With Napoleon beneath the bell tower: an outing to Cherasco

A long journey through the turmoils of history to finally reach the city where wars come to an end: where the Roman settlement of Clerascum once stood, there now rises the place where several great powers managed to put an end to their bloody fighting. On 7 April 1631 the Treaty of Cherasco was signed, ending the war over the succession to the duchy of Mantua and Monferrato, while 23 April 1796 was the day of the Armistice of Cherasco. In the morning Napoleon's French troops besieged the city, which surrendered in the evening with a request for an armistice by General Colli, commander of the Piedmontese. Napoleon then entered the city and took up lodging there, and the terms of the armistice were approved by Vittorio Amedeo III and ratified in the Peace of Paris on 15 May. The anniversary of the Armistice is celebrated every year with a historical re-enactment.

Founded in 1243 by the will of Frederick II of Swabia, Cherasco today is a corner of peace loved by tourists, a city on a human scale where both inhabitants and visitors can enjoy refreshing walks through its airy streets steeped in art. Wandering along the perpendicular streets you do nothing but connect, with your steps, the points of a great star: indeed, even an old map portrays the characteristic star-shaped walls of the city, which from above make Cherasco resemble the Sun. It is precisely Gina Lagorio's well-known novel, "Tra le mura stellate", that also tells a curious legend linked to the origins of the town. The promontory on which the walls stand is said to be the work of Beelzebub, who laboured there for a whole night with an enormous spade, moving earth from the hill of Pocapaglia between the Stura and the Tanaro.

To do so, the devil is said to have filled a huge basket each time, carrying it across the river, while the earth trembled under his cloven feet. Whether you look at the depth of the Rocche di Pocapaglia, near the city, or the peculiarity of the natural bastion on which Cherasco is founded, it is easy to understand that popular imagination wanted to attribute these natural phenomena to the intervention of a superhuman force. During our walk we admire many historic buildings, including the 14th-century Castle of the Visconti, as well as some wonderful churches such as that of Sant'Agostino, from 1672, the 13th-century San Pietro and the Church of San Martino, from the 13th-14th century. We also visit the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Popolo before moving out of the city, to discover some of the hamlets of Cherasco including Roreto, once also the site of a fine castle.

From there we move to the hamlet of Veglia, where we visit the parish Church of San Rocco, built in the 18th century, next to which we find our lodging for this weekend, the Hotel Il Campanile. We settle into our elegant, finely furnished rooms, and before dinner we spend an hour chatting in the welcoming garden of the property. Once at the table in the halls with vaults frescoed in 1875 by the well-known local painter Carlo Balocco, and also enriched with decorations to combine style and tradition, we discover that before becoming a hotel, the building, constructed from 1765, was called Palazzo delle Anime and was a place of retreat and spiritual exercises. Today the higher spheres of the spirit are also teased by the pleasures of the palate thanks to the creations of Ristorante Il Grifone, where tradition carries on gloriously.

We begin indeed with the old-style vitello tonnato, the peppers in bagna freida and some tripe. Among the first courses we taste the tajarin with tomatoes and tuma d'Alba, the ravioli with butter and sage, the rice with Bra sausage and some exquisite soups. We follow these first courses with meat dishes including rabbit, tagliate, the roast with hazelnuts, and we also taste the lumanche, typical of this area. Our dinner ends with some tasty stuffed peaches and zabaione, as well as with the decision to return here soon, so as not to miss the truffle season, to be enjoyed in many ways, on tajarin, on eggs, on meat and on tomatoes. After this lovely weekend spent among relaxation, art and good food, we can't wait to hear again the fascinating sound of the Veglia bell tower before dinner.

Francesca Bertha

PER INFORMAZIONI:

Hotel Il Campanile – Ristorante Il Grifone Fraz. Veglia, Cherasco (CN) Tel.: 0172/490000