The sanctuary of the Madonna del Castello began with a discovery. On 5 May 1810 Costanzo Chiapale uncovered an ancient chapel of about four metres, with paintings showing the Virgin among the apostles. The owner of the land had the church rebuilt and on his death left all his goods to the chapel, so that there would be means to keep it running; in 1841 a priest was charged with its care.
What to see
The front is white, marked off by pilaster strips with capitals and closed by a pediment; above the portal, framed in stone, sits the Marian monogram, and higher up an oval window opens. Behind the front rises the body of the church, with a polygonal drum covered by a dome and topped by a lantern, the part you see from a distance. On either side run two lower buildings, plastered yellow, which close the complex and make it look more like a small religious hamlet than an isolated church. In front, a cobbled avenue leads to the door between two rows of trees.
Visiting
The sanctuary grew richer through the donations of the faithful: over the years coloured glass was added and the roof redone. It also had distinguished visitors. On 4 September 1855 prince Umberto, the future king Umberto I, came up here with duke Amedeo; in 1860 the bishop of Cuneo, monsignor Clemente Manzini, presided here over the celebrations of the parish feast and the procession that ends at the sanctuary.
Our editors' tip
This is one of those sanctuaries that grew by accumulation, with no overall design: first the rediscovered chapel, then the new church that swallowed it, then the bequests and donations that paid for one piece at a time. That is why the whole is not homogeneous, and why it is worth going in meaning to look for the old part rather than to admire a monument. One thing to note: the name speaks of a castle, but the medieval castle of Caraglio stands a couple of kilometres away, on another rise. The sanctuary has the name, not the site.