You are here

Il Romanico in Piemonte

Piemonte boasts a rich artistic and cultural heritage, also recognised as such by UNESCO and greatly appreciated by the international art world. In addition to the baroque memories typical of the Savoy residences, the region is home to numerous testimonies of the "Romanesque" art of the Middle Ages - 10th century. It is possible to follow an itinerary that takes visitors back to the Middle Ages, the days of the pilgrims and of the Via Francigena, of religious journeys and the complex symbolism of the Romanesque world, through abbeys, monasteries and "roadside towns and villages" that hosted hordes of travellers in their medieval streets.

 

Starting from Torino itself, the city centre offers the chance to admire the bell tower of the Chiesa di Sant'Andrea (Sant Andrew’s Church), which dates back to the 11th century: the Santuario della Consolata now stands on the site of the original church. In the province of Torion, along what was once the Via Francigena - the important communication route for merchants and pilgrims travelling from France, through the Alps along the Valle di Susa (Susa Valley) to Rome - some of the most interesting Romanesque monuments in Piemonte lie along the "cammini del cielo” (heavenly paths), also known as the paths of devotion, which are still open today, running through the mountains and valleys and across the plains, through enchanting landscapes and atmospheres that fill those who travel them with a sense of contemplation.

Don’t miss:

  • the Sacra di San Michele (Saint Michael’s Abbey) dating back to the 10th century
  • the 8th century Benedictine abbey of San Pietro di Novalesa (Saint Peter of Novalesa)
  • the Abbazia di Sant’Antonio di Ranverso (Abbey of Sant’Antonio di Ranverso) in Buttigliera Alta, a monastic complex dating back to the very end of the 12th century, commissioned by Count Umberto III of Savoy
  • the Pieve ai Campi di San Giovanni in Piobesi Torinese (10th century)
  • the Cattedrale di San Giusto (Cathedral of San Giusto) in Susa, (originally built in the 10th century)
  • the Duomo di Ivrea (Ivrea Cathedral) (10th – 11th century), devoted to Santa Maria Assunta (Saint Mary of the Assumption)
  • the Battistero and Pieve di San Lorenzo (Baptistry and Church of San Lorenzo) (7th century), which overlook the valley from the little village of Settimo Vittone
  • in San Benigno Canavese “Mille Anni di Storia” (A Thousand Years of History) is the guided itinerary to discover the Abbazia di Fruttuaria (Fruttuaria Abbey).

In the province of Cuneo, near the town of Saluzzo, another example of Romanesque architecture featuring elements of the transition to the Gothic style is the Cistercian Abbazia di Staffarda (Staffarda Abbey), while the beautiful Chiesa di San Costanzo Al Monte (Church of San Costanzo Al Monte), in Villar San Costanzo, houses a cycle of frescoes from the 10th and 11th centuries, which came to the light in 2018.

In the Langa hills above Alba, the ancient pieve di Santa Maria (Saint Mary’s Church) and the fortress of Cortemilia, dating back to the 12th century, stand out against the magnificent scenery of hazel groves and vineyards, and the road through the hills takes us to Bergolo, the “village of stone”, with its delightful Romanesque church devoted to San Sebastiano (12th century).

Walking through the countryside and rice fields around Novara, you will be enchanted by the peaceful atmosphere of the Abbazia di Santi Nazario e Celso (Abbey of Saints Nazarius and Celsus) in Nazario Sesia. The visit continues to the baptistery devoted to San Giovanni Battista (Saint John the Baptist) in Agrate Conturbia (9th century) and to that of Cureggio (12th century), stopping off at the chiesa di San Michele (Saint Michael’s Church) at Oleggio cemetery. In Novara you can admire the early Christian baptistery, the city' s oldest Christian monument, with its extraordinary cycle of frescoes inspired by the Apocalypse of John. On Lake Orta, the Basilica benedettina e monastero Mater Ecclesiae di San Giulio (Benedictine Basilica and Mater Ecclesiae Monastery of San Giulio) is an admirable example of Romanesque architecture and spirituality.

“Passeggiando tra Sacro e Profano” (Walking between the Sacred and Profane) is the original guided itinerary that explores the inestimable pre-Romanesque and Romanesque treasures housed in the Museo del Tesoro del Duomo di Vercelli (Vercelli Cathedral Museum), the Biblioteca e Archivio Capitolare (Chapter Archive and Library) and in the Pinacoteca of the oldest archdiocese in Piemonte.

Near Alessandria, the Abbazia di Santa Giustina di Sezzadio (Abbey of Santa Giustina di Sezzadio), founded by the Benedictines in 1030, has a magnificent 9th-10th century mosaic floor, while visitors to Acqui Terme can see the original Romanesque layout of the Cattedrale di N.S. Assunta (Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption). In Tortona we find the original early Christian cathedral of Santa Maria Canale, and Biella is home to the splendid battistero di San Giovanni Battista (Baptistery of Saint John the Baptist), testifying to the conversion of the province to Christianity, built in the 10th century on the site of a Roman sepulchre.

Asti and its province house an inestimable treasure of Romanesque masterpieces, beginning in the town of Asti itself with the baptistery (7th century) and crypt of Sant'Anastasio (8th century). In the surrounding countryside, we find the parish churches of San Lorenzo di Montiglio (12th century) and San Secondo di Cortazzone (11th century). The village of Montechiaro houses the pieve di Santa Maria Assunta di Pisenzana (Church of Santa Maria Assunta di Pisenzana) and the chiesa dei Santi Nazario e Celso, (Church of Saints Nazarius and Celsus), in Castel Mairano. In Albugnano, the evocative façade and splendid frescoes of the Abbazia di Vezzolano (Vezzolano Abbey) transmit a profound sense of peace and historical continuity. Between the River Po and the Monferrato area, the Romanesque abbeys and churches around Abbazia di Vezzolano are part of the Rete Romanica di Collina (Romanesque Hill Network) project.

In June 2018, Regione Piemonte began promoting a Protocol of intent for the conservation and promotion for the purposes of art and tourism of over 80 Romanesque abbeys, churches and parishes scattered throughout 99 municipal districts in the provinces of Turin, Asti and Alessandria.

 

EVENTI IN CORSO: 

La Magna Charta 

Romanico in Piemonte
Sacra di San Michele
San Secondo Cortazzone
Abbazia di Rivalta Scrivia
Abbazia di Vezzolano