Province CN
Borgo San Dalmazzo, CN
A town at the junction of the Stura, Gesso and Vermenagna valleys, eight kilometres from Cuneo, where the plain meets the Maritime Alps. It grew around the abbey of San Dalmazzo di Pedona and is the gateway to the valleys behind it. It is better known for a December snail fair and a chocolate trade than for its monuments.
Sights
- The parish church of San Dalmazzo, on a site documented since the 7th century and formerly the abbey seat
- Museo dell'Abbazia, an underground archaeological route ending in a Romanesque crypt
- MEMO4345, the memorial museum on the wartime internment camp here, from which Jewish prisoners were deported
- Arco di San Rocco, a 16th-century arch surviving from the medieval street layout
- Santuario di Monserrato, a 17th-century hilltop sanctuary with a view over the plain
Things to do
- Eat the local snail, usually served in a spiced sauce
- Buy artisan chocolate in the centre
- Start walks into the Valle Stura and Valle Gesso from here
Annual events
March
Un Borgo di Cioccolato
Artisan chocolate event in the historic centre.
December
Fiera Fredda della Lumaca
A national snail fair established by ducal charter in 1569, around 5 December, with a snail market, town market, restaurant menus and show cooking.
When to visit
Any season. Early December for the Fiera Fredda, late spring to autumn for walking in the valleys.