Discover Castino: Churches, Monasteries and Trails

Castino is located on a ridge between the Bormida Valley and the Belbo Valley. The specific routes differ in their course, landscape and means of transport.

Churches and Historical Traces

In the historic centre of Castino stands a parish church with a double façade. The parish church of Santa Margherita has a Baroque pulpit and was renovated after the 1887 earthquake. This building combines a distinctive furnishing detail with a clearly dated renovation.

In the San Martino area stands the Benedictine church of Vergine delle Grazie. The religious buildings are thus distributed between the historic centre and the San Martino area.

The castle of Castino and the ruins of the tower bear witness to the centuries-long historical control of the pass between the Bormida Valley, the Belbo Valley and the Bassa Langa. The connection with the pass also extends to the Bassa Langa, another landscape area. The town is therefore also linked to a history in which its location between several valleys had a specific strategic significance.

The former Grazie convent for women, one of the three monasteries of Castino, is now a private farm. The San Martino monastery in Castino is now used as a livestock farm. Both places therefore preserve their historical names, but represent different present-day uses.

Routes through the Town and Countryside

The Sentiero del Partigiano Johnny has its own waymarking and explanatory material providing historical context on site.

GTL Stage 13 runs from Pavaglione to Castino. GTL Stage 14 begins in Castino and follows a stony mule track towards the upper Belbo Valley. On these routes, Castino appears both as a starting point and as a destination of the GTL. For orientation, the two stages differ in their respective connection to Castino: once as the destination, once as the starting point.

The family route from Castino to Cravanzana passes through the built-up centre of Castino. It also runs through hazelnut groves, over scenic hills, as well as through pastureland and wooded sections.

The Bar to Bar mountain-bike route, Stage 3, is 29 kilometres long and begins in San Bovo in Castino. The 29 kilometres provide a fixed framework for planning your own specific day on a mountain-bike tour. Bar-to-Bar Stage 3 from San Bovo to Niella Belbo passes through landscapes with old salt roads used by traders, as well as through forests and clearings. One section of this stage coincides with the Grande Traversata delle Langhe.

For a local taste, the Cascina Scavin sales outlet in Castino is a practical point of reference. It offers direct sales of its own hazelnut products. Thus, alongside churches, monasteries and historic routes, the hazelnuts documented for Castino also provide a specific local connection. The route to Cravanzana passes through hazelnut groves; in Castino, Cascina Scavin sells its own hazelnut products directly.

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To the higher-level travel overview: Cuneo.