Montiglio Piedmont
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Montiglio Piedmont, not far from Turin is drop dead beautiful. Add to that the unbelievable but wonderful fact that you will be the only foreign tourist in town and clearly you have found a little private corner of paradise. You will in fact probably be the only tourist from outside of Piedmont – very few Italians even know of this place.
If you want completely undiscovered Italy then you can’t do better than this Piedmont town. A magnificent little hill town, Montiglio Piedmont is set in the rolling hills of Monferrato.
The town has it all, a stupendous setting, rich in history and full of magnificent architecture including a medieval castle.
Montiglio also has great food, ideal for the true gourmand looking for a taste of authentic Piedmont cuisine.
I am absolutely dumbfounded that such a gem has escaped wider notice and this can’t last so make sure you get here soon. You will really feel smug having this wonderful village all to yourself.
A great place to start a tour of the town is at the market (Fridays only) in Piazza Umberto. In the square itself you will find the little seventeenth Piedmont church of San Rocco.
Make your way to Piazza Regina Margherita and take via Roma until you get to Piazza Belly. Not named after someone’s tummy but after a nineteenth century war hero of the same name. The eighteenth century church with it’s bell-tower and frescos by Pietro Ivaldi is lovely.
Continue up via Roma until you get to piazza Umberto and the castle of Montiglio built in 1300. The original castle walls were later extended and noble homes were built within the confines.
A must see within the grounds of the castle is the chapel Sant’Andrea, built in 1340. The frescos within are some of the most impressive examples of fourteenth century art in Piedmont.
The castle can be visited all year round with a guide and by booking, but try to visit in June when it is always open and a series of musical concerts are held here, an absolutely moving and emotional experience. The other good time – especially for gourmands of Piedmont cooking - is in October when the truffle festival occurs and the castle stays open over the whole period.
Once you have seen the main the sites – some of which are mentioned above – I would suggest walking around the town and exploring the little side streets, savouring the atmosphere of centuries past and enjoying being in such a beautiful, authentic Piedmont town, amongst genuine Piemontese locals, who have not yet been changed by tourism.
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