Valperga, Province of Torino, Piedmont

Info

• Altitude: 385 m a.s.l
• Population: about 3000 inhabitants
• Zip/postal code: 10087
• Dialing Area Code: +39 0124

What to see

• The Belmonte sanctuary, about 4 km west of Valperga, at over 700 m a.s.l., founded according to the legend around 1000 AD by Arduino king of Italy, who established here a group of monks from the Fruttaria Monastery. The sanctuary, known also as Sacro Monte di Belmonte, is a Unesco World Heritage Site;
• The parish church of Santissima Trinità;
• The church of San Giorgio, with a Romanesque bell tower;
• The castle of Valperga, whose origin go back to a fortress of the late 10th century building. Int the early 12th century it came under a branch of the De Canavise Counts. Of the most ancient part to the north some ruins and the gateway are extant. The central part of the castle was made in the 15th century and the towers were incorporated into a mighty housing structure throughout the southern front.