Comune
The small hamlet of Colleretto Giacosa in the Canavese region is a privileged vantage point of what is considered to be the most significant glacial edifice in the world. Its upper part, once called the Cimavilla Region, is a natural balcony overlooking the morainic amphitheatre and the Ivrea Greenhouse.
It was called Colleretto Parella until 1953, when it added to its name that of the playwright and librettist Giuseppe Giacosa, who was born here in 1847 and wrote the words for Puccini’s operas such as La Bohème, Madama Butterfly and Tosca. We can still find Giacosa’s birthplace, which over the years quickly became ’La Grande Arca’, as Pastonchi would define it in 1903, a meeting place and attraction for the illustrious members of a cultural coterie whose director and leading actor was Giuseppe Giacosa.
The heart of the village features houses with a medieval layout, once belonging to the Pianavilla Region: a shelter for the nearby Castle of San Martino di Parella. The ancient function of the historical centre can be seen in the presence of building cells with a contained perimeter: once used as grange with vegetable gardens and cultivated fields, adjoining the wide expanse of the Roggia meadows with vaulted driveways, opening onto courtyards with ancient charm and loggias with Canavese-style arches.
From the centre of the town, the roads wind their way to Regione Cimavilla, in a natural setting of rare beauty. Here, in the upper part of the town, in the early 20th century, influential patrons, personalities from the cultural and business world of the time, built fine mansions. From their vast gardens and centuries-old parks, colours, scents and views expand and interpenetrate to the crown of historic vineyards and ancient farmsteads, orchards, woods and tidy vineyards, at an altitude of over 300 metres.
A network of 7 routes allows the visitor to move around independently with panels, web information, qr cod, signposts. Some are connected to itineraries in neighbouring municipalities to be followed on foot, by bicycle or on horseback.
The town centre is home to the "Guido Rossa" park, a hectare of equipped green space: a place of delight and recreation in which to play and relax.
In the Ribes industrial area, the ’Silvano Fumero’ Bioindustry Park is an international centre of excellence built to promote and develop biotechnology research.
It was called Colleretto Parella until 1953, when it added to its name that of the playwright and librettist Giuseppe Giacosa, who was born here in 1847 and wrote the words for Puccini’s operas such as La Bohème, Madama Butterfly and Tosca. We can still find Giacosa’s birthplace, which over the years quickly became ’La Grande Arca’, as Pastonchi would define it in 1903, a meeting place and attraction for the illustrious members of a cultural coterie whose director and leading actor was Giuseppe Giacosa.
The heart of the village features houses with a medieval layout, once belonging to the Pianavilla Region: a shelter for the nearby Castle of San Martino di Parella. The ancient function of the historical centre can be seen in the presence of building cells with a contained perimeter: once used as grange with vegetable gardens and cultivated fields, adjoining the wide expanse of the Roggia meadows with vaulted driveways, opening onto courtyards with ancient charm and loggias with Canavese-style arches.
From the centre of the town, the roads wind their way to Regione Cimavilla, in a natural setting of rare beauty. Here, in the upper part of the town, in the early 20th century, influential patrons, personalities from the cultural and business world of the time, built fine mansions. From their vast gardens and centuries-old parks, colours, scents and views expand and interpenetrate to the crown of historic vineyards and ancient farmsteads, orchards, woods and tidy vineyards, at an altitude of over 300 metres.
A network of 7 routes allows the visitor to move around independently with panels, web information, qr cod, signposts. Some are connected to itineraries in neighbouring municipalities to be followed on foot, by bicycle or on horseback.
The town centre is home to the "Guido Rossa" park, a hectare of equipped green space: a place of delight and recreation in which to play and relax.
In the Ribes industrial area, the ’Silvano Fumero’ Bioindustry Park is an international centre of excellence built to promote and develop biotechnology research.
Contacts
Via Giuseppe Giacosa, 23, 10010 Colleretto Giacosa (TO)