Bra
Looking at the town from the top of the hill, it’s possible to see traces of its whole history in its building.
Among the dark red roofs of the old center stand the Ghibelline merlons of the medieval Traversa Palace; the bell tower of saint Andrew’s church; the thin bell tower of the Holy Trinity church; the exotic one of S. Giovanni Decollato and the pretty, triangular one of the little church of the Holy Cross; the parish church of saint Andrew, designed by Bernini.
Beautiful is the dome of the church of saint Clare, designed by Vittone and recently restored.
The town is dominated by a bizarre villa: the “Zizzola”, the symbol of the town. In front of it the “masche”, the witches, were believed to meet for their sabbas.
Around this center there’s the 20-century part of Bra, simple and colored, where there are all the industries that were built to replace the ancient and famous tanneries.
We recommend you to take a walk in C.so Garibaldi, under its long porch – l’Ala. There you will find the market every Friday and see the town hall, designed by Vittone. You will see the shops in via Vittorio and via Cavour, the Science Museum, founded in the nineteenth century by the Craveri brothers, explorers, geographers, promoters of the Alpine club.
History
Very ancient, the town of Bra was founded when the nearby Pollenzo started its decadence, after the fight in 402 between Alarico and Stilicone. But the town became independent only after the year 1000, when new quarters were built around the churches of saint John and saint Andrew the Old, from the “brayda” of which the town got its name.
Bra was then involved in the fights between Alba and Asti and in the wars in Monferrato until, in the fourteenth century, it was owned by the Visconti family.
Robbed in 1515 by the French and destroyed in 1537 by the Savoia, it was called a city at the beginning of the eighteenth century.
Bra: Birthplace of Carlo Petrini, founder of Slow Food
The first real settlements in Bra date back to Roman time when Pollenzo’s inhabitants (Goths people) started to move to the near highland, after Pollenzo battle.
Some troops left back from Alaric’s army started settling exactly on the highland, giving birth to the first settlement of Bra; some times after, when Pollentia decayed, its inhabitants also started moving to the safer highland of Bra.
Bra is located on the nearby plateau, feature that makes it more cool in summer and for this reason, the Savoys, for instance, used to move from their daily homes in Pollenzo to their summer residences in Bra.
Bra’s most famous event is “Cheese”, the cheese fair which features artisanal cheeses from all over the world and in 1997 the event attracted some 150,000 visitors, a number that has doubled over time; it showcases cheeses from 300 producers from 23 countries: if you love cheese, you know where and when to plan your next holiday.
Historical center
Bra’s historical city centre offers an interesting mix of architectural styles that tells the story of the many centuries the city has been going about its business; the architecture ranges from Renaissance to Baroque, but also includes the nineteenth century.
Situated at Corso Garibaldi, you find ‘l’Ala’, an impressive long porch with vaulted brick ceilings where a market is held every Friday.
Around Piazza Rocca, you will find the cosy centre of town, with its beautiful architecture and inviting cafes.
Beautiful buildings include the pretty, triangular little church of the Holy Cross; the parish church of saint Andrew (designed by Bernini), the dome of the church of saint Clare and the town hall (both designed by Vittone).
The "Zizzola"
Bra’s most famous building is the octagonal ‘Zizzola’ built in 1700, the characteristic looking building is situated at the highest point of the city, the Monte Guglielmo hill; it dominates the town’s ‘sky-line’ and has therefore become the town’s symbol.
The building’s two-story octagonal footprint is topped by a central tower.
It was originally a country villa in which rich owners would invite friends for parties and receptions, in 1962, Zizzola was donated to the City of Bra by Dr.Guido Fasola, whose family had owned the building since 1915.
The gift came with the constraint that the building should be designated to social and cultural events.
In 2009, after many years of renovations, it was restored to its old splendour and from 2015 onwards it has been home to cultural events.
Food & Drinks
As Bra is one of the larger towns in the region, there are plenty of nice restaurants to choose from.
The most famous is the Osteria del Boccondivino, named after the temple of Slow Food.
The food is also excellent at the modern looking Osteria La Pimpinella.
When you feel melancholic, you might want to go to the oldest café-restaurant in town: Antico Caffè Boglione; it is a very elegant place and according to its management, it is the oldest cafe in the province of Cuneo.
Slow Food
The Slow Food movement was founded in Bra; activist Carlo Petrini, founder of the Slow Food movement, was born here: he stayed true to his roots by growing the organisation from his birthplace, and where better to have an organisation like Slow Food, than in the Langhe where people still have this very strong connection to their land and their traditions.
The Slow Food philosophy runs deep in the Piemontese traditions and mentality; you can taste this in the food, but also see it in the vineyards.
Where modern logic would justify tying up vines with plastic strings, farmers continue to use the natural alternative: the centuries old tradition of using twigs.
This is not beautiful in the sense of a piece of artwork like a statue or painting, this is beauty in the art of living, with respect and love for nature and tradition.
This beauty is only unveiled to the people who can see beyond the surface and can recognise the beauty in a little twig knotted around a vine.
This is why the Piemontese are sometimes even a bit sceptical of Slow Food: why give a name to something that was already there?
And why would a Slow Food product or restaurant be any better than another?
The values
They all adhere to the same norms and values, so what is the added value of this label?
Whereas this may be true for the Langhe, the movement has an important message that it wants to bring to the world; the Slow Food movement started as a protest movement in 1986 when Petrini organised a protest against McDonalds opening its first snack bar in Rome.
There are other stories on how the movement started, creating a certain sense of mystery around it; this is exactly how legends are born and icons created.
From Piedmont to the world
Whatever its official start, Slow Food has grown and developed into a powerful movement that fights for good, clean and fair food.
Since its conception, it has expanded globally and has one million supporters, 100 000 active members, registered 4930 “Ark of Taste” products, established 2400 food communities, 1500 convivia and 570 presidia in 160 countries.
This illustrates how its goals appeal to individuals all over the world: Slow Food Offices have been opened in Switzerland, Germany, New York City, France, Japan, and the United Kingdom, making it a decentralised but global organisation.
It would be naïve to think of Slow Food as an anti-movement and fights for the fundamental right of food to bring us pleasure; this not only relates to the food itself, but also the pleasure of dining with friends and family, enjoying well-kept sustainable farming, and the preservation of traditional foods.
Slow Food calls this eco-gastronomy: the recognition of the undeniable connection between plate and planet.
Good, clean and fair food should not bring harm to the environment, animal welfare or our health; and food producers should receive fair compensation for their work.
Slow Food calls upon everybody to support this work by changing their perspective of where they stand in the food-chain: are we consumers that eat what the supermarkets offer?
Slow Food redefines our role into being co-producers: with our choices we co-create the food-chain.
By being informed we can make clear choices on which producers and the forms of production we want to support.
Slow Food’s influence on food production also extends to preserving the seeds of many ancient and traditional fruit and vegetable varieties in their seed banks, as well as preserving traditional food products in the Ark of Taste.
They also organise many food fairs in which they spread their philosophy and educate on taste, food types, and food-production and also lobbies in the EU and encourages fairness across the food supply chain.
Although Slow Food might not immediately change the world, it has already achieved a lot.
Their Salone del Gusto has become the largest food trade fair in the world, and the biennial cheese fair in Bra and the Genoa fish festival also attract many visitors
The Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity has been successful in helping developing countries defend their agricultural traditions.
Eataly
Also, large prestigious retail shops have opened around the world under the name Eataly: these high–end supermarkets sell food-stuffs that adhere to Slow Food’s philosophy, and have excellent deli-counters and some nice bars and restaurants too.
Food shopping here is a very special experience and the concept has become a great success.
Eataly can be found in the big metropolitan centres such as Turin, Milan and Rome, but also in Toronto and Paris, Las Vegas and New York, Moscow and Tokyo, Stockholm and Sao Paulo.