We began our day from Mombarone Campsite in Quincinetto at 7:30 a.m. after charging our phones (Gabe also made coffee and oatmeal) for the day.

Our first day in the Piemonte Region delivered many vineyards, small villages and castles. A much easier trek than the previous day.

We finished the day in the town of Ivrea (population 23,599) around 1:30 p.m., the earliest finish on the trip so far. After lunch, we settled in our B&B apartment in the alley behind the restaurant owned by the proprietors of the B&B. We enjoyed our first siesta of the journey. We slept hard but woke in time to walk around the city and inquire about restaurant recommendations from the local wine store (beautiful shop and very kind employees).

Gabe and I enjoyed our final dinner together at a bustling, quintessential Italian trattoria and strolled through the City enjoying a passeggiatta (evening after dinner stroll). I’m going to miss my friend when he departs for Milan tomorrow on his journey back home.

History

From the castle’s website:

The Montalto Dora Castle gazed at centuries of history, from the Savoy to the Spanish, the French to the Germans, suffering numerous attacks by invaders, living the troubled Napoleonic period and savoring the long-awaited peace through the unification of Italy. Its construction is attributed to the first half of the XII century , as evidenced by a document dated 1140, in which it is mentioned as “Castrum Montisalti”, belonging to the jurisdiction of Ivrea City’s Bishop.

The manor has been owned by multiple lineages.
In the XIV century it became part of the possessions of Savoy, who in 1403 sold it to De Jordanis of Bard family, who carried on with the construction.

Among the various attacks, we must remember the one that occurred during the siege of Ivrea in 1641, by the French troops of the Marquis d’ Harcourt, in the war against the Duchy of Savoy. On that occasion the interior of the manor was dismantled, while external structures remained almost intact.

At the beginning of the XVIII century the castle passed to the Vallesa family, who owned it until the early XIX century, when the lineage ended.
It later belonged to the Count Severino of the Barons of Casana, who began to restore and enhance it.

In the early1900 an important study on the castle’s restoration was accomplished by Dr. Carlo Nigra, an engineer, together with the portoguese architect Alfredo d’Andrade, creator of the Turin “Borgo Medievale” (an accurate reconstruction of a medieval village in the city centre).

In 1963 the Castle became property of the Allioni of Brondello family. From 1965 to 1985 they proceeded to restore the buildings inside the walls, and to enhance the park.