A charming tour of the Romanesque churches of Monferrato Astigiano. This route winds through the hills in the north-west of the province of Asti, on the border with the province of Turin, in Monferrato Astigiano. It begins in Boscorotondo, a hamlet near Passerano Marmorito.
The village of Passerano Marmorito became famous in the 1980s for the comic character Carlino, played by Giorgio Faletti on the TV show Drive In, with his coat that he couldn't pronounce the name of.
This route passes the churches of Cerreto, Aramengo, Berzano San Pietro, Albugnano, Vezzolano, Castelnuovo Don Bosco and Buttigliera d'Asti.
Apart from the churches of San Martino in Buttigliera and San Pietro in Albugnano, which are now linked to cemeteries, they are all real country churches, some of them partly hidden, some of them on top of scenic hills.
The beautiful abbey of Vezzolano sits in plain view. Despite its popular name, it has never been an abbey and should more properly be called a canon house. It is one of the most important examples of Romanesque-Gothic architecture in Piedmont.
The route is mixed, 40% of it tarmacked roads and 60% tracks. Some stretches are a little rough, especially during the descent from Vezzolano to Castelnuovo, where the narrow track becomes a singletrack hollowed out by water, and indeed cyclists.
None of it is particularly hard going, but it's worth taking care at some points.
Go from the hamlet of Boscorotondo to Cerreto d’Asti, where you'll see the little church of the Madonna, then on to Sant’Andrea and Marmorito Santa Maria, home to the church of San Rocco, near Aramengo.
Carry on to Masio, where it's worth stopping to visit the Romanesque church of San Giorgio. Go on through a string of typical hamlets to Berzano San Pietro. After stopping here, carry on towards the cemetery and take the road along the right-hand side of it, which will take you to the church of San Giovanni Battista. After stopping here, go back to the cemetery in Berzano and take the road to Albugnano. On the way, you'll see another little church, dedicated to San Martino Vescovo. Once you get to Albugnano, it's worth paying a visit to the church of San Pietro and San Giacomo, at the top of the village, off the route, for its marvellous views. Head off again to see the Romanesque jewel in Monferrato Astigiano's crown, the canon house of Vezzolano. A path leading to Castelnuovo Don Bosco begins here There's another Romanesque church before you reach the town, dedicated to: Santa Maria di Cornareto. Once you arrive in Castelnuovo Don Bosco, you can visit the church of the Santi Castelnovesi before heading off to Buttigliera d’Asti, where you can rest at the church of the Madonnina, then again at the town cemetery, where you'll find the Romanesque church of San Martino. Carry on to Serra di Buttigliera, home to the church of the Serra.
Pass by the foot of Colle Don Bosco, the hill on which St John Bosco was born. We recommend stopping to visit it. Go on to Capriglio, which has an interesting museum to Mamma Margherita, Don Bosco's mother. Carry on along the final stretch of track, taking in the view of the church of Santa Maria di Raseto.
It's not long from here back to the starting point for this tour of Monferrato Astigiano's Romanesque churches, works of great artistic and historical value.