Carema

Carema is a village of 750 people (2021) in the Piedmont region of Italy. The village of Carema lies in a beautiful sunny valley north west of Piedmont and marks the divide between Piedmont and the Aosta Valley. The backdrop to the village is a spectacular expanse of vineyards clinging onto rocky slopes up to an altitude of 600 masl.

Understand

Carema's vineyard terraces are supported by dry stone walls and are filled with fertile morainal soil brought up from the bottom of the valley. The terraces are lined with pillars in the shape of a truncated cone made of stone and lime . Vine trellises rest on the flat stone “caps” placed on top of the pillars. In the local dialect the name for the vine pergola is “topia” or “tupiun”, while “pilun” is the name for the white pillars supporting it and which inspired the unusual definition of “Bacchus’s Temples”. During the day these masses of rock store the heat of the sun and then release it in the night, thus attenuating the difference in temperature range between day and night.

See

Along the narrow streets and on the tiny squares there are several stone fountains. The one on via Basilia, built by the Challant-Madruzzo, was built as a tribute to the Dukes of Savoy in 1571. Tthe granite stele placed at the tip of the basin is adorned with the heraldic coats of arms of the Savoy and the Kings of France.

The Grand Maison, or Gran Masun, at the corner with via Bottero, is a " stronghold " which must have had defensive functions. On its robust stone walls there are small windows with grilles, framed by rustic architraves and piers; the remains of heraldic coats of arms can be seen on the facade. The Torre degli Ugoni also has a defensive function.

The village's bell tower, 60 metres high, was built between 1760 and 1769.

At the ends of the basin which forms the background of the town, there are two votive buildings dear to popular devotion, almost acting as sentinels: on the left, the small chapel of Siei, and on the right, above a rocky outcrop, the 17th-century chapel of San Rocco.

• 1 The ruins of the Castle of Castruzzone. The ruins cling to a rocky outcrop in the hamlet of Airale, a castle which in 1357 Amedeo VI received as a perpetual fiefdom from the Bishop of Ivrea, together with Carema. (updated Apr 2023)

Do

• Il sentiero dei vigneti (Path of the Vineyards). A 4-km trail with an uphill difference in height of 100 m. From the sports facilities in Via Torino, where it is possible to park, continue on foot in the direction of Pont Saint Martin (on the left) just before the service station, take the path on the right. The route skirts the service area, bends to the left and climbs to the right, hugging a massive stone wall. After a series of curves through the vineyards, take a fork on the right. After a few bends you reach the chapel of San Rocco dating back to the 17th century, which offers a view of the natural amphitheater in which Carema stands. The path continues between stone walls and then descends, through a bottleneck close to a rock wall, up to a farm road that runs alongside the vineyards. The road continues into the historic centre in Foriana, which then joins up with Via Roma where you can admire a granite fountain. A little further on is the Casa della Musica. Continue along Via Roma up to the crossroads with Via Basilia, embellished by another public fountain. Go up to the square where the Town Hall and the Parish Church of San Martino stand. A little further on, in Via San Matteo, there are various buildings of notable architectural value: the bell tower of the parish church (18th century), the fountain of San Matteo (dated 1460) and the chapel of the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament. Continuing to the end of the road (beyond the crossroads of Via Vairos) you come across the mighty “Gran Masun” safe, dating back to the early Middle Ages.

At this point the route leaves the paved road to proceed along a flat farm road. After about 500 m, having reached the municipal road, follow it up to the crossroads for the Vallo region. Crossing the terraces, you reach Cappella Siei. Here the route reached its highest altitude (394 m asl). The descent begins passing in front of the chapel, heading towards Piole. Before reaching the inhabited centre, you come across a shortcut with steps. Once you reach the farm road again, follow it in the direction of Carema (going down to the right). The steep road descends between terraced vineyards. Once in the basin that surrounds the town, continue for about 500 m, and at the second crossroads along the way, turn left along a narrow path flanked on both sides by the stone pillars. Follow it until you reach State Road 26 and skirt it in the direction of the town. After 50 m, you reach the Cantina Produttori Nebbiolo di Carema. Going along Via Torino for a few hundred metres you will then return to the starting point. Free. (updated Apr 2023)

Buy

• 1 Cantina dei Produttori Nebbiolo di Carema (Carema’s Nebbiolo Producer’s Wine Cellar), Via Nazionale 32. M-Sa 09:00-12:30, 14:30-19:00; Sundays and feast days 14:00-19:00; closed 1 Jan, Easter, 15 Aug, Christmas. Carema wine is produced of 100% Nebbiolo grapes solely in the Carema municipality. (updated Apr 2023)

Sleep

• 1 Albergo Carla, Via Nazionale Per Carema 104/106, Pont-Saint-Martin, ☏ +39 125 807281. A two-star hotel. €65. (updated Apr 2023)