Attractions and Places To See around Balzola - Top 20

The term “Servizio Movimentazione Carrelli e Gallerie della Marna” appears in some hiking routes or local tours, for example as a stage or point of interest on the route “Rive – country of street art” in the surroundings of Casale Monferrato, where it is mentioned as a place along with other panoramic viewpoints or nature trails.

Giovanni II Paleologo, Marquis of Monferrato, ordered the current castle to be built and work continued until 1357. When Casale assumed the role of capital of the Margraviate of Monferrato and obtained the title of city in 1474, it also changed castle, seat of the court, after the restoration with the marquises Guglielmo VIII (1464-1483) and Bonifacio V (1483-1494). When Giovanni II Paleologo died, the Gonzaga of Mantova took control of Casale. The castle was strengthened by new military techniques, so the walls and the plan shape were adjusted so that it became hexagonal (which we can still see today). The towers were also strengthened and four new ravelins were added. At the beginning of the seventeenth century, the castle returned to its role as the seat of the court. The Dukes of Mantova, who were busy negotiating with Savoia, stayed there. Later it became the principality of Duke Carlo II Gonzaga-Nevers (1637-1665), who holidayed there many times with his entire court, which gave a boost to the cultural life in Casale. Due to the crisis of the Gonzaga dynasty, the castle was on the verge of decline. The city fell to Savoia in 1708 and the castle became a barracks. In the mid-19th century, Casale was fortified in preparation for a war against Austria and the castle became a defensive structure. The eastern ravelin was demolished, creating the current Piazza Castello, which became an open-air market zone. With the unification of Italy, the other three ravelins were also demolished.

We are in the heart of the territory that between the end of the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century, thanks to its geological conformation, gave birth to the Italian cement epic; here you can still see the service building for moving the trolleys that transported the marl into the underground tunnels

The Bosco della Pastrona, a green area of approximately 50 hectares, connects the river with the city of Casale Monferrato. Partly managed by the Po Park, it includes a picnic area and a mountain biking and running trail called "Kintana". This 10 km route was inaugurated in May 2014 after a redevelopment period supported by the Piedmont Region and private volunteers. Thanks to an agreement with the Municipality of Casale Monferrato, the area is managed by private individuals for maintenance and the organization of events. Currently managed by the non-profit association "Fiab Monferrato Bike", the route is challenging but accessible to all. The terrain is suitable for all seasons, except for adverse weather conditions. During the excursion, you can enjoy the flora and fauna along the Po and choose where to stop at the technical points. The route has three rings with different levels of difficulty and connections to other paths, starting from the Monferrato Castle and ending at the pier. The management of the area involves the local community and offers an opportunity to reconnect with the Po river.

The UNESCO site of the wine-growing landscapes of Langhe, Monferrato and Roero is made up of six areas in the provinces of Alessandria, Asti and Cuneo and twenty-nine municipalities. The areas represent the exceptional quality of the Piedmontese wine-growing landscape and its profound and lively wine culture. The site is characterized by a rich and diversified system of farmhouses, wineries, wine industries, cooperative wineries, public and private wine shops, which in some cases constitute symbolic places for the history and development of national and international viticulture and enology.

One of the most spectacular castles in Monferrato and equipped with crenellated walls and towers. As with many ancient buildings in Italy, there are many legends about the castle of Camino. One of the most recurrent narrates that in the year 1494, Count Scarampo Scarampi, feudal lord of the Marquis of Monferrato, was accused of making forays into neighboring villages causing problems such as thefts and fires. After a long siege of the castle, which lasted two months, it was captured by the militias of Costantino Aranite, prefect of Casale. His wife, the Marquise Camilla, managed to escape from a secret passage and reach Casale to ask for a safe conduct for her husband's life. Scarampo Scarampi, however, had already been beheaded by those who had imprisoned him. When she learned of her husband's sad fate, out of desperation, the Marquise Camilla threw herself from the tower. Now, she walks around the battlements of the castle crying, while her husband walks around the manor with his head in his hand. Legend aside, in the inner courtyard of the castle of Camino there is the sarcophagus of the noble Scarampo, depicted at rest holding his head with his left hand.

Panoramic road among the Monferrato hills with views of the surrounding hills, the Po Valley and on good weather days up to the Alps.

Ancient Foresteria of the Castle of Camino Via Castello, 26, 15020 Camino AL