The experience
Piemonte is a place of reference for the Waldensians, followers of Peter Waldo of Lyon, a Protestant minority that found refuge in the Cottian Alps, in the Pinerolo valleys of the south-western part of the region, when at the beginning of the thirteenth century the persecutions began by the organs of power who did not like the birth of a new religion. The Waldensians were persecuted for centuries, forced to flee into exile in Switzerland, then again from their return to Piedmont in 1689, they were forced to live in conditions of inferiority until February 17, 1848 when Charles Albert granted them the Letters Patent, the emancipation edict that equated them with Catholic citizens in terms of civil and political rights.
This itinerary accompanies you through the main places of memory of the Waldensians, of which it is still possible to visit monuments, museums and the “little schools” that since the seventeenth century have represented for the Waldensians the place of education and strengthening of their identity.
The itinerary is feasible throughout the year. It is also suggested in the month of February, in order to be present in the Waldensian Valleys on 16 and 17 February, to participate in the feast of freedom of the Waldensian community (see events).
Shortly
Tour
Torre Pellice, discovering Waldensian culture
Visit of the Waldensian Museum with the guide of the Director of the Waldensian Foundation. The rooms of the Museum lead the visitor through eight centuries of history, from the conversion of Waldo in 1174 to the Agreement between the Italian State and the Waldensian Evangelical Church in 1984.
Address: Torre Pellice, TO, Italy
After the visit, a demonstration of the preparation of the “supa barbetta” and a typical Waldensian lunch awaits you.
In the early afternoon, the tour continues among the places of memory in the mountain area of Angrogna: a rich cultural heritage that is the result of a long history that has left collections, museums, schools, monuments, places and buildings in the area.
Searching for roots, mountain villages
Visit to the archives of the country of birth and consult the documents of the ancestors.
In the afternoon, visit accompanied by a guide to the birthplaces of the family, excursion through the villages of origin.
Free time to search for origins.
Pinerolo, museum of emigration, culture and traditions
Museum of Emigration
Welcome and visit to the Regional Museum of Emigration in Frossasco with insights into the stories of Waldensian emigration.
Address: Frossasco, TO, Italy
Visit to a winery on the hill of Pinerolo and lunch at a farmhouse.
Pinerolo (Italy)
Guided tour of the historic center of Pinerolo, snack with the Zurich Cake.
Possibility to visit the Museum of Mutual Aid, founded in Pinerolo in 1848 by a shoemaker, a gilder, four carpenters, two tailors, a master builder, a decorator and a mechanic.
Possibility to visit the National Historical Museum of the Cavalry of Pinerolo, considered one of the richest military museums in Europe. It covers about a century of history in Pinerolo, Piedmont and Italy, having as an exceptional companion the world riding instructor Federigo Caprilli.
Free walk, the cathedral square and the aperitif.
Address: Pinerolo, TO, Italy
Turin and the Risorgimento era
Turin Risorgimento
Transfer to Turin. Morning with a guided tour of the places linked to Carlo Alberto, who in 1848 granted civil and political rights to the Waldensians with the Letters Patent, and to the Risorgimento period. At that time, several Piedmontese liberals had fought in favor of equal civil rights for the Waldensians: this is demonstrated by a petition whose first signatory was Roberto d’Azeglio; they were followed, among other six hundred, by Camillo Cavour and 75 Catholic clergymen.
Palazzo Carignano: where Charles Albert and Victor Emmanuel II were born. This is where the deputies of the Kingdom of Sardinia met, here On 18 February 1861 the first Italian Parliament opened, and the National Museum of the Italian Risorgimento is located here.
Address: Turin city center, TO, Italy
Lunch at the Circolo dei Lettori, in one of the most fascinating buildings in the center of Turin, a crossroads of cultural and literary events. There will be a light lunch consisting of an appetizer and a first or second course of the Piedmontese tradition accompanied by a local wine.
Turin, Centro AltreItalie
Visit of the eighteenth-century Tapparelli D’Azeglio palace, which was the home of Roberto and Massimo d’Azeglio, and which currently houses the Luigi Einaudi Study Center and Foundation.
Inside the magnificent conference room decorated with frescoes, visitors will be immersed in the history of Italian emigration, with particular reference to the Waldensian minority and the Letters Patent strongly requested by Roberto d’Azeglio as the first signatory of the petition.
Address: Centro AltreItalie, Turin, TO, Italy
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