Torre Pellice: History, Art and Mountain Landscape

Torre Pellice brings together historic buildings, museums, contemporary art and trails with different focuses. The surrounding area also offers mountain peaks, palaces and a castle.

Historic Traces and Cultural Sites

The ruins of the Forte di Santa Maria di Lucerna lie on the hill above Torre Pellice. The fort was built in 1655 on the ruins of a previously existing castle. As a result, two historical layers stand distinctly side by side at this site: the older castle complex and the 17th-century fortress.

The Tempio dei Coppieri was built in 1555 and is one of the oldest Protestant temples in Italy. It was destroyed during the persecutions of 1655 and 1686 and rebuilt several times. The ethnographic section of the Museo Valdese offers another insight into past ways of life. It tells the story of a 19th-century farming family. Visitors interested in culture will find Protestant history and an ethnographic portrayal of everyday life here.

Contemporary art is also one of the cultural themes in Torre Pellice. The Civica Galleria D'Arte Contemporanea Filippo Scroppo makes its municipal collection of Italian contemporary art accessible through annual exhibitions. The gallery also promotes the Una Torre d'Arte festival for visual arts and music. In Gianavella, the house of Giosuè Gianavello houses a museum and a guesthouse.

Hills, Peaks and Panoramic Views

Several distinctive landscape destinations can be found around Torre Pellice: Monte Frioland and the peaks of Briccas, Punta Bruta and Punta Pleng.

The tower of the Museo Valdese is a viewpoint overlooking Torre Pellice and the valley. From there, the view also extends to the hills around Turin and the Alps in the French border region.

Routes with Different Focuses

The Sentiero naturalistico della Ghiandaia nature trail begins and ends in Torre Pellice. The Torre Pellice - Bonnet - Champas - Bars d'la tajola route begins in Torre Pellice at an elevation of 560 metres. On the nature trail, both the starting point and the return point are in the town; the second route begins there at an elevation of 560 metres. The elevation indicated refers to the start of the second route and not automatically to all subsequent sections of the trail. For individual planning on site, it is relevant whether the route returns to Torre Pellice or begins at an elevation of 560 metres.

This range is complemented by the historic palaces Palazzo Roletto, Palazzo Ricca di Castelvecchio and Palazzo Cacherano, as well as Castello Di Miradolo, which are each located in the surrounding area of Torre Pellice. Three of the historic destinations are palaces; Castello Di Miradolo is a castle.

More Destinations

Rollieres, Maddalena, Noasca, Condove, Alice Superiore, None Turin, Ceresole Reale, Cinzano

To the higher-level travel overview: Turin.