Ricetto di Candelo

The Ricetto of Candelo is an architecture of medieval era of Candelo. The Ricetto is generally a fortified structure protected inside a country where it is accumulated assets (fodder, wines etc) of the local lord or the population and where, occasionally, withdrew the population itself in the case of attacks from outside. The Ricetto of Candelo is one of the best preserved examples of this type of medieval structure present in different places in Piedmont and in some areas of Central Europe. By virtue of its position, it enjoys a panoramic view over the entire territory of Prealpi Biellesi, north, and toward the Baraggione, in direction south. The Ricetto is composed of about two hundred buildings called cells that occupy an area of approximately 13,000 square meters from the pentagonal shape and with a perimeter of about 470 meters. Measuring approximately 110 meters of width to 120 meters in length. The complex is crossed by roads, defined with evident gallicism rue: in particular there is the question of five rue in an east-west direction, intersected by two orthogonal. The first known mention of Candelo, in its ancient denomination Canderium, dates back to the year 988. The structure is almost entirely surrounded by walls, with cylindrical towers at the corners, to the exclusion of the southern side, where in 1819 was built the Palazzo Comunale. The only possibility of access was given by a massive tower of parallelepiped shape square blocks in the lower part and in brick in the upper part, with two openings toward the outside, a larger for wagons and a smaller one for pedestrians, closed by as many drawbridges. According to an ancient local legend, in the vicinity of the corner tower of south-west you dipanava a time a gallery that led to the bank of the Cervo torrent. The Ricetto is reachable, along the lawn that runs along the tower to the south-west, the church of Santa Maria. The small alley runs along the Roggia Marchesa, a channel that from 1561 supplies water to the campaigns of the biellese, up to rice fields in the province of Vercelli. The Ricetto of Candelo is the seat of cultural events and entertainment that take place in the course of the year. Among other we mention Candelo in Fiore (that alternates with every two years to review Flavour of Middle Ages) and the International Music Competition "Ricetto in Music", born in 2003 and entitled to the master Ernesto Falla.

BY CAR

• From Milan-Turin: take the A4 motorway - Carisio exit (20 km from Candelo), then the SS 230 to the Benna Candelo junction.
• From Genoa: take the A26 motorway - Vercelli Ovest exit, then SS 230 or Santhià exit, then SS 143.

ON THE TRAIN

• Turin railway station

BY PLANE

• Turin airport