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Nucetto Castle is a medieval structure located in the town of Nucetto, in the Upper Tanaro Valley.
In the past, Nucetto held strategic importance due to its location near a bridge over the Tanaro River, connecting Piedmont and Liguria. The castle likely dates back to the reign of King Arduin, built around the year 1000. It later came under the control of the Aleramic marquises of Ceva, who founded the Ceva di Nucetto branch. Giorgio II of Ceva, known as “the Dwarf,” improved and expanded the castle both functionally and aesthetically.
In 1414, it suffered serious damage during conflicts between the House of Savoy and the Marquisate of Ceva. After the war, the Ceva family regained control and restored it. Later, the castle, along with the city of Asti, was granted to Beatrice of Portugal. Through her marriage to Charles II of Savoy, the property was incorporated into Savoy territory.
During the Napoleonic wars, the castle was again involved in military actions and was partially destroyed by French troops to prevent its use by enemy forces. Nearby stands a small deconsecrated church dedicated to Saints Cosmas and Damian, once the parish church of Nucetto. In 2020, the castle was acquired by the municipality to promote it as a tourist attraction.
The castle sits at about 600 meters above sea level, perched on a mountain spur overlooking the Tanaro Valley and the town of Nucetto. Its elevated position makes it visible from a great distance. Today, the ruins include a tall tower and much of the perimeter walls.
Although the site is freely accessible, visitors must be cautious due to the risk of collapse. The town of Nucetto now hosts an annual event called the Giro del Castello di Nucetto, featuring a footrace and a recreational walk that pass by the castle.
The Pilgrimage Church of Wies (Wieskirche) is an oval rococo church, designed in the late 1740s by Dominikus Zimmermann. It is located in the foothills of the Alps in the municipality of Steingaden.
The sanctuary of Wies is a pilgrimage church extraordinarily well-preserved in the beautiful setting of an Alpine valley, and is a perfect masterpiece of Rococo art and creative genius, as well as an exceptional testimony to a civilization that has disappeared.
The hamlet of Wies, in 1738, is said to have been the setting of a miracle in which tears were seen on a simple wooden figure of Christ mounted on a column that was no longer venerated by the Premonstratensian monks of the Abbey. A wooden chapel constructed in the fields housed the miraculous statue for some time. However, pilgrims from Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and even Italy became so numerous that the Abbot of the Premonstratensians of Steingaden decided to construct a splendid sanctuary.