Castelnuovo Don Bosco: Discover Churches, Museums and Trails

The highlights of Castelnuovo Don Bosco range from the history of Don Bosco and sacred art to museums and nature trails, as well as Freisa and Malvasia.

Don Bosco, museums and sacred sites

The Basilica di Don Bosco was built on the site of the former Cascina Biglione and consists of two churches one above the other. Saint Giovanni Bosco was born on 16 August 1815 at Colle Don Bosco, in the Becchi district of Castelnuovo Don Bosco.

The Museo Etnologico Missionario Don Bosco documents the global dimension of the spiritual vision Don Bosco had in his youth. The Museo della Civiltà Contadina dell’Ottocento offers a different historical perspective: it illustrates the life of a 19th-century farming family in the hills of Monferrato and Piedmont.

At the entrance to the Mondonio district stands the cemetery chapel, where Domenico Savio was buried. The house museum at the entrance to the village is associated with the life and death of Saint Domenico Savio. The Casa di San Domenico Savio is located on Via San Sebastiano in the Mondonio district of Castelnuovo Don Bosco.

Also in Mondonio is the Chiesa di Santa Maria di Rasetto, which dates predominantly from the 12th century. The Virgin and Child and several saints are depicted in the apse area.

Next to the Santuario della Madonna del Castello, only the tall tower of the former castle remains today. The tower is therefore the sole surviving element of the former castle complex.

Marked trails and landscapes

The route from Castelnuovo Don Bosco to the Abbey of Vezzolano begins just outside the village at the Romanesque church of Sant’Eusebio and is marked by a sign. It is a linear route there and back over gravel tracks, paths and paved sections. If you plan the route, you can include the start at Sant’Eusebio and the various surfaces in your personal route planning.

The Cammino di Don Bosco leads to Colle Don Bosco in Castelnuovo Don Bosco. The route to the abbey and the Cammino therefore already differ in their stated destination: Vezzolano in one case and Colle Don Bosco in the other.

Nature trails run through the Muscandia Valley; further nature trails can be found in the forests of Valpinzolo. Nature trails therefore lead through both valley and forest landscapes.

The Chiesa di Santa Maria di Cornareto was restored using the original fragments wherever possible; its best-preserved part is the apse made of large stone blocks. After the car park, it can be reached via an approximately 150-metre footpath along a country road to the hilltop.

Freisa, Malvasia and local dining

The culinary side of Castelnuovo Don Bosco includes Freisa and Malvasia. Visitors can taste both wines at the Cantina Sociale del Freisa as well as at local wineries and restaurants.

More destinations for planning your trip to Italy

Refrancore, Vinchio, Asti, Vigliano D'asti, Cocconato, Cerro Tanaro, Cortiglione, Loazzolo

For the overarching travel overview: Asti.