Castles in the Savannah

The experience

There is no mistake in the title! In Piedmont we can boast a unique land, the Baraggia, located between the provinces of Biella, Vercelli and Novara, apparently boundless and framed by the Alps. The Baraggia is one of the last and most significant examples of grassland in the Po Valley, characterized by barren moors and a particular scenery at times resembling the African Savannah, with shades of color from golden to pink according to the seasons.

The history of Baraggia is long and complex: in the 1920s it was one of the most depressed areas in Italy, but thanks to the intense work of the Consorzio di Bonifica della Baraggia Biellese e Vercellese, the recovery phase began in the 1950s. The local people had to wait patiently until after the Second World War to have easily passable roads, electricity and drinking water in their homes. But the inhabitants, including your ancestors, did not sit idly by, they actively participated in the transformation of their land with a lot of hard work and persistence.

Baraggia is also an area strongly linked to the cultivation of rice, which has been produced here since the seventeenth century. The particular environmental characteristics and the centuries-old work of selection and cultivation experimentation by the rice growers of the area have allowed the improvement of the quality of the rice produced until it was recognized in 2007 as the first and only Italian PDO rice, PDO rice of Baraggia Biellese and Vercelli.

You will begin your exploration of Baraggia by visiting Rovasenda, an agricultural village that houses two castles a few hundred meters from each other. The first, of medieval origin, dates back to 1170 and its imposing tower, built in 1459, reaches a height of 48 meters. The second, very similar to the pre-existing one, was built at the beginning of the twentieth century at the behest of Count Luigi di Rovasenda who, not having been able to inherit the original castle, decided to build a new one relying on the architect Carlo Nigra, the same of the medieval village of Valentino in Turin.

Continue to Buronzo, the capital of Baraggia and an important agricultural and artisan centre. Buronzo is a small and charming village that houses a unique fortified complex: the consortium.

Formed by what remains of seven castles, the ancient village owes its particular development to the family of the lords of Buronzo who in the fourteenth century divided into seven distinct branches giving life to the noble consortium. Each noble branch, occupying and controlling a distinct portion of the castle, favored the development of seven architectural agglomerations that progressively grew with different styles around the original nucleus.

From Buronzo you can completely immerse yourself in the savannah with the backdrop of its castles with a guided e-bike excursion for a unique and unrepeatable photoshoot.