The best walks and hikes around Lerma

To the north of the town, on the borders between Lerma, Silvano and Castelletto d'Orba, remain the ruins of the Torre dell'Albarola. It was part of a defensive sighting system created against Saracen incursions around the year one thousand. His task was to record the signals coming from Mount Colma and, with bonfires lit on the summit, warn the nearby Gazzolo tower (S. Cristoforo), which would send the alarm to the plain. Whoever climbs the tower immediately realizes the reason for that location: from up there the view extends from the Piota valley to the entire Apennine range, and then further down towards the hills up to the Po Valley. Tradition has it that it later served as a bell tower for Santa Maria in Prelio, that is, for the parish church of Silvano d'Orba, as it is located on a hill to the east of it. Towards the end of the 17th century, the Abbey of San Filippo Neri was built near Albarola, from which the name of today's Abbazia farmhouse derives

The castle of Lerma dates back in its fundamental structures to the end of the 15th century when the construction was carried out by Luca Spinola. The imposing castle building stands on a tufaceous rock overlooking the Piota river and preserves the ancient "ricetto" intact within the city walls, the first nucleus of the village which took the name of l'Herma.

Anti-Saracenic sighting tower, it was part of the military defense set up by Berengario II, king of Italy, around 950. Exceptional panoramic point.

Panoramic point among the vineyards.

To the north of the town, on the border between Lerma, Silvano and Castelletto d’Orba, remain the ruins of the Torre dell’Albarola. It was part of a defensive sighting system created against Saracen raids around the year one thousand. His task was to pick up the signals coming from Mount Colma and, with bonfires lit on the top, to warn the nearby Gazzolo tower (s. Cristoforo), which would send the alarm to the plain. Those who climb the tower immediately realize the reason for that location: from up there the view sweeps from the Piota valley to the entire Apennine arc, and then down again towards the hills to the Po Valley. Tradition has it that, later, it served as a bell tower for Santa Maria in Prelio, that is, for the Pieve di Silvano d’Orba, as it is located on a hill to the east of it. Towards the end of the seventeenth century, the abbey of San Filippo Neri was built in Albarola, from which the name of today's Abbazia farmhouse derives

What a show!

To the north of the town, on the border between Lerma, Silvano and Castelletto d’Orba, remain the ruins of the Torre dell’Albarola. It was part of a defensive sighting system created against Saracen raids around the year one thousand. His task was to pick up the signals coming from Mount Colma and, with bonfires lit on the top, to warn the nearby Gazzolo tower (s. Cristoforo), which would send the alarm to the plain. Those who climb the tower immediately realize the reason for that location: from up there the view sweeps from the Piota valley to the entire Apennine arc, and then down again towards the hills to the Po Valley. Tradition has it that, later, it served as a bell tower for Santa Maria in Prelio, that is, for the Pieve di Silvano d’Orba, as it is located on a hill to the east of it. Towards the end of the seventeenth century the Abbey of San Filippo Neri was built in Albarola, hence the name of today's Abbazia farmhouse.