Vercellese is a territory of the Piedmontese Po Valley.
To know
A vast agricultural territory characterized by boundless rice fields, the Grange, as they are locally called. Since the birth of the first settlements, the Vercelli area has been largely reclaimed and cultivated, making it the rice capital of all of Italy.
Territories and tourist destinations
Vercellese: full screen map.Urban centers
- 1 Balocco (Balòch in Piedmontese) - Small village in the upper Vercelli area. Of interest is the large fortified castle.
- 2 Borgo d'Ale (Ël Borgh d'Àles in Piedmontese) - This town gives its welcome with an elegant brick archway that acts as a gateway to the city. Inside there is the church of San Michele Arcangelo, in Baroque style.
- 3 Buronzo (Burons in Piedmontese) - Dominating the town is a very particular castle. The family of the lords of Buronzo was divided into seven cadet branches and for this reason, at the time of building their residence, it was decided to build seven small castles all around a central courtyard. In this way the present castle was born which preserves the characteristics of a fortified citadel.
- 4 Crescentino (Chërsentin in Piedmontese) - Of interest is the very elegant sanctuary of the Madonna del Palazzo, in which there is a covered gallery that passes over the altar. The story concerning the bell tower is almost unbelievable: built too close to the apse it was harnessed and carried by force of arms for 4 meters over oak logs.
- 5 Santhià (Santià in Piedmontese) - Its historic center, which has remained intact since 1600, undoubtedly offers many notable monuments. An example is the municipal building, and the Collegiate Church of Sant'Agata, an ancient Romanesque church that gave its name to the whole city.
- 6 Triune (Trin in Piedmontese) - Located along the via Francigena it is the seat of the Abbey of Lucedio, a large abbey complex still intact which preserves precious frescoes. In this place the mystery hovers, in fact, legends are told according to which, in its secret crypts, the bodies of mummified abbots are found.
- 7 Vercelli (Vërsèj in Piedmontese, Varséi in Vercelli dialect) - Capital of the province, it is a very important agricultural and commercial center, the largest producer of rice in Italy, which offers tourists an enviable historic center camped off by the Abbey of Sant'Andrea, the Cathedral and from the splendid Torre dell'Angelo.
Other destinations
How to get
By plane
The nearest airports are:
By car
- A4 motorway from Milan or from Turin,
- Highway A26 from Genoa or from Domodossola
On the train
Station of Vercelli you hate Santhià, located on the Turin-Milan line.
How to get around
By bus
A bus service allows fast connections in the area (timetables on atap site).
What see
What to do
- Bicycle excursions. Thanks to the network of cycle and pedestrian paths and the absence of reliefs, bicycle excursions are one of the simplest ways to discover the countryside and villages of the Vercelli area.
At the table
The cuisine of the Vercelli area is closely linked to rice, which is widespread throughout the area. The most important first course is undoubtedly the panissa, a risotto prepared with salam d'la doja (sausage preserved in fat), Barbera del Monferrato and Saluggia beans. Among the main courses we have mango omelettes and fried pork, not to mention the ciburea and ratatuja, a preparation with meat offal and potatoes. Even frogs, once considered an example of the poorest cuisine, are being re-evaluated.
