Pinerolo

Pinerolo lies beneath the Cozie Alps, at the mouth of the Chisone valley where it meets the Lemina and Pellice valleys. It is an important economic, commercial, industrial and craft centre. There are only a few visible signs remaining of its history, but these signs are today allowed to show through and be read easily, because of the cultural liveliness of the present-day town.

This town could be defined as the most French of Italian towns, and offers the visitor the chance to explore, on foot, the most significant stages in its history. These emerge silently out of the charm of the low arcades, the narrow alleyways, the facades of the remaining medieval buildings and the churches, and from the visual glimpses that open up unexpectedly and range over the whole arch of the Cozie Alps or to the plain as far as Turin and the Langhe.

The atmosphere of this town evokes the idea of a high quality of life, but it is not blissfully lulled into a state of tranquillity. The town is culturally very much alive: it offers a concert and theatre season of a very high standard, and there are cultural centres of excellence in the town, such as, for example, the Study Centre and Museum of Prehistoric Art. Because of the scientific experience gained here in researching local archaeological evidence in the rocks; this institution has been appointed by the International Federation of Rock Art as its representative office at the Unesco General Management in Paris.

Another centre of excellence and the only example of a weapons museum outside Rome, is the well-known National Cavalry Museum, which is also famous abroad. However, in addition to this, Pinerolo is a place to sample good food produced in the surrounding area, from the local agriculture and from the inventiveness of its inhabitants. One example of this is the Galup (or “gluttonous”) panettone, a speciality invented here and that is now firmly established well outside the local area.

For those who are not satisfied with just looking and sampling, but who want to experiment and touch, there is always the possibility of a weekend living like a king in the castles of the Pinerolo area. There are guided tours around these ancient mansions, but, if you wish, you can have dinner there or even stay the night. Apart from the castle in Pinerolo, there are the ones at Osasco, Macello, Piossasco, Miradolo, Buriasco, the La Costa castle at Cumiana and the Villa “Il Torrione”.

Visit www.parcomartinat.it

Text and photographies give www.montagnedoc.it