Lombardore between the Ricetto and Vauda

Lombardore lies at the far edge of the Vauda canavesana, where the Torrente Fisca flows into the Malone. Its history can be seen in several distinct features: the medieval Ricetto and its gates, the castle, which now serves as the town hall, and the Parrocchiale di Sant’Agapito. At the same time, a path from Lombardore follows the Fisca into the Riserva Naturale della Vauda. The town’s history and its natural setting thus offer two distinct focuses for planning a trip.

The Ricetto, Gates, and Castle

The municipality of Lombardore connects the earlier names “Fiscanum” and “Castrum Longobardorum” with a Lombard settlement dating to around the 10th century. Later, a Ricetto was built in Lombardore. It was used to store food and grain and provided residents with refuge during sieges. Storing supplies and offering protection were therefore equally part of its historical function.

The historic village of Lombardore was surrounded by walls with gates on all four sides; two of these gates have survived. The Torre-porta is one of the two surviving medieval gates of the old Ricetto. This distinction helps separate the former enclosure of the village from the individual surviving gates.

Lombardore Castle now serves as the town hall. Visible masonry remains have been preserved on its façade facing the courtyard. Its current use and historic fabric describe two different aspects of the building, neither of which replaces the other.

Church Architecture in Lombardore

The Parrocchiale di Sant’Agapito has a single-nave layout, a semicircular apse, and four side chapels, two on each side. A single-nave layout has no side aisles; the chapels flank the main space in pairs. The apse forms the semicircular end of the floor plan.

The interior is decorated with botanical and geometric ornaments, as well as frescoes. This brings together two aspects: the nave, apse, and side chapels describe the spatial layout, while the ornaments and frescoes are part of the interior decoration. You can therefore consider the church’s floor plan and interior design separately.

The Cappella della Madonna Addolorata also has specific information about access: its entrance has a step and is free of architectural barriers.

From Lombardore to Vauda

One nature route to consider is the path from Lombardore that follows the Torrente Fisca into the Riserva Naturale della Vauda. It connects the starting point in Lombardore with the stream and leads into the nature reserve. This option differs from the town’s cultural and historical attractions: here, the focus is on a route, while the town’s attractions center on the history and architecture of individual buildings.

One possible place to park when accessing the Riserva Naturale della Vauda from Lombardore is by the cemetery. The distinction is useful when choosing the focus of your trip: information about the Ricetto, the gates, the castle, and the church concerns building and settlement history; the Vauda option is a route along the Fisca.

Discover more destinations: Cambiano, Rondissone, Pecetto, San Benigno Canavese, Pinerolo, Corio, La Loggia, Susa.

For the broader travel overview: Turin.