Caluso amid Erbaluce vineyards and medieval history

Caluso combines winegrowing, historic buildings and the Sentiero delle Pietre Bianche. Erbaluce shapes agriculture and local festival traditions. Historic buildings include churches, gates, palazzi and the ruins at Castellazzo.

Vineyards and the Sentiero delle Pietre Bianche

Section 02 of the Sentiero delle Pietre Bianche from Caluso to Lago di Candia begins on Via San Clemente, behind the Castellazzo hill. It leads through Erbaluce vineyards.

Caluso’s moraine soil, geographical location and favorable climate make it possible to cultivate the Erbaluce grape variety. Winegrowing has been practiced in Caluso since ancient times, particularly with Erbaluce; wine production is considered the most important and prestigious resource of local agriculture.

Erbaluce, tastings and a regular September date

The Festa dell’Uva Erbaluce is dedicated to Caluso’s winegrowing tradition and wine production. The focus is on the indigenous Erbaluce di Caluso grape variety and the Caluso Passito, Caluso Spumante and Erbaluce di Caluso wines. The festival regularly takes place around the third Sunday in September.

The Enoteca Regionale dei Vini della Provincia di Torino offers tastings of regional wines, including Erbaluce di Caluso. The tasting visit takes place in restored 17th-century cellars and includes the Sala Rossa and themed exhibition areas devoted to wine.

Traces of medieval Caluso

At the foot of Castellazzo stand the ruins of the Chiesa di San Calocero. This was the site of the old fortified settlement. Castellazzo is also known as the Rocca di Caluso; it was built in the 12th century and reduced to ruins by the Spanish from the mid-16th century onward. Porta Crealis is one of the surviving gates of Caluso’s medieval settlement. It dates from the 12th century and was restored in the 13th and 14th centuries.

In the old district, Palazzo Valperga di Masino was built as the residence of the lords of Caluso. Its external portico facing the piazza and its internal portico facing the courtyard were built in the second half of the 13th century by the Counts of Biandrate, the lords of Caluso.

Churches, art and local history

The Convento dei Frati Francescani Minori was begun around 1640 and completed in 1646. The Chiesa di Santa Marta was built between 1726 and 1732 at the joint request of the Corpus Domini confraternity and the Disciplinants of Santa Marta. It was associated with an annual Via Crucis procession, which continued until around 1870 and then fell out of use.

The Chiesa di San Giovanni Decollato was built from 1709 and completed in 1713. It houses two large paintings by the artist Giovan Battista Giani, who came from Caluso. The parish church in Caluso was begun in April 1522; it includes a large 18th-century bell tower and a cloister.

More destinations

For further travel planning, you can also discover Piverone, Vinovo, Carignano, Settimo Vittone, Champlas Seguin, Alpette, Usseaux and Torino.

For the overarching travel overview: Turin.