Upon arrival in Cuneo, your group will be met by a local guide. You will go on a gentle walking tour starting from the main city square: Piazza Galimberti (Galimberti Square). As you will see, Cuneo’s two main streets –Via Roma and Corso Nizza- branch off this wide and elegant square, which is considered the heart of Cuneo.
You will have the chance to visit the house of Duccio Galimberti, the hero of the Italian Resistance shot by the Nazis after which the square was named. You will then walk along the old town’s main street, Via Roma, which has recently been turned into a pedestrian zone. Your guide will be happy to show you the ancient medieval porticoes this street still boasts as well as the recently restored historic palaces.
Afterwards, your guide will take you on a short stroll in Contrada Mondovì, once called “Ruata Bovisii”: this is one of the few streets which still preserves the ancient features of Cuneo’s medieval urban landscape, such as low porticoes, towers and double lancet windows.
You will then visit the monumental complex of Saint Francis (complesso monumentale di San Francesco), which, since the 1980s, houses the Civic Museum Collection, known for its ancient artefacts, ethnic costumes and ancient evidence of the history of the territory, from prehistoric times to modern times.
Enjoy a typical Piedmontese lunch at a local restaurant.
After lunch, you will visit the Castles of the Marquis Tapparelli D’Azeglio of Lagnasco. This complex, surrounded by the lovely countryside of Saluzzo, consists of three buildings -the castello di Levante (“The Levanter Castle”), di Mezzo (“The Middle Castle”) and the castello di Ponente (“The Westerly Castle”)- whose construction began in the 11th century but was completed only in the 18th century. Inside the Castle of Levante you will admire the “Hall of Shields” (“Salone degli Scudi”) with its 167 shields hanging from the ceiling beams and upon the walls, whereas inside the Castle of Ponente, your guide will show an important painting cycle depicting mythological and grotesque scenes, which show a strong Mannerist influence.
End of tour.
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