Holiday Apartment in Valenza: Jewellery, Cathedral and Nature

Valenza combines an exceptional jewellery-making tradition with sacred art and a diverse river and wetland landscape. The city is one of the world's most important production centres for high-quality jewellery and goldsmith's work. The integrated goldsmithing production chain includes design, modelling, stone setting, polishing and quality control; these stages of production often take place within the same area. Those looking for a holiday apartment in Valenza will therefore find a place whose character is shaped not only by its sights, but also by a craft that continues to define the city to this day.

Culture between MOD and the Cathedral

MOD – Museo dell’Oreficeria Diffuso – tells the story of Valenza's historical identity through several physical and virtual locations connected by a thematic route. The combination of several physical and virtual locations gives the route a spatial and thematic structure. When planning a day of culture, the fixed stations and virtual locations can therefore be deliberately considered as separate but thematically connected sections of the route. At present, the first three MOD stations can be visited in Valenza's historic centre.

One station is located in the former San Domenico complex. The MOD exhibition presents a reconstruction of an early 20th-century goldsmith's workshop. The complex formerly housed the Carducci primary school.

The Duomo di Santa Maria Maggiore also offers an insight into the city's history. Its present architectural form dates back to a rebuilding project decided upon at the beginning of the 17th century and entrusted to the architect Paolo Falcone from Lugano. The cathedral also houses the painting Madonna del Rosario by Guglielmo Caccia, known as Il Moncalvo, from 1620.

The Museo dell'Opera del Duomo is also part of the cultural highlights. It preserves a collection of paintings, sculptures, sacred furnishings, liturgical vestments and liturgical vessels from the cathedral. The collection is housed in the church sacristy and is opened on request.

The Po's natural landscape for a holiday apartment in Valenza

The Valenza area encompasses three important landscapes: the Po, the rice-growing areas and the hills. The Riserva naturale della Garzaia di Valenza was established by Regional Law No. 51 of 1979.

Among the region's heron colonies currently in operation, the Garzaia di Valenza is the only one located in an exclusively marshland habitat. The Cascina Belvedere visitor centre is situated near the Valenza bridge and is the site of the Riserva naturale della Garzaia di Valenza. Guided visits on foot or by bicycle can be organised there, accompanied by park rangers and nature guides. On foot or by bicycle: this choice is part of the practical planning of a visit.

Other places

Oviglio, Silvano D'orba, Pontestura, Predosa, Borgo Adorno, Terruggia, Cavatore and Bacchetti.

For the higher-level travel overview: Alessandria.