Scurzolengo: Culture, Churches and Hill Trails

Explore Scurzolengo through its architectural history, local memorial sites and trails across the hilly landscape. This gives you different options for planning your visit: historic churches and chapels, a circular route through vineyards and hills, or a section of a trail towards Calliano.

Castle, Ricetto and San Lorenzo

The Castello di Scurzolengo has medieval origins; the first records of the castle date back to 986 AD. Its original section is connected to the parish church of San Lorenzo. The Ricetto di Scurzolengo also tells the story of this development: it includes the original part of the ancient Castrum and the church associated with it, finely decorated in the Baroque style. The castle replaced the Castrum in the 14th century. The bell tower and rectory complete the complex; the rectory was built in the mid-18th century.

The Chiesa di San Lorenzo is a parish church of very ancient origin. Its present appearance dates to 19th-century expansion work on a 17th-century building. It is distinct from the Cappella di San Lorenzo: this was Scurzolengo’s first parish seat and has remained solely a chapel since 1629. A Mass in honour of Saint Lawrence is celebrated there every year on 10 August.

Chapels and local heritage

The other chapels also reflect different styles and periods of construction. The Cappella di San Giuseppe is circular and slightly spiral-shaped; it underwent further conservation restoration in 2022. The Cappella di San Rocco was built around 1630 and rebuilt in an octagonal form in the late 18th century. Nearby is the Parco della Rimembranza, a memorial site for those who fell in the two world wars. The Cappella di San Defendente dates back to the 17th century and was rebuilt and completed in 1867.

The local truffle heritage is another facet of the town’s history: the Trifola da Scursleng association was founded in 2002 to revive it. Together with the churches, chapels and Ricetto, this offers a cultural and historical perspective on Scurzolengo that brings together religious buildings, architecture and local traditions.

Hill trails and different routes

Scurzolengo sits on a hillside, with views of the green slopes of the Asti Monferrato. A circular route runs through vineyards and the surrounding hills. The town can serve as a starting point for hiking and cycling routes. One specific hiking section is the Scurzolengo–Calliano route of the Cammini delle alte colline ombrose e delle colline chiare: it starts in the town centre on Via Marconi, passes through a wooded stretch about 800 metres long, then descends into the Valle Pissapola.

The two routes offer different ways to find your bearings: the circular route is defined by its loop and its course through vineyards and hills; the section to Calliano by its starting point, wooded stretch and subsequent descent into the Valle Pissapola. There is also the Itinerario dei trogoli di Scurzolengo. It leads to circular concrete basins that were once used to collect rainwater and were painted by schoolchildren to represent the different parts of the town. Each trogolo has a QR code linking to a chapter from a book by Maestro Pinetu Nebiolo about the history of the municipality and its inhabitants.

A viewpoint on Via Martiri della Libertà offers a panorama. This complements the routes through vineyards, hills and a wooded stretch with the views and distinctive stops along the Trogoli itinerary.

Getting there and planning

The Scurzolengo stop is served by Arfea bus route 48 towards Asti. Check the timetable separately when planning your journey. If you are visiting in August, the annual event at the Cappella di San Lorenzo on 10 August is another local point of interest: a Mass in honour of Saint Lawrence is celebrated there every year on this day.

Discover more destinations: Castelnuovo Don Bosco, Agliano, Calamandrana, Cocconato, Costigliole Dʼasti, Albugnano, Castel Rocchero, San Matteo.

For the broader travel overview: Asti.