Roccaverano: Heritage, Cheese and Traditional Festivals

Roccaverano offers several distinct highlights for a trip: historic buildings, sacred art, goat’s cheese and traditional events. If you’re looking for a hotel in Roccaverano, you can plan your stay around whichever of these themes interests you most. The buildings provide a historical setting; the two festival dates add their own highlights in June and September.

Castle Tower and Viewing Platform

Restoration has made it possible to climb the castle tower and access a wooden viewing platform at first-floor level. From there, you can look through the bifora windows onto the church and square. If you plan to visit this viewpoint, check the access arrangements before your trip.

The Parish Church of San Giovanni Battista

The old parish church of San Giovanni Battista was built between the 13th and 14th centuries. It has a single-nave layout with four bays and an elevated chancel. A single-nave layout means a building with one nave; the four bays are the sections into which it is divided. The elevated chancel adds another spatial feature to this description. The church also preserves an extensive fresco cycle, painted after 1481 and attributed to an anonymous master.

The Torre di Vengore

The Torre di Vengore is a square watchtower dating from the 13th century. It was used to observe the Bormida di Spigno valley and the areas around Ponzone and Acquese. The parish church was built between the 13th and 14th centuries, the Torre dates from the 13th century, and the fresco cycle was painted after 1481. This makes it possible to distinguish the dates of the historic building and its artistic decoration.

Goat’s Cheese and Festival Cuisine

Roccaverano DOP is a soft cheese made from 100% goat’s milk and produced by hand in Roccaverano. At the Sagra del Polentone, polenta is served with meat sauce, a sausage made from pure pork, and the indispensable Robiola DOP. Both the production of soft goat’s-milk cheese and a traditional polenta dish are among the culinary themes you can associate with Roccaverano.

Events in June and September

The Sagra del Polentone takes place on the first Sunday in June. It is a long-standing folk tradition associated with the preparation of polenta in the Bormida Valley. If you’d like to include the event in your travel plans, confirm the date before your trip.

The traditional Mostra Caprina takes place on the first Sunday in September. The event features goats belonging to local breeders. After the goat show, the programme continues with food tastings and the distribution of local products and typical dishes. Unlike the polenta tradition in June, September’s event focuses first on the goats, followed by tastings and local produce. Check the current dates and programme before your trip.

Discover more destinations: Mombaruzzo, San Paolo Solbrito, Gorra, Albugnano, Montiglio Monferrato, Refrancore, Agliano, Penango

For the main travel overview: Asti.