Ricetto di Candelo (BI) is totally unique in Europe: protected by towers and a boundary wall, it is a rare example of a collective rural fortification from the Middle Ages.
Built by the population between the 13th and 14th centuries, the ricetto was used as a deposit for agricultural products in times of peace and as a shelter in times of danger. With a pentagonal layout, it extends over a surface area of 13,000m2 and counts approx. 200 buildings, known as cellule (cells) almost all of which are privately owned.
The boundary wall encloses all of the perimeter with the exception of the southern edge where the Palazzo Comunale, the only neoclassical building, was built in 1819. The watchman’s route can still be walked and there are defensive towers at the four corners of the ricetto. The Palazzo del Principe is the most imposing of the buildings with a keep built in 1496 by Sebastiano Ferrero. The rue, cobbled streets, separate the individual cells, distributed across 9 clusters.
Film Commission Torino Piemonte
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