The massive Torre delle Castelle dates from the eleventh century and is surrounded by later walls. It is the most visible part of a medieval fortified complex that originally armed the tops of this hill and the one beside it: two summits now covered by fine vineyards.
What to see
The first written records of the fortified system are of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. There were two masonry enclosures, the Castelle themselves, full of buildings among which the tower stood out; on the plateau between the two stood the church of San Giovanni alle Castelle. Besides the tower, in the other enclosure, behind the church, part of a medieval portal can still be glimpsed.
Visiting
The little church of San Giovanni was restructured around 1525 and restored again in the eighteenth century, but in 1950 it was demolished to make room for the chapel of the Madonna della Neve, built by the Alpini section of Gattinara. It is a loss worth knowing about before you arrive, because it explains why a recent building now stands between the two enclosures.
Our editors' tip
Stop at the belvederes beside the tower. From there you see the Vercelli plain and the nearby Novara country on one side, the Biella country, the hills and the first pre-Alpine spurs on the other: it is why this was a place to fortify, and it is also why the vineyards are here today.