Cammini delle alte colline ombrose e delle colline chiare: Tappa 12: Calliano - Castell'Alfero

The municipality of Calliano separates Valle Versa from Valle Grana. On its territory there are notable architectural assets such as the Romanesque church of San Pietro dating back to the 11th century and the parish church in which valuable paintings are preserved. Among the main events there are the famous Donkey Palio (Raying Palio) which takes place every year in October, and the festivals linked to typical local products: donkey agnolotti, donkey stew and donkey salami.

The tourist route starts outside the town centre, near the cemetery. You descend towards the Pirenta Valley along the hilly slope that leads to the Cascine Pietra. You will cross the provincial road 457 to continue along the route that winds behind the “Fassa Bortolo” factory. Not far away, the "Pirenta", a sulphurous source renowned for its healing and purifying virtues.

Behind the factory the route continues between fields and meadows for about 3 kilometers crossing the Perrona hamlet, until it crosses via Montiglio, which must be crossed to take the small municipal road that leads to the Valle di Castell'Alfero region. In this stretch you will come across Lago della Gioia where you can go sport fishing. After passing the lake, continue for about 400 meters until you reach a small bridge under which the Rio Valle flows and continue straight on via Valle for about 300 meters until you cross via Casale. You will then turn right and after 100 meters left, proceeding towards one of the industrial areas of the Castell'Alfero station village. Keeping to the right and leaving factories and industrial activities on the left, you will continue straight along a dirt road through fields and grass, until you cross via Asti (Provincial Road 57 a) turning right onto it to go up. After a very short stretch you will find a road on the left that descends towards Contessi, which you can turn onto.

After about 150 meters, on the right you will go up for a stretch of about 1 kilometer between fields, meadows and woods, until you cross via Robino, where you will turn right to go up for about 500 meters in order to arrive in the historic center of the town of Castell'Alfero, which was the birthplace of Giovanni Battista De Rolandis, martyr of Italian freedom, creator together with the Bolognese Luigi Zamboni of our tricolor.

The center of the town is renowned for its Piazza Castello, on which stands the manor of the Amico Counts, home to the Town Hall, a bar-wine shop and a guesthouse. In its basement, "Il Ciar" was created, a peasant museum, testimony to past life, which can be visited by reservation. To embellish the square, the municipal gardens with a breathtaking view of the Monferrato hills.