Carmagnola: Hemp Craft, Sacred Art and Riparian Forest

Carmagnola combines craftsmanship, religious architecture, collections and a historically shaped natural environment. If you would like to combine cultural interests with close observation of the landscape, the range extends from hemp-fibre processing and printing to the history of synagogues, maritime culture and an ancient riparian forest in the Po Plain.

Craftsmanship and the Culture of Hemp Fibre

The Ecomuseo della Cultura della Lavorazione della Canapa presents the processing of hemp fibres through practical demonstrations and an exhibition of tools. Beneath a long shelter, it preserves a surviving Sentè dating from 1905. Here, you can encounter the culture of hemp-fibre processing and rope-making, one of the oldest craft activities in the Carmagnola area.

Synagogue and Historic Sacred Architecture

The Sinagoga of Carmagnola is a particularly representative example of a Piedmontese synagogue from the ghetto era and has an 18th-century Baroque interior. On the ground floor, it includes the educational exhibition “Parole, immagini, oggetti e architetture delle sinagoghe piemontesi”, which deals with Piedmontese synagogues.

The Chiesa Collegiata dei SS Pietro e Paolo was built between 1492 and 1514 by the architect Giorgino Costanza di Costigliole. It contains the extraordinarily richly decorated Cappella dell’Immacolata Concezione.

Museums with Different Perspectives

The Museo Civico di Storia Naturale preserves scientific collections of minerals, plants and animals, with a particular focus on insects, reptiles and birds. It is accessible to visitors with reduced mobility.

Through its collection and related initiatives, the Museo Civico Navale presents Carmagnola as a centre of maritime culture. In the entrance area, a tactile audio map is available for visitors with visual impairments.

The holdings of the Museo Tipografico Rondani, originating entirely from Carmagnola and particularly associated with the historic Tipografia Scolastica of the Rondani family, document five centuries of printing activity. They include printing presses and printing equipment, books and printed sheets, woodcut and copperplate printing matrices, documents, as well as various mementos connected with the art of printing.

Abbazia Santa Maria di Casanova

The Abbazia Santa Maria di Casanova was founded around 1150. It features later Baroque alterations and is considered one of the early examples of Gothic architecture in Piedmont. The Museo di Arte Sacra dell’Abbazia di Casanova displays a significant collection of relics, liturgical furnishings and liturgical vestments donated by Lodovico Salvi del Pero.

A visit to the Museo di Arte Sacra dell’Abbazia di Casanova can be combined with a visit to the abbey church and crypt; it is led by volunteers from the Associazione Amici dell’Abbazia di Casanova.

The Bosco del Gerbasso

The Bosco del Gerbasso is an educational example of the ancient riparian forest of the Po Plain, which once covered the entire Pianura Padana. It extends over 19 hectares and includes a willow stand, an oak-hornbeam forest and a meadow area.

More Destinations

More places for your personal travel planning: Borgaro Torinese, Druento, Collegno, Val Della Torre, Gravere, Scarmagno, Borgofranco D'ivrea, Caluso

To the higher-level travel overview: Turin.