Cherasco
A nice town built on the confluence of the Tanaro and the Stura rivers, it has an active rural economy and commercial relevance.
Here are craftmen’s shops selling wooden objects and offering restorings and antiquities.
Many medieval findings are to be seen here: the tower, the churches of saint Gregory and saint Peter, the Brizio palace (1400).
The royal family decorated the palace with many baroque masterpieces, their Salmatoris palace is a typical example.
Here today live many important people and artists; it’s the best place for escargots in Piedmont.
History
Cherasco was founded in 1243 as a defensive fortress of the town of Alba.
Its walls, of which there are several traces, were knocked down and rebuilt many times in history.
In 1631 it was the place where a peace treaty, celled “pace di Cherasco”, was signed between France, Austria, Spain, Monferrato and Mantova.
It was a loyal town in the Savoia reign: in 1706, during the siege of Turin, the whole court and magistrates found shelter there.
On April 25th, 1796 the French general Massena occupied Cherasco: on the 27th Napoleon I dictated the terms of the armistice with the Piedmontese.
Cherasco: Snails and chocolates in enchanting atmosphere
Cherasco is one of my favourite towns: it is located in an elevated position, above the point where the rivers Tanaro and Stura meet.
Once it must have been in a very panoramic position but now, although its position has of course not changed, its panorama has suffered a bit from the building of the highway and the growth of large-scale industries on the flat land surrounding it.
But inside her beautiful city gates the town had still kept its original beauty and enchanting atmosphere, and is well worth a visit.
The art of details
My favourite aspect of this town is the incredible attention to detail the people have in their lives: every door handle and drainpipe is a treasure to the eye; it makes you reflect on your own priorities, and on the meaning of beauty.
Cherasco was built in the 13th century on a Roman fortress, known with the name of Clerascum.
It is surrounded by a star-shaped bastion and inside the city walls, the street lay-out is perpendicular, with the main streets leading to the surrounding triumphal arches that give access to the city
The monuments
The town has a rich architecture: one will find seven imposing churches and tens of palaces abounding in fresco.
The old fort was destroyed in 1675 but its site can still be visited to enjoy the beautiful views over the surrounding landscape.
At the tourist information you can pick up a map of the town to guide you past the most interesting historical artefacts, among them include the Romanesque church San Martino from the 13th century, with fresco’s from the 14th century, located in Via Cavour, and the most ancient church in town, the San Pietro, from the 12th century.
At the far end of Via Vittorio Emanuele you’ll find the Church of Sant’ Agostino, built in 1672 (don’t miss the beautiful wooden door and interior!) and the glamorous white city gate ‘Arco del Belvedere’, erected between 1647 and 1688, to thank the Virgin Mary for protecting Cherasco against the plague in 1630.
Also special is the Palazzo Salmatoris, a 17th century Palace with beautiful frescos inside: through the centuries seven peace treaties were signed in Cherasco, of which two were signed in this palace: the 1631 peace agreement which ended the European ‘Casale’ war, and the armistice was agreed here during the Sardinian reign of Napoleon Bonaparte in1796
If the palace is open for an art exhibition, please do not miss the chance to visit this wonderful building.
Also not to be missed are the plane trees in the ‘Viale dei platani’, bordering the street past the Castello Visconteo (east-end of Via Roma)
Centuries old planes form an almost abstract piece of art, they are so special that you can easily understand why each tree is looked after with the greatest of care.
Chocolate and snails
But the little town is also famous for its many ‘cioccolatai’ (chocolate makers), giving it its name ‘città del cioccolato’ (chocolate town).
Two of them are a little more famous than the others: Marco Barbera (founded in 1881) who introduced the world famous Cherasco ‘Baci’, which is a treat of Langhe DOC nuts covered in delicious chocolate and named ‘a kiss of chocolate’, and the Ravera chocolate factory which offers excellent tasting tours.
The other speciality is its ‘lumache’ or snail bread in this region both to eat, and to use their slime in the production of speciality creams.
The soothing properties of snail slime have been well known since the early Romans.
The slime of the Cherasco snail is particularly rich in antioxidant collagen, elastin, peptides and vitamins that moisturise and enhance the skin; the snails are bred outdoor following strict natural methods.
They are fed on plants and no animal feed or synthetic ingredients are added; the technique used in the extraction of slime is cutting edge and does not harm the snail.
During this process the snails are exposed to a warm damp environment that the snails enjoy: it is like a snail spa!
The antiques market
Lastly, Cherasco is famous for its monthly antiques market, which is held on the first Sunday of the month from April to September.
This market attracts many sellers and buyers from the whole region, you will find everything from antique furniture to books, and collector items.
Above all, Cherasco has an atmosphere that is hard to explain: you could drive past it without even noticing it, but once you’ve been there, you'd find it hard to pass without stopping, even if it’s just to breathe in the atmosphere and have a coffee.
Food & Drinks
Trattoria Pane e Vino serves good, plain Piemontese food in a relaxed atmosphere.
Vittorio Veneto restaurant offers beautifully presented (sea) food and has a cosy garden.
I had one of the nicest dinners of my life at Osteria della Rosa Rossa.
It was organised as part of the Terra Madre Slow Food fair in Turin; I will never forget the amazingly prepared onion cooked in the oven with truffle.
It goes without saying that you should actually try snails here.
They are the best in the world!