gothic church with a baroque and neoclassical interior. A little further ahead we then reached a street sided by a balcony which granted an amazing view with the gentle rolling hills down below and the snow-covered Alps to the north and northwest. We could spot some small hilltop old towns dotting the landscape and the outline of the mountains including the imposing Monte Rosa in the distance. Then for an even better view we reached the top of the town where the 15th century civic tower sits. Here, as the sun was setting we enjoyed a really beautiful panorama and it was just the four of us which made it even more special. Then my dad let us know he had an acquaintance living in this town so he called him up and we went to meet him. He owns a small winery together with his family and he showed us the infernòt, a typical underground area found throughout the Monferrato hills room built once used as a cellar or like this case now as a wine storage. He showed us the tanks and the old wine barrels and then let us try some. Finally, after the nice meetup, it was time to drive back to Alessandria.

The church of Santa Caterina in Casale Monferrato

The cupola of the church

A street in the old town

The main square, Piazza Mazzini

The Duomo

The narthex

The interior and the crucifix from the 12th century

A street in the old town with the Palazzo Treville

A street in the old town with the church of San Paolo

The former cloister of the convent of Santa Croce

The civic tower

Interior of the church of Santo Stefano

The view from Lu Monferrato

Close up of the Monte Rosa

The civic tower

View of the old town

Cassine, Acqui Terme, Monastero Bormida (23/12/2024)

A short drive from Alessandria, my brother and I reached the town of Cassine, located on a hilly outcrop above the Bormida river. We parked the car and then headed uphill to reach the city center. Walking through the old town streets, we first stopped to visit the church of Santa Caterina, a baroque building from the 18th century with the typical exposed brick style of the area. After that, we continued uphill and reached the large, irregular square in front of the town hall. Here, on the highest spot in town, were the 16th-century oratories of San Bernardino and that of the Santissima Trinità, as well as the beautiful brick Gothic church of San Francesco built between the 13th and 14th centuries. Unfortunately, the church was closed and we couldn't visit the nice interior, which included a small museum and traces of medieval frescoes. From behind the complex, a grassy area granted a beautiful view of the surrounding landscape with the river valley below, and in the distance, the snow-capped mountains. Moving on through town, we passed by the 14th-century Zoppi palace, which started as a stronghold and was later transformed into a residential palace. On the same street, we then passed two more churches, the highly refurbished 12th-century church of San Giacomo and the 18th-century church of San Lorenzo. Once we had reached the end of the old town, we turned back and walked back through all the way back to the car. We then drove southwards and reached the city of Acqui Terme. We found parking and then headed to visit the old town, starting with the nearby church of San Francesco, which was completely rebuilt in neoclassical style in the 19th century. Right in front of the church, next to a small square, was a small archaeological site which consisted of a public fountain from the ancient Roman period. Moving on, we reached the western end of town, where we then visited the Basilica of San Pietro. The church has early Christian origins and was rebuilt in Romanesque style in the 11th century, before being heavily altered during the 18th century in baroque style, but then returned to its Romanesque style during the 20th century. The interior was empty and whitewashed, and there was only a trace of one medieval fresco surviving. From there, we headed deep into the city center, walking through the pretty streets lined with old buildings. We then took a staircase which led us to the elongated Piazza Duomo, at the end of which stood the Cathedral. Built around the 11th century in a Romanesque style, it then received a Gothic bell tower, cloister, and main decorated portal in the 15th century, and its interior was refurbished in the baroque style between the 17th and 18th centuries, with some additions also in the 19th century. Once inside, we marveled at the use of marbles and gold as well as the frescoes decorating the ceiling. Noteworthy was the crypt dating to the original construction of the church with 98 columns. We also visited the Gothic cloister and were surprised we were the only visitors. After visiting the cathedral, we headed further uphill until we reached the highest point where the Castello dei Paleologi is located. This castle originally dates to the 11th century but was rebuilt in the 15th century. Despite holding a museum, it was closed as we arrived, and so we just admired the view of the city from up there. Continuing onwards, we walked through some pretty and narrow streets passing by the baroque church of Sant'Antonio, which was closed. Down one of the streets, we then reached the remains of the ancient Roman theatre. Nearby, we then decided to stop to have lunch at the restaurant La Loggia, from where we had while eating a great view over the town's rooftops while eating. After lunch, we eventually walked down to what is Acqui's main square, the Piazza della Bollente. The name comes from the large octagonal marble shrine sitting at the center of the square and built in 1879. It was built around a thermal spring from which 74.5 °C of a sulfurous-salty-bromine-iodine water, known to be used since ancient Roman times, comes gushing out. It was incredible to be able to just walk up to it and warm our hands on this sunny yet still slightly cold day. Even just standing next to the water spout with the evaporating water gave us such a warm and nice feeling. On the same square on the western part is the civic tower, an old medieval gate which was expanded in 1763 and turned into a clock tower. From there, we walked on to reach the southern end of the old town, where, at the end of the 19th century, the Nuove Terme, a spa, was built, still in use to this day. We had finished the tour of the city and headed back to the car to leave. Just outside the city center, to the south, across the Bormida river, we stopped briefly to admire the ruins of the ancient Roman aqueduct, with a section of four large arches still standing. From there, we drove on and reached the town of Monastero Bormida. We had stopped here just briefly for a photo a few years before, but this time intended to visit its nice old town. We parked the car and then again stood on the riverbank, the Bormida, to admire the picturesque view of the Romanesque bridge with the castle and old town. We crossed the bridge and walked up to the castle, heading inside its inner courtyard. The castle actually began as a monastery and was only developed as a defensive structure starting from the 15th century. In fact, its square structure with defensive towers at each corner was then connected to what seems to be a solitary 27m high tower, which was once actually the monastery's bell tower then turned into a defensive one. In front of the castle, on the eastern side of the town's main square, we then visited the church of Santa Giulia, dating to the 18th century with a few later neoclassical refurbishments. After visiting the church, we then had a walk through the rest of the town and headed back to the car. We then decided to drive up one of the nearby hills where a large bench, like many others scattered throughout the region, was set. From there, we had a great view of the town from above. Leaving the area we then drove through the nice hills, but with really narrow roads, until we reached the hilltop village of Castelletto d'Erro. Here we visited its 13th-century medieval tower, sitting at the center of the town on the highest point, and once part of the castle that stood there. From the part which we could reach by climbing halfway up, we had a beautiful view of the surroundings. We could see many old towns scattered around the hills, with some medieval towers in the distance on top of other hilltops. We could also see the alpine range in the far distance, with some peaks easily recognizable, such as Monviso, especially as sunset was approaching. After the nice view, we drove back down the hills and passed Acqui Terme once again to reach the small town of Visone. Here, for our last stop, we visited the Malaspina castle, originally dating to the 10th century but heavily refurbished during the 15th century. Now only part of the main keep survives, as in 1861, a heavy flood from the nearby Bormida river took down with it part of the old town and part of the castle perimeter. From the castle, we then walked around the rest of the town, stopping at the small oratory of San Rocco, with a nice Christmas nativity scene, and the nearby 16th-century Palazzo Madama Rossi. Once back at the car we then drove home.

The main square in Cassine

View of the Alps

The other side of the main square

The church of San Giacomo

The Basilica of San Pietro in Acqui Terme

View of the Catehdral

The interior of the Cathedrak

The crypt

The cloister

The Castle

The Bollente fountain

A street in the old town

The Roman acqueduct

View of Monastero Bormida

The church of Santa Giulia

The castle

View of Castelletto d'Erro

The medieval tower

View of the Alps and Monviso

The castle of Visone

Trip north of Vicenza (21/12/2024)

I decided to visit a few towns north of Vicenza, which I had previously visited. I started out with Costabissara, where I first headed to visit its main church, San Giorgio Martire. It was built in 1920 to replace the smaller one located on a nearby hilltop in order to serve the growing population of the town, which was expanding on the lower part. In front of the church stands the memorial to the victims of the First World War. From there, a short walk took me to the main street where I passed a nice 15th-century house with the fresco of the Lion of St Mark's and in the background an old view of Costabissara, probably dating to the 18th century. Right across from it, I passed the small oratory of Sant'Apollonia, dating to the 17th century in a baroque style. As I walked to the southwestern edge of town, I reached another small oratory, San Valentino, built in 1684 and with a beautifully decorated facade. At that point, I started walking uphill and reached the old church of San Giorgio, once the main one in town before the construction of the new one. Supposedly of Langobard origin, it was rebuilt in a Romanesque style during the 15th century and then partially refurbished in the 17th century, and then again in the 19th century when it got some Neo-Gothic features. Nowadays, it is used by the local Romanian Orthodox church. From there, I then walked on and passed the large Villa San Carlo, an 18th-century villa that is currently used as a house for spiritual exercises of the catholic church and is surrounded by a beautiful park. Not far from there, I passed the Castello Bissari Sforza Colleoni, once a 12th-century castle, then refurbished and turned into a villa in the 19th century. From there, I then walked back to the car and drove on to the nearby town of Castelnovo. Here, I first visited the main church, San Vitale, built in 1912 alongside the old church, which was eventually demolished a decade later. From the church, I then started heading uphill and passed by two medieval towers, once part of the castle that dominated the town from up there. A little further, I then reached the church of San Lorenzo, a small medieval church dating to the 10th century and rebuilt in a Romanesque style in the 12th century. It was closed but from up there I still admired the beautiful panorama of the snow-covered mountains, not too far. Once back down in town, after taking the car, a short drive brought me to Isola Vincentina. I first climbed up the hilltop to reach the church and convent of Santa Maria del Cengio. Originally dating to the 12th century, it was then enlarged with a convent in the 15th century. It features a small church and a nice cloister, and the view from the hilltop was great, with the whole plain in front and the mountains in the background. Back down from the hilltop, I then passed by the town's main church, San Pietro Apostolo, built at the beginning of the 20th century over a previous one. It was closed, so I continued on, passing through the small main square where a nice fountain was located. At the eastern end of town, I then reached the 18th-century Villa Cerchiari, now used as the local library. Back at the car, I then drove on to the next town, Malo. Once there, I first walked up the hilltop to reach the sanctuary of Santa Maria Liberatrice. Built around the 12th century, where once was the castle, it was expanded and refurbished, particularly in the 17th century when it took its current baroque form. Among the interior decorations is a painting of the Madonna from the 13th century, considered one of the oldest depictions of the Madonna in the province. Just outside, next to the church, I then had a great view of the nearby mountains of Carega and Pasubio. Descending back down into town, I then reached the southeastern end of town where the Villa Clementi is set, an 18th-century villa refurbished during the 19th century and now holding the town's library. Continuing on through some nice streets lined by old buildings, I passed another villa, Muzani Castellani Fancon, and its annexed church of San Francesco with a nice Gothic bell tower. Further on, I passed another church, San Nicola, late Gothic in style and from the beginning of the 17th century, and then another at the northern end of town, San Bernardino, built in the 15th century, and now used as a council chamber. From there, I walked along the main street and then took a side street to reach the large Duomo. This 19th-century neoclassical church replaced an older 16th-century one, while its bell tower still has its medieval 13th-century aspect. Once I was back at the car, a short drive led me to the next town, San Vito di Leguzzano. Once there, I first headed to the main church, Santi Vito, Modesto e Crescenzia, located slightly uphill from the center. It was built in the 18th century, and after finding it open, I headed inside to visit it; at one point, though, a man who was fixing some lightning inside noticed me and told me that the church was actually closed. I told him I wasn't aware, and he still let me take a few pictures before leaving. Heading back into town, I walked along the main street and reached another, smaller church, Immacolata Concezione. A bit unassuming from the outside, it contains a noteworthy interior with frescoes dating to the 14th and 15th centuries, including one with Jesus and Saint Sunday, and a series of objects relating to works connecting it to the forbidden trades on Sunday. After the visit to the church, I headed back to the car and drove on to reach the town of Marano Vicentino. Here, on the main square, I then visited the main church, Santa Maria Annunziata. Dating to the 18th century, it replaced an older church and features some nice paintings, mostly from the 17th century, in the baroque style. After a small walk around the area, I got back in the car and drove on to the last stop of the day, the town of Villaverla. Here was a nice square with a monument to the fallen of WWI at its center, to the north Villa Martinengo Spiller refurbished in the 17th century, and to the east the church of San Domenico dating from the 19th century. Walking further, I then reached a part of town, which once used to be the main square, where the main road cuts through town. Despite the traffic, I managed to admire the nice porticoed houses along the square's perimeter and the two large villas. The first, Villa Verlato, was built in 1576 by Scamozzi in the style of an imposing palazzo and with an annexed small church. On the other side of the street, the grandiose Villa Ghellini, built by Pizzocaro in 1664, with a nice main facade and a central courtyard. At that point the sun was setting and it was time to head home.

A 15th century house with a fresco of the Lion of St Mark's in Costabissara

The Oratory of San Valentino

The entrance to the Villa San Carlo

One of the gates of the Bissari Sforza Colleoni Castle

The church of San Lorenzo in Castelnovo

The main square in Isola Vicentina

View from the convent of Santa Maria del Cengio

The Sanctuary of Santa Maria Liberatrice in Malo

View towards the mountains

The monument to the fallen and the sanctuary

A street in the old town with the church of San Nicola

Another street in the old town with the former church of San Bernardino

The Duomo

The interior of the church of Immacolata Concezione in San Vito di Leguzzano

The church of Santa Maria Annunziata in Marano Vicentino

The main square in Villaverla

Villa Verlato