Piedmont: in Bra among the hills of the Roero, land of fortresses, vineyards and castles

It is a crossroads of history, food and wine excellence and culture located in the Roero hills of Piedmont. Bra stands out for its fortresses, vineyards and castles, but nowadays it is known for being the home of the Slow Food movement, for its excellent sausage and for being one of the cradles of Piedmontese Baroque. Strolling through its streets, the rounded façade of the Palazzo Comunale, the church of Santa Chiara, the church of the Trinità and then the museums of Natural History, of Art and Archaeology and of Toys and the central Via Cavour, a meeting place, cafés and historic premises, where the writer Giovanni Arpino also used to spend his days, do not go unnoticed. Close by is Pollenzo, a small town hamlet where Roman ruins stand alongside one of the Savoy residences declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. If the town is known for its veal sausage to be eaten raw, one cannot forget the cheese that bears the name of the town itself, because it was historically matured here. And it is precisely cheese that is the protagonist of one of Bra's best-known events, 'Cheese', the world's largest event dedicated to raw milk cheeses, organised by Slow Food and the City of Bra every two years since 1997. An event capable of attracting more than 300 thousand people and which in 2025 will be held from 19 to 22 September. The city's calendar of events is, however, always well-stocked, with various appointments that are renewed annually: these include the Easter Monday Fair dedicated to animal husbandry, the Artico Festival concerts, and the itinerant lunch in the streets of the city of 'From courtyard to courtyard'. There is a wide choice of facilities for a 3- or 4-star stay, from Villa Maddalena to Albergo dell'Agenzia and Badellino. Equally well-stocked is the list of restaurants and trattorias: Il Principe, Local Bra, Murivecchi, Da Bimbo, Osteria del Boccondivino.