Top 7 Castles around Balzola

The Castle of Terruggia is an ancient medieval fortification that was located in the village of Terruggia, in Piedmont, in the Monferrato area (province of Alessandria).

Nestled among centuries-old trees, Camino Castle dominates the ancient village from above and contributes to one of the most easily recognizable hilltop profiles of the Lower Monferrato.

In the heart of Monferrato, Terruggia preserves a compact historic center and a medieval castle, now a private villa.

Built on an inaccessible tuff spur, from which the entire valley and surrounding plain can be seen, it was initially a watchtower, later equipped with granaries for food reserves and quarters for healing. The first inhabitants of the current town settled immediately below the fort, feeling protected. Aleramo, the founder of the Marquises of Monferrato, held his court here, which at the time was itinerant. The castle, perched high on the hill, was impregnable due to its position and external defenses. It also had a well that could only be reached from the inside through a long tunnel dug into the tuff, allowing the inhabitants to resist sieges. The feudal lords, over time, were the counts of Lomello, the Church of Vercelli and William VI of Monferrato called the Great who, in the 13th century, further strengthened the fortifications with higher walls to the north. The last feudal lords of San Giorgio, the Gozani, enriched the castle with the scenographic eighteenth-century façade, with progressively receding masses, the large U-shaped staircase and the two arches that mark the entrances to the south and north. The Gozani were responsible for the construction in the eighteenth century, inside the hanging garden, of the chapel with perfect proportions, the work of Ferroggio, a student of Juvarra. The architect Bollati (1870) was responsible for the southern façade with neo-Gothic forms: it is a façade broken in a horizontal direction, receding to form a terrace on the third floor, from which, without climbing to the top of the tower, you can enjoy the spectacular view of the Alpine arch, from Monviso to Monte Rosa, of the gentle Monferrato hills and the Lomellina plain. Even though the Castle is private property, it is possible to visit it. Consult the website www.castellodisangiorgiomonferrato.com to find out the dates and times of visits.

10th century castle, now private for receptions and events. In the Castle Square there is the Town Hall (the building looks like a small church with a clock), on the ground floor there is the post office but above all there is a fountain with fresh water even in August

Among the monuments, the city castle stands out, the first records of which date back to the year 1034.

A small community on the plain, of ancient origin, probably Roman, it bases its economy on traditional agricultural activity accompanied by a growing development of related tourism.

One of the most spectacular castles in Monferrato and equipped with crenellated walls and towers. As with many ancient buildings in Italy, there are many legends about the castle of Camino. One of the most recurrent narrates that in the year 1494, Count Scarampo Scarampi, feudal lord of the Marquis of Monferrato, was accused of making forays into neighboring villages causing problems such as thefts and fires. After a long siege of the castle, which lasted two months, it was captured by the militias of Costantino Aranite, prefect of Casale. His wife, the Marquise Camilla, managed to escape from a secret passage and reach Casale to ask for a safe conduct for her husband's life. Scarampo Scarampi, however, had already been beheaded by those who had imprisoned him. When she learned of her husband's sad fate, out of desperation, the Marquise Camilla threw herself from the tower. Now, she walks around the battlements of the castle crying, while her husband walks around the manor with his head in his hand. Legend aside, in the inner courtyard of the castle of Camino there is the sarcophagus of the noble Scarampo, depicted at rest holding his head with his left hand.