Candia
From the slopes of Monte Santo Stefano, the roofs of Candia face the
Lake. From this point you can enjoy a wonderful view: on the one side
there is the Plain with the Monferrato hills, the hills of Superga and
of Maddalena behind Torino, and in the background the perfect
silhouette of the Monviso; on the other side, towards the North there
are the green hills of the Canavese with the Serra d'Ivrea, and in the
background the Alps of Mombarone and Gran Paradiso.
In these lands,
during the 13th and the 14th century, the bishop Conte di Ivrea, the
Marquis of Monferrato, and the Prince of Acaja were the protagonists of
many battles: the ancient Tower of Castiglione and the Castle of Candia are evidences of the battles and of the disputes for the conquest of the territory.
Also
the religious architecture boasts of ancient origins: the church of
Santo Stefano al Monte, dating back to the 11th-12th century, stands on
the ruins of some pagan religious sites, and the Pieve di San Michele dates back to the late Roman period.
The first nucleus of Palazzo Comunale (the
Town Hall) is much more recent since it dates back to the 17th century:
the building has been enlarged and enriched in the centuries, and it
consists of a series of small halls facing a little square. In a corner
of this square it is still possible to observe an old round ice house
which was used by the local fishermen to keep the fish in summer: this
simple but clever system gave them the opportunity to sale the product
during the whole year.
