Our walk starts with the most beautiful building of Vezza: the church of San Bernardino, commonly known as the Brotherhood of the Discaplined or “dei Battuti” (A). The church was built following the project of Carlo Giacinto between 1744 and 1768 in honor of Saint Bernardino. The bell tower was completed in 1792. The interior exhibits impressive paintings: “Madonna col Bambino e i santi Bernardino da Siena e Carlo Borromeo” is a painting made by Fea in 1636; “Santa Elisabetta d’Ungheria e Santa Chiara” and “San Vincenzo Ferrer in estasi e San Giovanni Battista” date back to the second half of 1700 and were made by Giovenale Dongiovanni. The fresco on the dome is also peculiar. Today the church hosts temporary art exhibitions and sacred and classical music concerts.

From the central square of Vezza we can reach the panoramic point of Strada Romantica (B). It sits 352 meters a.s.l. near the “Rocca del Castello”, which was the center of human and religious activities. From here it is possible to see the Shrine of Madonna dei Boschi between the “Sanche” and “Maggiore” Valleys. The Romanesque one-aisled construction was built during the 12th century. In 1471 the Roero family became the official owner and built an adjacent convent. In 1731 the vault was adorned with a prestigious gothic fresco representing the Annunciation. Many members of the Roero family of Vezza and Guarene were buried in the crypt between 1608 and 1800. The Shrine can only be visited on request.

Continuing our trail, we find the church of Santa Maria Assunta e San Martino (C). Conceived as an oratory, it was restructured between 1665 and 1671 and expanded between 1850 and 1853 with the construction of the side aisles and the sacristy. The interior is peculiar due to the eight lateral chapels and some paintings by the Dufour brothers. On the top of the nave, we can admire four big frescoes that were painted in 1872 by artist Paolo Emilio Mogari. Three of them are dedicated to Saint Martin. The magnificent organ was built by the Bossi company of Turin in 1875. The painting behind the choir dates back to the same period: it represents Saint Martin and Saint Benedict at the foot of the Virgin Mary.

In the Borgonuovo hamlet we find a church dedicated to Saint Charles (D) built in 1622/1623 in compliance with a community vow. The building was later extended and rebuilt with a cross plan. Outside the hamlets of Borgonuovo and Borbore we can see the church of San Martino di Socco (E). This one is a simple church in Piedmontese baroque style with an asymmetrical bell tower. In the Borbore hamlet, at the beginning of the slope called “monta”, we can visit the church of Madonna d’Oropa e San Pancrazio (F).

We’ll finish our walk in Vezza d’Alba’s main square with the elegant building that hosts the Naturalistic Museum of Roero (G). The museum is run by volunteers and represents a touristic, naturalistic and cultural point of interest for both kids and adults. The artifacts shown in the museum were collected since the 80s by the kids of the elementary school, who were asked to find and select the most significant elements of the land. This is how the first collection of fossils and animals was born and continues to grow. This kind of museum made by school children was turned into a civic museum in 1999. In the museum we can now find a geological room (where all the artifacts found in the Vezza and Roero territory are stored) and a naturalistic room housing reconstructions of Roero’s typical natural environments. There are also an educational room, a library, a technological station, and an entomological section.