We start our tour from Treiso’s square where the Baroque parish church (A) of the Beata Maria Vergine Assunta stands. Its origins date back to the mid-eighteenth century, when it replaced the former church dedicated to San Lorenzo. The bell tower was built in 1767 but the new bell was only placed 3 years later. On the facade we can see the statues of the Vergin Mary, Sant’Anna and S. Gioacchino designed by sculptor Unia from Racconigi in 1773. The interiors were decorated by different artists in 1898, on the main altar we can find the painting “L’assunzione di Maria Vergine, S. Lorenzo e S. Giovanni” that was probably already collocated in the old church. Above the side altar we can observe the painting “S. Luigi Gonzaga e S.ta Caterina” by painter Gagliardi and in the presbytery a sculptural group portraying the Virgin Mary. “S. Bovo, la beata Vergine del Rosario e Sant’Isidoro agricoltore” is instead a work by painter Pietro Paolo Operti. Another relevant item is the ancient organ bought in 1887 from the parish church of Neive.

We move now to the church of S. Bernardino da Siena (B), next to the Town Hall, that previously housed the congregation of the “Battuti Bianchi”. It was recently renovated and transformed into a modern Cultural Center with a large event room suitable for exhibitions and shows. The Center is dedicated to Don Giuseppe Flori, meritorious priest of Treiso between 1950 and 1998.

Just out of the village, after a few curves, on the street side we see some white and grey walls of ravines and rock clefts extending towards a narrow valley. We are in front of the Rocche dei Sette Fratelli (“cliffs of the seven brothers”)- panoramic point of the Strada Romantica (C). Although it’s known that the particular shape of the cliffs is due to the action of the water which eroded the brittle hills during the centuries, we also have a fabulous explanation for this phenomenon that was handed down from generation to generation in Treiso: the famous legend of the Sette Fratelli.

“Once upon a time there was a meadow where now cliffs are, lair of foxes and partridges. One day seven brothers went to that meadow to cut the grass. At lunch time their sister reached them bringing a light breakfast since it was Friday, the day of abstinence according to their religion. The brothers, as they were very hungry and not so strictly religious, started insulting their sister and cursing. Meanwhile the Viaticum procession passed by: at that time the priest used to bring in solemn form the Communion to the old people of the village. For that reason, the girl invited her brothers to suspend the meal and to kneel in deep recollection. Again, they started cursing. That’s when the ground under their feet opened up swallowing them. Only the devoted girl was spared.”

The Rocche dei Sette Fratelli cover an area of almost 9 hectares. The surface of these cliffs is almost devoid of vegetation except for some broom, juniper and Scots pine shrubs due to the steepness of the land. Oaks, sweet acacia and elms grow on the top, whereas the lowest points are rich in forest animals.