Type of trail: trekking
Difficulty: low
Point of departure and arrival: Piazza Cerrina
Length: circa 2 km
Soil: asphalt and dirt tracks
Discover the little village from Piazza Cerrina (A). This square used to connect the 4 old districts in which the village was split: Arezza, Brich, Buzignano and Berico.
Let’s continue along the street leading to the parish church to visit the chapel of Sant’Anna (B). It was the venue of the Brotherhood of the Falgellanti or Disciplinati, also known as the “Battuti bianchi”. According its members, the best way to atone for the sins was being hit by a rope called in fact “disciplina”.
Palazzo Tovegni (C) is an eclectic building with two majestic Art Nouveau dormer windows. It was built at the beginning of 1900 reproducing the façade of a Norvegian palace, today it is a school. From the garden we can access the third floor through an iron and Luserna stone walkway to admire the masonry remains of the old castle.
The present structure of the church of San Lorenzo (D) is the result of the enlargement achieved around 1671, of the original church dating back to 1409. Behind the main altar there is an oil painting by an unknown author that represents San Lorenzo’s martyrdrom at the stake. In one of the lateral chapels, we see the painting “Madonna del latte” by Agostino Bianchetti from Cherasco. Another interesting piece is the 16th century fresco on the right of the entrance that comes from the country chapel of San Sebastiano.
We go now to Parco della Torre, the panoramic point of the Strada Romantica. It’s on the highest point of the village that the medieval tower (E) stands. The Murazzano tower is 36m high and dates back to the 10th Century. This perfectly square tower was built in stone and it has perfectly squared lead corners, oriented towards the compass rose. Today it is possible to visit, thanks to the restoration occurred 2003. From the top you can admire the beautiful view of the Alps.
The poet Fenoglio described Murazzano as the last village of the Langhe. During the Second World War, this village played an important role in the Resistenza as a shelter for the partisans. Some war damages are still evident today.
We go on with the tour admiring the First World War Memorial (F).
Porta Buzignano (G), together with Arezza, Frigida and Bullaria, was one of the four gates of the village. It is near the shrine of the Madonna of Hal, where one can see a small tower and a lancet arch with a loophole; on the highest part it is possible to see the remaining traces of red paint that represented the Savoy’s coat of arms
The Shrine of the Beata Vergine di Hall (H) hosts a representation of the Virgin Mary painted on a slate. It is kept in a beautiful small shrine and venerated since 1630. It resembles the statue of Hal conserved in Belgium. The inhabitants of Murazzano are very attached to this painting and attribute the salvation of the village to the Virgin, when it was about to be burnt by German troops in 1944.
The abandoned tower, better known as Mulino a Vento (windmill) (I), is right outside the village on the ancient way to Dogliani. It’s the oldest building of Murazzano, since its origins as a watchtower date back before the year 1000, but it was later converted into a mill for crushing grain. It was in use until 1630, when the community started grinding in Cigliè.
The last stop is the monumental cemetery (L).